Alex Witoslawski

First Generation American and grassroots activist in Metro Detroit. County Operations Coordinator for Michigan Campaign for Liberty and Executive Board Member for the Republican Reason Caucus.

2015 MIGOP State Convention, Conservative News, Cronyism, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Republicans

Everything That’s Wrong With The MIGOP In One Photo

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The MIGOP Establishment & Romney Dynasty In One Photo

For those of us who are conservative or libertarian, this image encapsulates everything that is wrong with the Michigan Republican Party.

Right to left: Rick Snyder, Ronna Romney McDaniel, Bobby Schostak, Scott Romney

Right to left: Rick Snyder, Ronna Romney McDaniel, Bobby Schostak, Scott Romney

On the right, we have Gov. Rick Snyder – who pushed Michigan’s Republican-dominated legislature to implement Obamacare, raise income and sales taxes, and increase government spending by $2.7 billion annually.

Next is Ronna Romney McDaniel, heiress to the Romney political machine, whose only political experience is speaking at hyped up events for Mitt Romney and being appointed to the Republican National Committee after Terri Lynn Land resigned.

Next to Ronna is her father G. Scott Romney, Mitt Romney’s brother and a failed candidate for Attorney General.

Behind Ronna and Scott we see Bobby Schostak, the outgoing Michigan Republican Party Chair, who used his position for personal profit and shut grassroots activists out of the party.

The kicker to all of this is that they’re all cheering on Mitt Romney’s coronation as the Republican nominee for President. Mitt, as we all know, went on to lose to Barack Obama in what should’ve been a home-run for Republicans.

Now Ronna Romney McDaniel is running to replace Bobby Schostak as MIGOP Chair. Despite having no grassroots experience, she laughably claims that she will mend relationships between the grassroots and establishment Republicans such as herself.

So far the only serious challenger to Ronna Romney McDaniel is Dr. Kim Shmina, a conservative activist and the Vice Chair of the 10th Congressional District’s Republican Party.

You Betcha! (19)Nuh Uh.(4)

Conservative News, Elections, Michigan Politics, Proposal 15-1, Republicans

Citizens Threaten To Recall Rep. Kurt Heise

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Kurt Heise Will Pay For Breaking Campaign Promise

Republican activists threaten a recall of Rep. Heise if he votes to double gasoline taxes.

Republican activists threaten a recall of Rep. Heise if he votes to double gasoline taxes.

Rhetoric has been getting heated recently as the Michigan House of Representatives prepares to vote on a bill which would raise gasoline taxes by $1 billion annually.The focus of much of that heated rhetoric is Kurt Heise, the Republican representing Canton, Plymouth, and Northville in the State House.”Some activists are talking about recalling Kurt Heise if he votes to double the gas tax” said Ignacio Marques, a Republican Precinct Delegate in Canton. “Heise already broke his campaign promise to lower taxes when he voted for similar bills hiking gasoline and vehicle registration taxes in the past – we can’t let him get away with it again.”

This would not be the first time citizens attempt to recall a State Representative from the 20th House District. In 2008, State Rep. Marc Corriveau (D-Northville) faced a recall over his vote for higher taxes.

More recently in 2014, recall petitions were filed against several Plymouth Township Board Trustees.

Whether or not recall petitions will be filed against Rep. Heise remains to be seen, however.

“We will only go through with this if he votes for the tax hike,” Marques said. “But we are fully prepared to get the necessary amount of signatures to force a recall election if Heise breaks his campaign promise against higher taxes one more time.”

The bill, which passed the State Senate, will replace the flat gasoline tax of 19 cents per gallon with a higher wholesale tax. Under the new wholesale tax, state gasoline taxes could rise to 41 cents per gallon by 2018.
You Betcha! (18)Nuh Uh.(8)

Conservative News, Democrats, Detroit, Elections, Firearms, Michigan Politics, Republicans

Steve Boron: “Conservatism Wins,” especially in tough districts

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Protecting gun rights, cutting taxes, reducing spending, and stopping Obamacare. These aren’t issues you’d expect a Republican to run on in a blue district, like Michigan’s 16th House District which consists of the cities of Wayne and Westland. But Steve Boron says it’s the only way Republicans can win over Democrats and Independents.

Steve Boron talks with a voter over the phone. He estimates that his campaign has placed over 15,000 live phone calls to voters in his district.

Steve Boron talks with a voter over the phone. His campaign has placed over 15,000 live phone calls to voters in Michigan’s 16th House District.

“A lot of voters are disengaging from the political process because they feel neither party represents them,” said Boron. “Instead of being ‘Democrat-lite’, Republicans need to take a stand for conservative principles and inspire their base to get out and vote.”

Steve Boron is a 20-year member of the UAW, the owner of a small solar panel business, and a lifelong resident of Westland. On paper, he seems unlikely to be a free-market conservative – let alone a Republican candidate for State Representative. But Boron says his background is his biggest strength.

“I’m a blue collar worker and a union member just like most people in the district. Voters here will trust me before they trust a career politician or a wealthy CEO,” he said. “I understand what issues matter to my community and how to tailor the conservative message to win over their support.”

Campaign Strategy

When asked whether he has any proof his strategy works, Steve Boron responds that he is simply “retooling” Barack Obama’s successful re-election strategy.

“Obama won in 2012 because he moved to the left, fired up his base, and got out the vote,” Boron says. “It made me wonder, ‘why can’t Republicans improve on that model?'”

Boron points out his training at the Foundation for Applied Conservative Leadership and experience as a grassroots activist were also formative in his understanding of political strategy.

“We’re focusing heavily on voter identification and microtargeting. Once we know where a voter stands on a few issues, we know how to communicate to them,” he said. “For example, every supporter of the Second Amendment we identify will be targeted with a message about my ‘A’ rating from the NRA and the endorsement I received from the Michigan Coalition of Responsible Gun Owners.”

You Betcha! (6)Nuh Uh.(2)

Cronyism, Democrats, Detroit, Elections, Michigan Politics

Did Robert Kosowski Lie To Gain A Key Endorsement?

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Did State Rep. Robert Kosowski (D-Westland) lie about his voting record on education in order to gain the Wayne-Westland Observer’s endorsement? Despite misleading claims in the Wayne-Westland Observer, Kosowski voted to cut education funding and ban charter schools.

In his first term as Wayne and Westland’s State Representative, Robert Kosowski voted numerous times to expand the power of Tax Increment Financing Authorities (TIFAs) to take money from local school districts. Rep. Kosowski also co-sponsored House Bill 5852, which would force every single charter school in the state to close once its charter expires.

In addition to cutting the budgets of local school districts and banning charter schools, Kosowski voted for the “Common Core” standards, which increases federal control of local school districts and mandates additional standardized testing of students. Rounding out Kosowski’s voting record on education is his opposition to Education Achievement Authorities, which are the state agencies that help failing public schools.

In their endorsement of Kosowski, LeAnne Rogers of the Wayne-Westland Observer reported that Rep. Kosowski said “he’s not opposed to charter schools.” In a different article for the Observer, Rogers reported that Kosowski supported school funding increases.

It’s possible that Kosowski lied about his voting record in order to gain the Observer’s endorsement – and Rogers, the Observer editor, failed to do her homework. However, some have accused LeAnne Rogers of being biased after she misquoted Kosowski’s Republican opponent as being in favor of the gasoline tax. Dan MacDonald, a top commenter on the Observer’s website, claimed that “she pulled the same thing during the city council race.”

You Betcha! (3)Nuh Uh.(1)