One More Sign of Democratic Leanings in Livingston

As we look back at 2008 and political events in Livingston County, people usually focus on how well President-elect Barack Obama did in our county -- almost 43 percent of the vote compared to John Kerry's 36 percent four years earlier.

There were other important signs of an increaasingly moderate lean in this part of Michigan -- Proposals 1 and 2, dealing with medical marijuana and embryonic stem cell research -- both won the county.

The Livingston Press and Argus wraps up these events as part of its 2008 look-back at political highlights in a storyfor editions of Sunday (January 4, 2009).

The piece does a good job of covering the year's political scene, but one sign of Livingston County's increasing moderation that I would add is this:

Livingston County voted for Diane Hathaway for Michigan Supreme Court and against Republican Cliff Taylor.

Michigan Supreme Court races are supposed to be non-partisan, but Taylor was an extremely partisan Republican, the spouse of former Gov. John Engler's legal counsel and a long-time political operative. Under his reign, the Michigan high court skewed far to the right, issuing rulings that not only trampled on the rights of average citizens but bordered on the cruel.

Plus, he was so contemptuous of the rights of litigants that he fell asleep during the arguments of a case involving a fire that killed six children.

Livingston County said "No!" to another term for Cliff Taylor and voted for Hathaway, who had been nominated by the Michigan Democratic Party.

Livingston County Democrats worked hard to persuade voters that Taylor had to go. The party had three events related to the race, including a visit by Hathaway herself at a "Flip the Ballot" barbeque. We talked to everyone who came into our office about the need to replace Taylor. We handed out her signs and carried her literature door-to-door.

So by the time the "sleeping judge" ads rolled around, people in Livingston County were already well-educated about the need to get rid of Taylor.

It's one of the things Livingston Dems are proudest of from the 2008 election cycle.