Stupak Just Kept Digging a Deeper Hole for Himself; Then He Jumped In
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Dr. Dan Benishek, Iron County physician, announces as Republican candidate for Congress in the 1st District.
Connie Saltonstall, former Charlevoix County commissioner, seeks Democratic nomination to replace Rep. Stupak, who resigned.
U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak went from the frying pan, to the fire, to the smoke going up the chimney.
Here's a highly regarded politician, former state policeman and straight-shooter considered a paragon of legislative virtue regarding campaign donations and links to Washington lobbyists.
All of a sudden the heat is too much and he's out--after 18 years of a spotless record.
Rep. Stupak, who is serving nine terms in Congress, swept to victory by up to 2-1 ratios nearly every election, and was probably unbeatable, all of a sudden he was bombarded with negative publicity and voter outrage.
The situation recalled the old adage about the higher you go on the flagpole the more of a vulnerable part of your anatomy you expose.
Stupak became the voice of the anti-abortion bloc during the health care debate, but in the end even his supporters were not satisfied with the deal he struck.
Misunderstanding may have been the culprit in much of the anti-Stupak rhetoric, but it ginned up opposition nonetheless.
Anti-government bandwagoneers saw an opening in the confusion over Stupak's role in striking a deal with President Obama to get stronger anti-abortion language in the health care bill in exchange for the votes of his like-minded group of conservative Democrats.
However, the last straw for the instantly controversial Democrat may have been the revelation that he was allegedly encamped in the infamous C Street House with a dozen mainly kooky Republicans being subsidized by a shadowy "Christian" group dubbed "The Family."
Even worse for a self-proclaimed religious anti-abortion zealot, the house at 133 C Street was linked to alleged sex scandals involving Gov. Mark Sanford of South Carolina, Sen. John Ensign, R-Nevada, and Rep. Chip Pickering, R-Mississippi.
Read Other C Street Articles . . .
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Misunderstanding over his highly visible principled role in trying to keep federal funding for abortion out of the health care bill put him in the fire to begin with.
Tea Party attacks, death threats and primary opposition from former Charlevoix county commissioner Connie Saltonstall must have added to his stress.
Read Tea Party Article
Then he was going to run for governor, an idea that died before anyone took it seriously.
He looked confused on TV, out of place in the limelight, a Yooper in Wonderland. People watching had to wonder what was motivating him. He got so far out on a limb that it was difficult for him to reach back and saw it off.
Stupak Friday announced he will retire from Congress at the end of this term, ending 18 years of what was a squeaky clean record until recently.
The Tea Party Express, a group opposing federal spending, has been rallying against Stupak in his sprawling northern Michigan district this week.
Four Republicans have been stirred to run in the 1st District by the Tea Party, including Dan Benishek, a physician formerly at the VA Medical Center in Iron Mountain. Others are Linda Goldthorpe, Mackinac County attorney, a Ron Paul activist and '08 Candidate; Don Hooper retired businessman, Army veteran and defeated candidate in 2004, 2006 and 2008; Dennis Lennox, Cheboygan County Drain Commissioner, non-profit group executive, former state legislative aide & pro-life activist.
Mrs. Goldthorpe, claiming she already is a Tea Party candidate, has protested her rejection by the Tea Party when she sought to help with registration at a recent Northern Michigan convention. Reportedly told she could not participate on grounds she was an active candidate, she wrote in a letter of protest to the Tea Party on her website: "We are facing a second revolution in this country and I had hoped to be platooned with soldiers who are on my side. Before this war is over, we will all be called much worse than 'partial.'"
Margaret Carlson weighed in about Stupak on Bloomberg recently with the following analysis:
"What helped end that standoff were 59,000 nuns who came out in favor of reform, blunting the opposition of bishops just as the sexual-abuse scandal centered on the church's male hierarchy returned to the news.
"Democrat Bart Stupak, who'd anointed himself king of the pro-life caucus by warning the new health care system would subsidize abortions, sniffed dismissively at the sisters, saying he sometimes confers with bishops but doesn't 'call up the nuns' when he's drafting legislative language.
"At the very last minute, Stupak agreed to accept an executive order stating the status quo, a face-saving solution to his imagined problem."
Stupak had been unbeatable for nine terms, winning re-election in 2008 by 66 percent, 213,216 to 107,340 over Tom Casperson, Escanaba trucking firm owner and former Republican state representative. The northern portion of Bay County that is in the 1st District favored Stupak 10,448 to Casperson's 4,980.
In 2006, Stupak defeated Republican Don Hooper handily, 180,448 to 72,753, with Bay giving him an 8,550 edge over Hooper's 3,983.
In 2004, as Democrat John Kerry barely edged George W. Bush in Michigan, Stupak crushed Hooper 211,571 to 105,706, and Bay gave him a 9,262 to 5,897 margin.
Dr. Benishek, 57, of rural Iron County, is the son of Polish immigrants. His father, Joseph, was killed in the mines when Dan was five years old.
Benishek went on to the University of Michigan where he received a bachelor's degree in biology. He was graduated from Wayne State University School of Medicine in 1978. Dr. Benishek has been serving the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in Iron Mountain working at Dickinson County Memorial Hospital as a general surgeon. Dan has also served the veterans at the Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center since 1990.
More recently, Dr. Benishek joined the staff at Northstar Health System in Iron River. Dan and his wife Judy live on Chicagoan Lake in rural Iron County and share five children and two grandchildren. ###
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"The BUZZ" - Read Feedback From Readers! |
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jttobin Says:
On April 11, 2010
at 11:11 PM
David - How anyone can accuse Stupak of being a supporter of abortion is insane. He is, and always has been, a staunch pro life Congressman. Just tells you how nuts the right wing wachos are in this country. As you no doubt know, he supported a much needed National health care bill that is a good first step, considering health care even for those lucky enough to have it, is unsustainable in the long run as it is now structured. I'm concerned about the so called tea party groups, most of whom are on Social Security and Medicare, and their anti "socialism" rants. These are people who should actually wait to see if this new health care law is good or bad. One thing is for sure, they have not read the 2400 page bill, nor have many people, but they sure are clueless about it's long term impact. Congressman Stupak, as you said, has been a good representative and a popular one until he did the right thing and supported a much needed health bill. What a sad state of affairs.
Tim |
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firstdelete2360 Says:
On April 12, 2010
at 11:05 AM
Hello jttobin - I like Bart as a person.
But you have missed the point, you say wait and see what happens. Didn't we learn anything about the mess we created with taking action to bail out the financial area and not looking at the details, then making major negative adjustments later. It has been stated in the news, that most representatives did not even read this health bill. In my opinion Bart Sold us out by caving in on the issue he appointed himself to represent for many years. But an equally important issue was it empower our government to make yet another hasty (so called urgent)But major change to our society ( good or Bad ). That is my issue. He shows good character, by stepping down for a bad decision. Thanks for the time. |
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ser.polaska Says:
On June 07, 2010
at 10:34 PM
Interesting and informative. But will you write about this one more?
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Dave Rogers |
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