A good roundup at domemagazine.com of the fallout from the discredited plot to rig Michigan’s political rules “to help Democrats.”  Among the collateral damage:

• “It [the court packing/redistricting rigging scheme] has already led to talk of replacing Party Chair Mark Brewer, been responsible for knocking out their [Democrats’] top-choice candidate to challenge the incumbent Supreme Court chief justice, and it actually drawing some worries that it could harm the party’s chances of holding the house.”  

• “Sen. Tupcak Hunter (D-Detroit), co-chair of the Michigan campaign for presidential candidate Barack Obama” told one Detroit radio station “he is embarrassed by his party’s tactics in planning for the proposal.  Worse he said he feels ashamed to be a member of his party.”

• Rep. Mark Meadows (D-East Lansing) “said pointedly that if the vote came today, he wouldn’t back Mark Brewer for another term as [party] chair.”  

• A lawsuit to keep the proposed petition off the ballot included “two Democratic officials among the named plaintiffs” – Rep. Virgil Smith III (D-Detroit) and Ingham County Clerk Mike Bryanton.  

• “The blows came hard and fast for the party this week, and members took notice, as whispers about whether Mr. Brewer should remain head of the Democratic Party grew loud enough that the governor attempted to quash the idea.”  

I guess it’s not surprising that Gov. Granholm and Brewer refuse to abandon this plan, even as Democrats across the state flee; after all, Brewer devised it and Granholm helped finance it.  But in their heart of hearts, they must be hoping that the lawsuit succeeds and the petition is invalidated to save them some of the embarrassment of sponsoring one of the worst disasters in Michigan political history.