Bill Ballenger

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#0000BF" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="044005a0exvipq.gif"> <div> <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFCC33" FACE="Copperplate Gothic Bold" ><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Eastside Republican Club"><U><B>Home</B></U></A><B>  </B><B> </B></FONT><B>  | </B><B> </B><B> </B><B>  </B><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Copperplate Gothic Bold" ><B>Eastside Republican Club</B></FONT></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="erc_meeting_dates.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Events"><U><B>Events</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="eastside_republican_review_summary.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="ERC Review"><U><B>ERC Review</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="michigan_s_13th_district.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Congressional District News"><U><B>Congressional District News</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="civic___governmental_links.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="erc_officers.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About Us"><U><B>About Us</B></U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Bill Ballenger</B></div> <div> <A HREF="link_to_michigan_gop.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Michigan Republicans"><U><B><IMG SRC="05358580.gif" border=0 width="88" height="88" ALT="Michigan GOP" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="michigan_s_13th_district.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Congressional District News"><U><I><B>Congressional District News</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="erc_testimonials.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="What Theyre Saying About Us"><U><I><B>Read what they've said about us</B></I></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="erc_meeting_dates.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Events"><U><B><IMG SRC="81b871f0.gif" border=0 width="135" height="31" ALT=">>Events" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div>  <A NAME="top_of_page"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="1" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="1" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" ></A><IMG SRC="173790d90.jpg" border=0 width="400" height="473" ALT="Bill Ballenger, center, visits with John Chouinard of the Park and GPC Mayor Dale Scrace" ALIGN="RIGHT" HSPACE="6" VSPACE="2"></div> <div> <I><U>Michigan's Best Informed Political Analyst</U></I></div> <div> <B>Ballenger Announces McCain Edge</B></div> <div> <B>In Latest Michigan Polling Results</B></div> <div> Latest results place John McCain ahead of Barack Obama, 46% to 43%, in the Michigan poll released today and commissioned by <A HREF="http://www.insidemichiganpolitics.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.insidemichiganpolitics.com/"><U><I>Inside Michigan Politics</I></U></A>.</div> <div> The encouraging news for McCain supporters came from Michigan political expert <A HREF="http://www.insidemichiganpolitics.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9&Itemid=44" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.insidemichiganpolitics.com/in"><U>Bill Ballenger</U></A>, speaking to a packed house at the Eastside Republican Club Forum September 23, 2008, in the Grosse Pointe War Memorial. “You here tonight are the first to hear this!” he said.</div> <div> Ballenger reported that the figures are the result of the latest Michigan poll commissioned by <I>Inside Michigan Politics</I> and conducted from September 15-20. Having commissioned similar polls every six months for the past 21 years, Ballenger has extensive experience in testing the waters of the Michigan electorate.</div> <div> “Michigan is back in the forefront as a pivotal battleground state,” he said.</div> <div> He commented that as the election campaign gains momentum, it is significant that these latest numbers are counter to findings of some polls conducted during prior weeks showing Obama with a slight Michigan edge.</div> <div> Even more revealing, he said is that his polling data show, “McCain's popularity in Michigan is running ahead of his party's base.” Ballenger asserted that if this trend holds, it bodes well for all GOP candidates up and down the ballot.</div> <div> <I><B>Coattail Effect on Local Races</B></I></div> <div> He noted that if this popularity carries through to the election, a coattail effect would benefit some local Republican candidates such as Mary Treder Lang in her race for Michigan State Representative, even though two years ago outgoing Republican Ed Gaffney won reelection by bucking a statewide tide for Granholm.</div> <div> Ballenger acknowledged that Obama will help his party's ticket in certain areas, but added, “So what if he boosts the margin of victory in some areas from 91% to 95%.”<IMG SRC="1739c87b0.jpg" border=0 width="200" height="379" ALT="Bill Ballenger explains political landscape" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="6" VSPACE="2"></div> <div> Complicating the science of accurate polling, the political pundit acknowledged two election imponderables. One is the increasing difficulty in obtaining a representative sample, as an increasing number of primarily younger voters have no home telephone. Another is what has been dubbed the “Bradley factor.” It is the unknown extent to which people don't always tell the truth when queried by a polling organization.</div> <div> Of the reelection prospects for Michigan Chief Justice Cliff Taylor, Ballenger said, “It's not going to be a cake walk.” But he noted that even though today's polling shows 70% of voters are undecided in this non-partisan race, the value of Taylor's incumbency would be an advantage.</div> <div> However, Ballenger noted that because no Republicans are up for reelection to U of M, MSU, WSU and State Education boards, the GOP has the potential to make some gains.</div> <div> <I><B>Size of Ballot `Staggering'</B></I></div> <div> “It's staggering,” Ballenger said, of the large number of partisan and non-partisan candidates on Michigan ballots. He confirmed, “Michigan has the longest ballot of any state in the country.”</div> <div> He backed up his statement by noting that around the state, voters will elect college regents and trustees, board of education members, 248 judges, 699 county commissioners, and decide more than 5,000 township races. This is in addition, he said, to the federal offices, statewide proposals, and local millages on the November 4 General Election ballot.</div> <div> As to the two statewide ballot proposals, based on the sampling of current sentiment, Ballenger foresees the passage of both: one to permit “medical” marijuana, and the second to remove constitutional restrictions on the destruction of certain human embryos for research purposes.</div> <div> <I><B>Ballenger Background</B></I></div> <div> As a commentator, Ballenger is a prolific writer and analyst of the Michigan political landscape. Yet over the years, he has been the subject of stories written about him. In one such story, the <I>Detroit News</I> dubbed Ballenger "Michigan's undisputed Crown Prince of Pundits."</div> <div> In addition to editing and publishing the <I>"Inside Michigan Politics"</I> newsletter, Ballenger is host of his own radio show, gives speeches, and is frequently quoted in the press.</div> <div> Born in Flint, Michigan, Ballenger is a former state representative, state senator, state racing commissioner, and director of the Michigan Department of Licensing & Regulation. Ballenger also served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health, Education & Welfare in the administration of Pres. Gerald R. Ford.</div> <div> Ballenger holds a B.A. degree <I>magna cum laude</I> from Princeton University, and a master's degree in public administration from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. As a visiting Adjunct Professor, he has taught at the University of Michigan/Flint; in both Lyman Briggs and Justin Morrill Colleges at Michigan State University; and in the public administration program of Western Michigan University.</div> <div> Involved in the Michigan political community for over three decades, Ballenger is a recognized authority on Michigan government and politics. His <I>IMP</I> is considered must-read material for Michigan's business and political leaders, and he is a regular commentator and political analyst for NPR's broadcast outlets in both Detroit and Lansing.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <A HREF="#top_of_page" TITLE="Bill Ballenger"><U>back to top</U></A></div> </td> </tr></table></body>