With Mike Rogers Retiring, The Right Democrat Should Be Able To Win MI-08

Good riddance to corrupt McCarthyite stooge Mike Rogers (left)

For whatever reason, Steve Israel has a policy at the DCCC-- Thou Shalt Not Contest Elelections Against Senior Republican Policy Makers. No matter how vulnerable the districts, Israel has not allowed the DCCC to go after any committee chairs last cycle or this cycle. One of the worst of the Republican malefactors in a winnable district, Mike Rogers, announced he would be retiring from Congress today. The head of the Intelligence Committee, Rogers, a personally corrupt individual, has been a total shill for the forces of the Surveillance State. As we've explained in the past, his district is a classic swing district that could have been successfully contested by the DCCC, which gave him a free pass year after year. The backward-looking Cook Report rates it an R+2 but Obama won against McCain under the new gerrymandered boundaries 195,798 (52%) to 174,506 (46%) and only lost to local boy Mitt Romney 183,510 (51%) to 172,131 (48%). Even with Steve Israel sabotaging Democrat Lance Enderle's campaign last cycle, Enderle beat Rogers in the district's key county, Ingham, 62,785 (51%) to 46,919 (46%). In 2012, Obama swept Ingham County against former resident Mitt Romney 63-36%. Not exactly the kind of district the DCCC should be afraid to contest. As a poll done a few months ago for MoveOn.org showed, Rogers was very vulnerable:

This morning, Lew Dickey, CEO of Hate Talk Radio syndicator Cumulus, announced, "We are thrilled to have Chairman Rogers join our team. He has been instrumental helping to shape many of the most important issues and events of our time and will play a significant role in our expanding content platform." A former FBI agent, Rogers was elected to Congress in 2000.

Michigan Republicans have three cardboard characters they're interested in running, the former majority leader of the state Senate, Mike Bishop, the former Speaker of the House, Craid DeRoche and Rogers' older schlub brother, Bill. With Israel crony Rogers retiring, it is likely the DCCC will get off its ass and make an effort to win the district. I suspect they won't show any interest in the two declared candidates, Susan Grettenberger and Ken Darga, and will work hand in hand with EMILY's List and Lon Johnson to block Lansing's popular mayor, Virg Bernero, so they can insert some loser like Ingraham County clerk Barb Bynum, whose main qualification seems to be that her mother almost beat Rogers once. The DCCC… the committee of almost. "Almost" doesn't do anything… except make consultants richer.

In 2010, Rick Snyder beat Bernero for governor. A poll the following year showed that Bernero would win a do-over. How much of an improvement would Bernero be over Rogers? Watch this video: