Tag: GOP

There was a reason he won the position in the first place; as someone who would hold TRUE to conservative Republican principles, and strengthen them in the national platform.  While the establishment Republicans are decrying Democrats as "bad," Committeeman Agema was rebuilding the foundation so Republicans could say why.  Real fiscal restraint, real solutions aimed at preserving families and traditions that have made this country great.

And the feeble sensibilities of an offended malcontent within the party continuously stirs up sympathy for the other side's (progressive Dems for those of you who remain unsure) point of view?

"Hey look at me! I am a Republican and I don't like your stand on what I like to do, so you better tolerate my perverse lifestyle or I will forever more divide the party until I get what I want!  You can call it a big tent if you want."

When moral restraint is removed in one way, it certainly follows that the caps are off in others too.

The financing by shadow entities wouldn't matter a whit if the negative effect on our personal liberties by government action wasn't a risk. Isn't that the truly scary thing, that someone could literally buy an effect on your freedom, promote higher taxes for corporate, or individual welfare, advocate laws stealing property rights, or elect someone to see that you pay for another person's healthcare and personal 'choices?' (abortion, body mutilation, tatoos, sexual deviancy, etc.)

If we could stop such things as MEDC or other subsidy programming, complete streets, pure Michigan taxpayer subsidized cronyism, unchecked welfare, forced medical issues, controls on private business, and apply free market principles along with a consumption based (fair tax) revenue system, it wouldn't be so important to have great amounts of money spent to drive opinion. The need for some 'free speech' anonymity would be reduced or eliminated,

.. and the argument made moot.

I want to know who is coming for our liberty, and would like to celebrate those who would keep us free.  I want to know who is attempting to cage us in and applaud those tearing down the walls. It would be nice to have a motivational perspective on why any issue is important enough to spend massive amounts of money to promote.

In the end, SB661 will pass.  The house will possibly restore the struck out lines that allow funding from political party sources in contested primaries as a compromise. What I would like to see will not happen. Government is probably recognized appropriately as having too much power by enough legislators to stop it its passage, but it won't happen.  Some of those who agree with my view on transparency will still vote for it because they will be convinced that power of government can be turned on those (perhaps appropriately) who would challenge its subjective benevolence all too easily.

A Bill Wilson Op-Ed notes how Michigan Congressman Fred Upton would prefer to shoot 'gift horses.'

That old saying, "if you don't stand for something, you will fall for anything," is being proven true yet again by the Republican leadership in the House of Representatives.

Failing to embrace an agenda that would keep faith with the people who elected them, the House GOP honchos -- led by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton of Michigan -- are about to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

As the uproar over millions of insurance cancellations began to build, Upton and his cronies devised a cynical plan to try to grab credit "for doing something" to address the real pain and anguish felt by American families.  ..

In the side twitter bar the question

"What? After paying for #AFP/#RTW #Tentgate 2012 Dick DeVos' Greg McNeilly now anti-#MITeaParty?"

appears.

Having been a part of the RTW/FTW effort, I must say I was quite pleased with the impetus placed on FTW in Dec 2012 by Dick DeVos and Ron Weiser, without which, it might never have happened.  But it isn't a free pass for the abuses laid out by operatives of the GOP, and in particular the MiGOP club which doubled down on the national slaparound the tea folk have been getting from media and complicit (Vichy) Republicans.

December 2012 WAS important though. Snyder at the time might have even overcome a bit of the reaction to the Prop 2 debacle by Michigan's labor unions, but a reminder that anything he had done good was outweighed by cronyism, unilateral international transactions, and the promise of tax increases that moved him.  Truthfully, if not for Weiser and DeVos RTW might never have come to be.  It never was a part of Rick Snyder's agenda, and never really will be heart-fought from ongoing union boss opposition.

Remember that.

Something those two saw that the governor could care less about, was the strength of the Tea party movement within the GOP construct.  There was a very real possibility that the governor, sans a significant policy delivery to the base, would face a primary challenge (perhaps by the sitting AG) thus creating a divide in the 'acceptable' GOP hierarchy.  The AG, already on record as opposing the Obamacare Exchanges, Medicaid Expansion, and showing significant support among the Tea types worried the power brokers.

And those "wackos" were brought under control, right?

"While I am accepting of the fact that we need to move beyond this battle, I remain disappointed that the President and Senate Democrats failed to negotiate in good faith with the House to find a long term solution to many of these issues. Washington now needs to move past this gridlock and instead focus on policies that will create jobs and a healthy economy. Addressing the status quo of trillion dollar deficits, a weak economy, and a health care law that is unfair and harmful to families and our economy needs to remain at the forefront of Congressional efforts to find positive solutions."

As soon as I get a chance to identify if there are any GOP cowards from Michigan we'll make sure they see the wall of shame for at least 6-8 months or until a primary is assured for their seat.  The "deal" appears to have another provision that should fill your drawers with last night's cream corn and ask why the GOP exists at all. Politico reports:

"The legislation also includes a McConnell-written proposal that would allow Congress to disapprove of the debt-ceiling increase. Lawmakers will formally vote on rejecting the bump of the borrowing limit - if it passed, it could be vetoed by Obama.

The deal would also deliver back pay to furloughed federal workers, require a study of income verification for people seeking health-insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act and also allows the Treasury Department to use extraordinary measures to pay the nation's bills if Congress doesn't raise the debt ceiling in a timely fashion.

"The plan includes a proposal offered by McConnell in the 2011 debt ceiling crisis that allows Congress to disapprove of the debt ceiling increase, which means lawmakers will formally vote on whether to reject a debt ceiling increase until Feb. 7. Obama can veto that legislation if it passes. If Congress fails as expected to gather a two-thirds majority to override the veto, the debt ceiling would be raised.

we know that "standing" is a common way of denying the adequate redress of our grievances to the court as it is, so this might well be a lost cause.