RINOs are as RINOs do...
Power to the Sheeple…
http://voteforgridlock.com/does-tea-party-rino/
and the bleating of the lambs grows louder each day…
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Conservative News, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion
35%…How do we really know???…
by Tom Backers • • 3 Comments
35%ers...
The conservative base has never truly measured itself in Michigan nor anywhere else. Perhaps some sort of yardstick is in order, say…in November. True conservatives I tend to network with have had enough of the establishment definition. An organized effort to measure the strength of the disenfranchised base might therefore be in order. I have a suggestion.
An accurate ‘head count’ of the principled portion of the MIGOP can only be had in one way…an organized ‘boycott’ by vote. Staying home doesn’t count in the final tallies, neither does a blank spot on any particular space on any ballot. What is required for a ‘hard count’ is a place on the ballot to voice an objection. That place would be a “Write-in” space in certain particular races where the only principled choice might be “None of the above”. The name would be irrelevant, the space on the ballot totally relevant.
This exercise in democracy might prove very interesting indeed, as many Democrats of basic conservative values might find the spaces in those races appealing also. It should be noted that in the last election (a Presidential election) Dr. Dan beat Gary McDowell by less that 2,500 votes. Now our illustrious VA doctor has a real veteran challenger running against him, Jerry Cannon’s warts aside. Imagine the damage this cycle could inflict on a RINO incumbent, facing a real and money backed (Lon Johnson’s in charge, remember) challenger, with Mr/Ms Brand X also running as a write-in. There are many advantages to this plan of action, the first being an officially recorded count of dissatisfied voters…of all ranks. The second would be the forcing of a hand count of ballots, electronic “Tom Foolery” foiled. In the end, the official results would show just how strong in numbers “Brand X” really is.
For the candidates, it is a no brainer…no funds to raise, speeches to give, dinners to pretend to enjoy…just a day trip to Lansing to formally file. All anyone would need would be some gas money and a name folks could remember and spell correctly. The internet would take care of the rest. Maybe some of the more radical activists could throw a BBQ or two to have a few signs printed up that read: “WRITE IN (your name here) for Congress/State Rep/State Senate/Governor
“paid for by the committee to elect no one”
Let’s see the establishment find a way around that.
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(10)Nuh Uh.(0)Conservative News, Cronyism, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Republicans
State Convention Notes
by Tom Backers • • 14 Comments
Snyder gets his man…reprise…
The state GOP elite marshaled its forces over the summer with the intention of protecting the Lt. Governor, and they succeeded. While the voting delegate count remained static, the outcome was reversed in comparison with the 2012 result that replaced Saul Anuzis in a conservative push that nearly unseated State Chair Bobby Schostak. A victory for the incumbent regime, or is it? With Common Core looming, and the the tie breaking vote on the Medicaid Expansion in Calley’s political resume’ , the conservative wing of the party may not be finished yet. There is still the November election.
The nomination of Wes Nakagiri was not just a symbolic gesture on the part of conservatives in the Republican party, it was a message to the established leadership that something has to change, and soon. The party has had four years to absorb the conservative message, and has chosen to reject it on a consistent basis. Rules changes for the nomination process were designed to discourage candidates from entering the political fray, not encourage them, and to further the debate. Nakagiri overcame all of them but in the end, the packing of the delegate convention with establishment types; including Lansing staffers; preserved the big government, “little tent” leadership. The decision, and effort, to exclude the conservative base from the party conversation has never been more obvious.
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(24)Nuh Uh.(3)Michigan Politics
Small Victories
by Tom Backers • • 0 Comments
Cantor succumbs to conservatives
Small Victories
I keep telling the conservative activists I work with each campaign cycle that they need to look for the ‘small victories’ achieved in any election, rather than dwell on any defeat. The defeats far outnumber the victories. The letdown is tremendous, not only is the air let out of your balloon, but a huge rock is placed on top of it. At my age, and with my political objectives set from local races to national ones, reinflating that balloon requires some major time and effort. The time is spent ‘under the rock’ just wondering what one individual can accomplish against a political system so corrupt and weighted against any ‘outsider’ that victory appears impossible. That is when I think of my grandkids. That is when I think of ‘my’ America compared to what theirs will be, and I remove the ‘rock’. The ‘small victories’ reinflate my balloon. The Scott Brown victory to gain the “Kennedy Seat”; I joined the “Brown Brigade” to do what I could from my keyboard in Michigan, lining up phone bank volunteers from across the country to help him win. It inspired me to do more. Three election cycles, two local recall battles, and the defeat of a horrendous tax millage later; it is the small victories that keep me focused on the goal of restoring the greatest nation and society this planet has ever seen. Last night was a ’small victory’…HUGE in its effect on the rest of the 2014 elections, and ONE in particular…the Michigan 1st District primary.
I’ve had a feeling of a different version of ‘climate change’, this time, the political winds are changing. The campaign promises of Dan Benishek lie in broken pieces across four years of establishment party politics. The people he was elected to represent are tired of the same rhetoric and inaction; the complete lack of ‘spine’ , the ‘fluff’ PRs and ads. We want to hear the bald truth. We want commitment to conservative American principles and values. We want someone to stand for those as our representative in Washington. This isn’t a political party thing, it’s an AMERICAN thing. We want our country back. Virginia said it in spades yesterday, the ‘establishment’ was kicked in the teeth. Eric Cantor was found guilty of representing himself and the bug government he was part and parcel of by the voters of VA-07. The only work he was busy doing in that district was apparently a substantial effort to purge the Republican local parties of conservatives. Evidently, that backfired. There is a message in that somewhere for the rest of the nation’s establishment Repubicans…”Use us, or lose us.”…Cantor lost us.
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(8)Nuh Uh.(1)Conservative News, Elections, Michigan Politics
Arcand’s position on abortion funding…
by Tom Backers • • 1 Comment
Arcand's position on abortion funding...
Alan Arcand on the RTL endorsement of Congressman Benishek, and his votes to support abortion through the funding of Planned Parenthood and ObamaCare:
“If a bill or continuing resolution to fund Obamacare was placed in front of me which also included funding the veterans, I would have to acknowledge the fact that if I was to vote yes on this bill it would pay the veterans who put their lives on the line everyday for this country. I myself being a veteran know what is involved with this duty, but I also know that I would be doing a GREAT disservice to our future generations leaving them with nothing more than an oppressive government that forces them to eat, drink, think, live and die all at the whim of the government.
If I was to vote yes, we would win the fight for the veteran, but lose the war for our country. If I vote no, we live to fight another day for the veteran, the American people, and our posterity. The argument I keep hearing is that we need to go along to get along until someday in the future, when we get the majority, and then we can change the world. The reality of it is that this will not happen. Election after election we hear the same nonsense that next time it will be different. That is how we got here, going along to get along instead of being vigilant and jealous of our liberties. We have allowed our representatives to be frivolous in their votes and unaccountable for them.
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(4)Nuh Uh.(2)Michigan Politics
Arcand for Congress Event
by Tom Backers • • 0 Comments
Arcand for Congress
PRESS RELEASE:
For Immediate Release–
April 27th
Arcand kicks off campaign tour
Iron River, MI–Alan Arcand (R-Iron River) challenging Republican incumbent Dan Benishek in the August primary, will begin his first campaign tour in the northwestern Lower Peninsula with stops in Cheboygan, Boyne City, Harbor Springs, East Jordan and Onaway. The six day tour is intended to introduce Alan to the district voters west of I-75. He will be speaking at Northern Lights Recreation, 8865 Michigan 119, in Harbor Springs on Monday, May 5th at 7 p.m.
Arcand, a 37 year old Air Force veteran and father of three young boys, is a firm believer in Constitutional government. “When I joined the United States Air Force I took an oath to support and defend the Constitution, and I did not forget it when I changed my uniform.” His “Arcand for Congress” Facebook page is open for questions from voters, and he answers as many as possible directly on the site. Other event details will be posted there also as they are confirmed.
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(8)Nuh Uh.(1)Michigan Politics
Ruffling Republican Feathers…
by Tom Backers • • 0 Comments
Angst among the ‘faithful’…
Many of you may know that I have been actively assisting the Alan Arcand D1 primary campaign. Depending on your personal view of today’s Republican party, your reaction to these reactions from some of the establishment ‘unity’ pumpers will be immediate, and vehement. Someone on one side of the GOP fence or the other, had a very bad day yesterday. Mostly, Jesse Osmer…
There are two incidents of note here; one virtual, the other in face-to-face real time. The virtual incident was an exchange on FaceBook between me and Mr. Osmer. Osmer, if you’re following closely, is the Chair of the D1 Executive Committee; and a self proclaimed shill for Representative Benishek, as he proudly proclaims on his FaceBook page, a “life event”…His shared ‘timeline’ post yesterday morning of Dr. Dan’s PR on Right to Life’s endorsement of the good doctor came as no surprise to me; but, being who I am, I simply HAD to respond.
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(12)Nuh Uh.(2)Conservative News, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Philosophy, Republicans
For the Record…
by Tom Backers • • 1 Comment
Why primary Benishek???...
For the Record…
Why primary Benishek?
Let us count the whys…
Dan Benishek on Government Reform
The 4 R’s: Read It; Reduce It; Repeal It; Reform It
Dan thinks the three R’s are great for schools. But Congress need’s 4 R’s:
Read It. Dan actually thinks it’s crazy that this should even need to be said, but the biggest change you could make to Congress is to make them all read the bills they’re voting on. Washington’s biggest messes are coming from legislation no one has read.
Reduce It. We’re $13 trillion in the hole, and on the brink of a financial meltdown that will ruin the nation because Congress won’t stop spending. Dan will. It will be hard. It will take lots of sacrifice. But we can’t leave this debt for our kids to pay back.
Repeal It. The health care bill is a mess. It needs to be repealed, and replaced with real reforms to put patients–not bureaucrats–in charge of health care.
Reform It. Out with the career politicians. Out with the special interests. And in with the voices of taxpaying American citizens who agree that enough is enough.
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(4)Nuh Uh.(0)Michigan, Michigan Politics, Republicans
The Reagan Rule Breaker
by Tom Backers • • 0 Comments
Here’s the deal people…I take a lot of grief from the establishment type Repubs for many things, and some from conservatives for not getting ‘on board’ with candidates that PRESENT themselves as conservatives…Reagan said that we “Shall NOT speak ill of another Republican”… Which Republican party was he referring to???…The one on paper, or the reality???
Conservatives need to realize that we need each other to win anything!!!…I have spent years trig to referee between Tea Party folks, GOP and blue collar Dem conservatives, and the C4L types…Being inflexible and unswerving to your own principles is admirable, but gets in the way when all the above can agree on 90% of any given issue or candidate…
What we all need to realize is that we are in dire need of conservative leadership, regardless of how one defines ‘conservative’…Let’s face it…even the liberals know a conservative when they see one!!!…So here is my Reagan rule breaker…
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(9)Nuh Uh.(2)Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Republicans
Arcand Materializes As A Serious Contender In The 1st Congressional District
by Tom Backers • • 1 Comment
Michigan's First District Will Have A Primary Battle
Alan Arcand (R-Iron River) announced today that his campaign has surpassed the 1,000 signature minimum to qualify for the August Republican primary race against incumbent Dan Benishek. Arcand achieved the benchmark during a weekend visit to the Traverse City area, collected some 300 signatures in 3 days.
A veteran of the Air Force, he will be gathering approximately 200 more signatures to ensure a cushion against any challenge, and will file in Lansing once this goal has been met. “Our visit to the Bay region was both fruitful and invigorating.” he said, “The reception and help we received was encouraging, and we look forward to our next visit in May.”
Arcand is challenging two term incumbent Republican Dr. Dan Benishek in Michigan’s largest Congressional district. His website is: arcandforcongress.com, and information on Arcand can also be found on Facebook HERE.
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