|
NAVIGATION
|
NEWS TIPS!
RightMichigan.com
Who are the NERD fund donors Mr Snyder?Tweets about "#RightMi, -YoungLibertyMI, -dennislennox,"
 |
Recapping MRP 2009 State Convention: Day 2By Nick, Section News
Before I say anything else I want to give big ups to the staff at the Michigan Republican Party. Preparation for a convention like this takes, literally, thousands of total man hours and when the event actually starts many of them will work 48 hours straight. No breaks. No sleep.
These guys don't get enough credit, mostly because they make it look so easy. And while we're at it, a big thanks to Saul Anuzis who today wrapped up his tenure as Chairman of the Michigan Republican Party.
 Today's activities started with a half dozen different breakfast events at the Radisson and the Lansing Center. SoS candidates Anne Norlander and Michelle McManus played the role of host while Gubernatorial candidate and current AG Mike Cox spent time hanging out with Oakland County Republicans at their own giant breakfast.
 The biggest theme, though, at breakfasts and the general session... the special election in the 19th Senate District. Mark Schauer's record of voting for job-killing tax hikes and putting partisan, far-left political interests ahead of his constituents would have made him vulnerable if he HADN'T broken his promise and left the District for DC. Unfortunately for both 19th District moms and dads and the Democratic candidates themselves, Mike Simpson and Marty Griffin have voting records exactly like Schauer's. This is a pick-up opportunity, folks. A GOP pick-up opportunity that is going to draw huge national attention. In Michigan. Read on for additional coverage and a few hot new rumors...
The official business of the convention was electing a new Party Chairman, Ambassador Ron Weiser and a new group of Vice-Chairs. God bless them, with a mother of a winter storm moving in, all of the VC candidates got together and agreed to an unprecedented parliamentary move, grouping them together into a single vote and forgoing the opportunity to have nominating, seconding and acceptance speeches. Saved at least an hour and a half because of their unselfishness. Awesome.
 MRP's new leadership team looks like this: Chairman: Ron Weiser Co-Chairman: Sharon Wise Administrative Vice Chair: Jon Nunn Coalitions Vice Chair: Scott Greenlee Ethnic Vice Chair: Derek Moss Grassroots Vice Chair: Troy Rolling Outreach Vice Chair: Lisa Bouchard Youth Vice Chair: Pete Vitale A note on the Secretary of State's race... props to Michelle McManus. Listen, I love everyone with their eyes on that prize but only one candidate used RightMichigan for her convention campaign literature! That's right... Michelle McManus took excerpts from the interview we did back in January, complete with the web address and the RightMichigan logo at the top of the page and was not only handing them out to delegates as they entered the building but had placed copies on each of the thousands of chairs in the convention hall.
 Finally, a couple of quick asides on the rumor front... Washtenaw County Commissioner Mark Ouimet, the only Republican on the Commission, co-hosted Norlander's event and is rumored to have his eyes on the 7th Congressional District in 2010. The last time the Republican Party was without an incumbent on the ticket in 7 the field wound up being huge. Gentlemen... start your engines. Sheriff Mike Bouchard was in the house as well and I had a chance to speak with him about the rumors surrounding a potential gubernatorial bid in 2010. The Sheriff told me that he hasn't made any decisions yet but that he's consulting with family and friends and expects to make one soon. The man is a friend of L. Brooks Patterson and another potential candidate, Dominos CEO Dave Brandon and is no doubt interested to see what they do, too. The man is in great physical health and looks fully recovered from the grueling 2006 campaign. Which is awesome because that thing kicked my butt in ways I didn't even know were possible and I didn't have my name on the ballot. The problems in Michigan government are so large that it requires "big, systemic" changes. More important than anything else, he said, was that our nominee be an advocate for serious and thorough change. "No tweaks," Bouchard said. We've got to blow it up from the bottom and start over. Don't know what he'll decide but the passion is there. And if he doesn't run for Governor? There were some on the convention floor openly discussing their hope they could convince him to take a stab at Gary Peters in Michigan's 9th Congressional District. Now THAT would be fun.
Share This:
Recapping MRP 2009 State Convention: Day 2 | 0 comments ( topical, 0 hidden)
|
 |
