Michigan’s redistricting commission agreed on Monday on four congressional maps that will be brought to the second round of public hearings scheduled to start next week. Bridge Michigan analyzed the drafts and concluded that, combined with the loss of one seat in Congress because of stagnant population, Michigan’s congressional districts likely will become far more competitive regardless of which map is adopted. Republicans and Democrats now have a 7-7 split, but most current districts are safe seats for both parties, resulting in few competitive races. The new drafts have several districts in which 8,000 or fewer votes separated Democrats and Republicans out of about 775,000 voters. And perhaps most notably to voters: Few incumbents are safe, as at least eight representatives are now placed in districts with at least one other member.
On the State senate and house redistricting, Michigan’s redistricting commission on Friday approved draft Senate boundaries that could give Democrats a solid shot at capturing the chamber next year. Democrats would have an edge in 20 of 38 seats, according to a commission analysis of the past 13 elections. That would flip the majority, as Republicans now control the Senate 20-16 with two vacant seats that favor the GOP. Bridge Michigan’s analysis, using only recent elections, shows the seats would be even more competitive and could favor Republicans 20-18, with two seats nearly evenly split between Democratic and Republican voters.
In the proposed redistricting for the House, Republicans could maintain an edge in the Michigan House of Representatives under new district boundaries proposed Monday, but the maps also give Democrats plenty of reason to hope. Republicans now control the chamber 58-52, and a Bridge Michigan analysis of 2020 presidential data shows the party would maintain an advantage with three drafts approved Monday. But the Michigan Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission, using a composite score of 13 elections since 2012, gives Republicans a two-seat edge in one map, splits the House in another and gives Democrats a slight edge in the third.
Next week the Commission will holding public meetings to hear feedback on the proposed drafts. Speak now or forever hold your peace. Once approved the new districts will be in place until 2031.
A new report is out recommending doctors should no longer routinely start most people who are at high risk of heart disease on a daily regimen of low-dose aspirin, according to new draft guidelines by a U.S. panel of experts. The proposed recommendation is based on mounting evidence that the risk of serious side effects far outweighs the benefit of what was once considered a remarkably cheap weapon in the fight against heart disease. My cardiologist Dr. Kim Eagle told me this two years ago.
Jon Gruden resigned as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders because of racist remarks he made in emails in 2011 about DeMaurice Smith, Executive Director of the NFL Player’s Union. Gruden said Friday that he did not remember sending the email and that his language “went too far,” adding, “I never had a blade of racism in me.” Additional emails were discovered by the NFL in which Gruden made many homophobic and misogynistic remarks in emails he sent to others over a 10-year period. In his resignation, Gruden said, “I’m sorry, I never meant to hurt anyone.” What he should have said is “I am sorry I was so stupid to put stuff like this in emails and that I got caught.” That would be much more believable than saying “I never meant to hurt anyone”. Keep in mind, Gruden is a Super Bowl winning coach, a former top analyst for Monday Night Football, and he ran the top quarterback camp in the country.
Gruden’s emails provide an unvarnished look into the behind-the-scenes culture of the NFL where a portion of the white male decision makers of the NFL felt comfortable sharing pornographic images, deriding the league policies, and sharing homophobic language. Their banter flies in the face of the league’s public denouncements of racism and sexism and its promises to be more inclusive amid criticism for not listening to the concerns of Black players, who make up about 70 percent of rosters. There is no place for this type of behavior. Commissioner Roger Goodell has a hornet’s nest of a problem now. I am not if he will survive this.
Boyne golf has a dilemma on its hands. Nine of its 10 golf courses are scheduled to close for the season on Sunday. Only Crooked Tree Golf Course is scheduled to be open next week. Boyne wasn’t expecting mid-October temperatures to be in the mid-70s when they announced the scheduled closes. It will be interesting to see if they stick with their schedule.
Stay safe. Wash your hands regularly. Schedule your vaccine and booster. Wear your mask. Social distance.
Orchid of the Day: The Michigan Redistricting Commission for getting their drafts out to the public in a timely manner despite the major delays they encountered in receiving accurate census data.
Onion of the Day: John Gruden and his NFL counterparts who allowed his comments to go on for over 10 years.
Quote of the Day: “I’ve had people who have been in this organization for decades tell me that last Tuesday was the best night at Fenway that they’ve experienced. Last night, tonight — everybody brought it.” Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom speaking of the atmosphere at Fenway Park on Sunday and Monday as the Red Sox[TB1] won their ALDS match against the Tampa Bay Rays.