2013 Truscott Rossman Calendar Guide

2012 was a big year politically – and we tried to include as much as we could in Truscott Rossman’s annual calendar. Here is a guide to everything featured in this year’s calendar – from left to right, and from top to bottom:

Top “row,” from left to right:

1.     Former presidential candidate Newt Gingrich on the moon, after promising (if elected) a manned U.S. moon base by 2020, in January 2012.

2.     Former Detroit Medical Center – and likely 2013 Detroit mayoral candidate – Mike Duggan, waving a 2012 Detroit Tigers American League pennant.

3.     Michigan Chamber of Commerce CEO Rich Studley, as “Dr. No On Proposals 2-6” (in keeping with our calendar’s James Bond theme!)

4.     Truscott Rossman president John Truscott driving James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 from Goldfinger and Thunderball – while ejecting Michigan ballot Proposals 1-6 from the car’s ejector seat. Each proposal went down at the polls in November 2012.

5.     Truscott Rossman Director of New Media Graham Davis as “Q,” passing a tablet with Twitter on it to his boss, “M.”

6.     Truscott Rossman CEO Kelly Rossman-McKinney as “M,” director of MI6 (the British intelligence agency featured in the James Bond novels and movies).

7.     Governor Rick Snyder blasting off in a jet pack – ala Thunderball – while holding his agenda. Snyder had said “right to work” legislation was off his agenda until changing course in December 2012, shortly before the Legislature passed and the Governor signed legislation allowing workers the “freedom to choose” to belong to a union.

Bottom “row,” from left to right: 

1.     Michigan Speaker of the House Jase Bolger, handing former State Representative Roy Schmidt a GOP membership form.

2.     Bag of money in support of Proposal 3 – “from California with Love” (a play off of From Russia With Love)

3.     UAW President Bob King trying to restrain Lt. Governor Brian Calley from stabbing Ambassador Bridge owner (and Proposal 6’s main supporter) Matty Moroun, who is depicted as the classic Bond villain Blofeld. The UAW officially remained neutral on Proposal 6 but was rumored to have been in talks with Moroun to support the proposal.

4.     Dean of the Michigan Capitol Press Corps Tim Skubick, chasing Attorney General Bill Schuette to find out what office the attorney general plans to run for next. Skubick has said AG Schuette is “always running for office.”

5.     The Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University is depicted solely because we love the new building – which was recently named by the Wall Street Journal as one of the best pieces of architecture in 2012.

6.     Senator Debbie Stabenow and Supreme Court Justice Bridget Mary McCormack – both victorious in 2012’s elections – are pictured in failed presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s station wagon, with a dog tied to the roof of the car. Romney was frequently – can we say, dogged – throughout the campaign for strapping the family dog Seamus to the roof of his car on a 1983 vacation. Stabenow and McCormack’s comments allude to Romney’s “binders full of women” quote from the second presidential debate.  Romney is depicted reading “50 Shades of Grey” – solely because we wanted to include the book (the fastest selling paperback of all time) in this year’s calendar, and to satirize Romney’s ultra-clean image. (We are sure he wouldn’t read this book!)

7.     President Barack Obama and Speaker of the House John Boehner are depicted going over the fiscal cliff, which the country briefly did after no deal to avert “going over the cliff” was reached until late in the day on January 1, 2013. The president is captioned saying “Forward!,” which was his 2012 campaign slogan.  This quote was submitted by Graham Filler, the winner of this year’s Calendar Caption Contest. More than 75 entries were submitted through TR’s Facebook and Twitter accounts, and were judged anonymously by the TR staff.

8.     Senate Democratic Leader Gretchen Whitmer and former State Representatives Barb Byrum and Lisa Brown are depicted holding a large “VAGINA” sign and saying: “Vagina! If you can’t say it, don’t legislative it!” The quote and sign alludes to the national controversy that erupted after Brown and Byrum were silenced for saying “vagina” and “vasectomy” on the floor of the Michigan House of Representatives in June 2012. The controversy made global headlines and led to a mass reading of “The Vagina Monologues” on the steps of the Michigan State Capitol.

Throughout the calendar:

Paid petition circulators – gathering signatures for the six statewide ballot proposals that were on the November 2012 ballot – are scattered throughout the calendar.

2012 was a hell of a year. We’re sure it won’t be equaled for a long time to come – until next year’s calendar!

Happy 2013, from all of us at Truscott Rossman!

Remember: we kid because we love!