So Long, Senator Levin

Courtesy Associated Press

Just who do you think you are, Senator Levin – the pope?


I met Carl Levin, Michigan’s senior U.S. Senator, once – I attended a meeting in his Grand Rapids office years ago when I was working in environmental protection and he was considering legislation to protect the Great Lakes – and was impressed and intimidated by his wisdom and intellect. At the time he was being depicted in his campaign literature as a rumpled, Columbo-esque professorial type, a “regular Joe” kind of fellow, so I wasn't prepared to be floored by his vast public policy expertise and knowledge of political nuance and mechanics. I don’t recall what became of his proposal but I remember to this day thinking I was lucky to be able to sit across the table from such a formidable man.

I had mixed feelings when I heard that Mr. Levin, who’s represented Michigan in the U.S. Senate since I was a junior in high school, isn't running for re-election when his current term expires in 2014.

On one hand, 34 years is a long time in any job and fresh blood might be in a good thing. (State Democrats just selected a new party chair, Lon Johnson, to replace Mark Brewer; Brewer had only held that gig for 18 years.)

On the other hand, Senator Levin, 78, has probably done more for my state than anyone in office today. He’s worked to improve education, keep gas prices low, ban drilling in the Great Lakes, clean up Detroit’s riverfront and promote energy efficiency and alternative-technology vehicles (which is odd since he opposed raising mandatory fuel efficiency standards but whatever).

He did rub me the wrong way a few years ago when he proposed the indefinite detention of American citizens by the U.S. military, without charges or trial, if officials think they might be terrorists. (He insisted he had the backing of the U.S. Supreme Court.) But he’s supported gun control and embryonic stem cell research, wrote the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989, voted against sending soldiers to Iraq and has earned an 84 percent lifetime rating from the American Civil Liberties Union. (I know it’s not cool to like the ACLU but I do.) And as chair of the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services, he wields considerable power. (I always like it when someone representing me is in control.)

Furthermore, he’s pro-choice, supported stimulus spending in 2008, wanted to allow travel between the U.S. and Cuba, believes in the separation of church and state, opposes making English our official language, supports consumer protection and affirmative action, voted to repeal automatic Congressional pay raises and opposed making it harder to vote in federal elections. Did I mention he received a zero percent rating from the Christian Coalition? (That factoid alone warrants a complimentary blog post.) Oh, and he voted against a Constitutional amendment banning flag burning. (Has there ever been a dumber proposal in the history of humankind?)

The man may look like a “kindly old shoemaker,” as Jon Stewart has called him, but he’s one of the toughest, shrewdest politicians around. (Click here for video highlights of him giving Wall Street investment bankers a hard time.) I sure wouldn't want to be summoned to appear before Carl Levin.

One never wants to agree completely with any politician – I’m told that doing so brings on a nasty skin rash, an inability to digest solid food or both – so it’s good that Senator Levin’s voted the wrong way at times. His record includes few of these blemishes, however, which is downright surprising given the extensiveness of said record.

The only names I've heard so far of folks who might want to replace him include former Michigan Governors Jim Blanchard and Jennifer Granholm, State Senator Gretchen Whitmer and Congressman Gary Peters, all Democrats, and state Attorney General Bill Schuette and former Congressman Vern Ehlers, both Republicans. (Saying Bill Schuette and Vern Ehlers are the same, however, is like saying hot dogs and filet mignon are both meat.) Regardless of which candidates emerge in the coming months and who ultimately succeeds Carl Levin, the shoes he’s leaving behind are going to be awfully challenging to fill. Thank you for your service, Senator.


Update: According to Lansing-based political expert Walt Sorg, Schuette’s already said he’s not running. The list of potential Republican candidates also includes former Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land, Congresspeople Mike Rogers and Candace Miller and Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley. And possible Dems also include current Congressman Dan Kildee and former Congressman Mark Schauer.


Sources: Ontheissues.org, ProgressMichigan.org.