Granholm webchat, MDP ad

Governor Granholm will be answering questions in a Daily Kos diary tomorrow morning. Here's the relevant info, courtesy of Clint from the Granholm campaign:

Greetings from the Granholm campaign. My name is Clint and I do a lot of the Internet stuff for the Governor's re-election effort. As the headline indicates, she will be posting a diary late on Wednesday morning to share her thoughts on the campaign ahead and her plans for Michigan in the next four years. She has set aside one hour to answer questions in the comments. If you don't see the diary, look for the User name she will be using, which is Jennifer M Granholm.

Who: Gov. Jennifer Granholm
What: Diary on Daily Kos
When: Wednesday, September 13, 11:15am - 12:15pm EST

Here's what I had to say about it on dkos:

its really going to be her

Independent of my own blogging, I used to be an intern in Granholm's campaign office this past summer.

She reads some of the local blogs (such as Michigan Liberal) on a daily basis, and seems to be enthusiastic about the way that progressive blogs and the Democratic party will interact in the future.

The campaign had done another "web chat" on their own campaign blog, and I saw her answering questions in the office as they arrived in real time. Its pretty hardcore. I'm guessing there are probably going to be a lot more questions than what can possibly be answered in an hour, though.

These are the questions I asked at the last Granholm webchat, and what I'm planning on asking again. Last time, she answered my "how to volunteer with the campaign" question. Since you can't post comments on Daily Kos until a day after you register, let me know if there are any questions you want me to ask for you.

Governor Granholm,

Why has the immunity that drug companies are given for distributing harmful products not been repealed? What can be done to increase transparency in the drug testing process?

Governor Granholm,

As you know, the Great Lakes are an important resource that provide economic benefits, aesthetic beauty, and other benefits to our state. What has your administration done to tighten the reporting requirements for diversions and prevent large-quantity water withdrawals from the Great Lakes?

Governor Granholm,

How do you feel about the so-called "Michigan Civil Rights Initiative"? What should the role of affirmative action programs be in higher education?

Governor Granholm,

How do you feel about the mandatory sentencing of a juvenile to imprisonment for life without the possibility of parole? What kinds of preventative measures can be used to prevent youth crime?

Governor Granholm,

How do I volunteer with the campaign?

Governor Granholm,

Currently, many large Michigan employers use the Medicaid system to avoid providing coverage to their employees. This has been estimated to cost Michigan taxpayers over $100 million annually. How do you feel about a "Fair Share" health care fund similar to Maryland's system that would would require very large businesses to spend at least 8 percent of their payrolls on workers' health insurance plans?

Governor Granholm,

Identity theft has damaging consequences for Michigan families that are often difficult to recover from. Are you in favor of measures to strengthen protections for Michigan residents such as a security freeze as an optional theft prevention tool?

Governor Granholm,

Given the high number of work-related musculoskeletal disorders that affect Michigan residents every year, effective ergonomic standards are an important tool to protect our workers. What are some of the challenges that MIOSHA has encountered in addressing the problems of crippling repetitive motion injuries in the workplace?

In other news, the MDP released a new ad entitled "Provincial." You can download the Quicktime or Windows Media versions.

As many of you know, I'm not entirely comfortable with the implied "outsourcing to China" argument. Surprisingly, this ad doesn't do that. It just uses the fact that DeVos opened a factory in China in a way that is amusing and stinging at the same time. I still don't appreciate that it has xenophobic undertones (which Democrats shouldn't encourage), but despite that its easily the best ad out of the MDP or Granholm camp yet. It doesn't use all still photos either, which is a refreshing change of pace.

I'm sure Zack will have this up on YouTube at some point, so keep checking Pohlitics (happy birthday, too!).