Why do Walberg's pals skip the 7th?

The 7th District is a pretty big place, from Battle Creek to Adrian, from Eaton County to the southern state line. So why is it that when the big national guns come in to raise money for Tim Walberg they skip it entirely?

This week's example: First Lady Laura Bush. According to Michigan GOP co-chair Jane Abraham, Bush is coming to Michigan Thursday to raise funds for the embattled first-term congressman. But she's not going to Jackson, Charlotte or Grand Ledge. She's going to Grosse Pointe.

Now, I'm sure the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club is a very nice place. Never been there, don't really know for sure, but the pictures are pretty. There is one thing, however, that it lacks.

It's not in his district.

And it's not the first time this has happened either. In 2006, Vice President Dick Cheney came to the Lansing area to raise money for Walberg. He went to Hawk Hollow - a great golf course, but one in the 8th, not 7th district.

Asked at the time why they couldn't find a spot in the 7th for the event, the response was that the venue was chosen for "security reasons". Which, considering that Cheney has visited Baghdad, must make the 7th a pretty wild and woolly place.

Look, the First Lady, and Cheney for that matter, have all the right in the world to visit wherever they'd like in these United States. But one wonders why, when trying to gin up cash for a congressional candidate, they'd skip the district he's running to represent.

Walberg, as you'll no doubt recall, is in the race of his life against state Senate Minority Leader Mark Schauer. And a fun photo op with the First Lady, who remains a pretty popular figure, would seem to be a good publicity move with just two weeks to go.

By the way, I asked Tim Walberg's campaign why Bush, like Cheney, is skipping the 7th. Walberg's official spokesman forwarded my questions to the campaign, and I emailed them separately. I have yet to hear back. If and when I do, I'll give them space to post their rationale.

Comments

[JRS]

These fund raisers are just quick
in and out affairs, where they are held is not really important, the money is what counts.

Walberg is running a rather unusual campaign, I know he is a conservative ideologue but those TV commercials with Michael Moore and Schauer are laughable. He shouldn't have to be
trying to appeal to his conservative base at this point in the campaign but trying to reach moderates and independents,
I don't see the critical Michael Moore ads accomplishing that. Another thing
he should be doing is saying something positive about himself, just being critical of his opponent could backfire on him if
he is constantly negative then that is the image of him people will take with them to the polls. You need to give people a reason to vote for you, not just to vote against someone else.

[Populista]

The Republican powers that be probably think Walberg has the race in the bag, so they are going places where they think the candidate needs help. Let's hope this turns out to be a tragic decision in respect to Walberg's election.

[JDS]

Because the rich and/or politically connected people who write big checks and attend events hosted by Cheney and Laura Bush don't live in Jackson, or anywhere else in the 7th District. They live in places like Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Oakland County. You go to the money, you don't make the money go to you.