CSM Write-Up is Informing

a12iggymom's blog shared an informative July 3rd, 2011, Christian Science Monitor write-up by Husna Haq on my main man Thad.

Article Highlights:

"A lifelong Michigander born in Detroit to public school teacher parents, McCotter enjoyed a solidly middle-class, heartland upbringing. A high school football star, he finished first in his class at the University of Detroit, then went on to earn a law degree. He was elected to the Michigan state Senate in 1998. In 2003, he became the representative for Michigan’s 11th district. [McCotter is] an eccentric Beatles-loving, joke-cracking guitar player who’s always surprising his colleagues (by quoting rock lyrics on the House floor, for example, or hanging a picture of John Lennon over his congressional office desk), McCotter plays lead guitar for the Second Amendments, a bipartisan rock band made up of House members that performs for US forces in Iraq and Afghanistan."

“He has a strong voting record that [appeals to] the Republican constituency, he thinks for himself, and he’s willing to go outside the box on some things,” says Jack Holmes, a political scientist at Hope College in Holland, Mich. For example, after serving two terms as chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee, McCotter recommended phasing it out and using its funds to pay down the national debt."

"in a race where most candidates are schooled by image consultants in the finer arts of polishing their personas, McCotter is refreshingly real, says Professor Holmes, who’s heard McCotter speak several times."

"McCotter has strong opinions and he backs them up in his strongly conservative voting record. That includes consistent “yes” votes on anti-abortion, pro-Second Amendment, strong defense, and antitax legislation. Perhaps most importantly, he voted against the Obama administration’s $787 billion stimulus package, earning him tea party praise."

Read Full Article Here:

10 facts about Thaddeus McCotter and his run for president

Arrogance Is A Campaign Issue

I was talking a friend who happens to be a MI Republican insider about McCotter a few days ago. I said McCotter was a great candidate and it will be exciting to see if his message gets traction. My friend said McCotter doesn't have a chance. 'Not only is McCotter too late, too unknown, and too underfunded, he's pompous and cold.'

Yesterday's email from the campaign is definitely the wrong tone for the McCotter campaign, seeing as how he needs to downplay the fact that he comes off as an arrogant know-it-all. Here are a few choice bits from that email:

 -- "Presidential Candidate Thaddeus McCotter dominated the debate on Twitter hosted by TheTeaParty.net." --
 -- "Congressman McCotter showed his understanding of the issues" --


Both of these quotes are said in the first paragraph of the email and written by campaign staff. They are unneeded and heighten, instead of diminish, the impression that McCotter sounds like an arrogant prick sometimes. It is true that McCotter most certainly would dominate any debate and he definitely has an understanding of the issues. However, that is not what his campaign emails need to highlight, as McCotter makes these characteristics clear in every interview he grants. Maybe Cain's campaign but not McCotter's. Thad's campaign emails need to help back his image away from the "I'm the shiznit" impression he gives. He needs to be humanized. The following quote from the email was good and the kind of message that should be expounded on:


 -- Congressman McCotter showed...why he is uniquely positioned to unite the Republican Party and take back the White House." --


McCotter is a great candidate and whether he is or is not too big for his britches doesn't really matter to me as a voter. But, it does matter to a huge amount of other folks as Romney's 2008 campaign's huge expenditures with minimal results proves. Please McCotter staff, for the sake of those of us who want to see him win, show Thad crying with a family who has been wronged by the Obama govt or whatever but don't heighten his arrogance in your own communiques.


Also on a technical note, this email had a bad link in it. At the top it said, with a typo I might add, "Having trouble viewing this email? View is in your browser", but when I clicked on the link it took me to a generic message from the campaign thanking me for my support. Let's go team McCotter. Get with it!

Its Kind of Like the Mayan Calendar

Thad McCotter kills it in this interview. With Romney's trademark 'be PC at all costs' and Bachmann's 'say crazy stuff until someone listens' dominating the airwaves, it is great to see a presidential candidate that speaks the truth...and even with enough humor that a seasoned news crew can't help but crack up.