Michigan Politics

Michigan Political considerations.

2015 MIGOP State Convention, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Republicans

THIS Is Why

by  •  • 1 Comment

Should the new MIGOP Chair have credibility, and a proven track record?

Experience is critical.

We have already suggested the best course for the Michigan Republican Party is to choose Norm Hughes to be Chair.  So are we biased?  Only that we want it to be an EFFECTIVE platform for conservative Republican values.  Name should mean far lass than the ability to bring in fresh blood, get people excited, and hold our Republican politicians to the platform with which they cloak themselves.

From a post by Norm Hughes on FB today:

“Last night at the 7th Congressional District Republican meeting in Jackson, Ms. Romney-McDaniel said she moved to Michigan from California seven years ago, She did help in a couple local elections, was a surrogate for uncle Mitt in 2012, elected to the Republican State Committee in 2013, the Republican National Committee in 2014 and in 2015 seeks the State Party Chair. That seems like a pretty fast track.

There are lots of things an effective member of the RNC can and should do for Michigan Republicans. She has a forum to speak and represent the Party, work with the grass roots and raise money. Let’s see her perform as a great RNC member. As your next state chair I will do all I can to enable and resource Ronna to be great in the important roll she was entrusted just a year ago.

The mechanics of effectively running a state Party takes lots of experience and contacts. We need someone who has shown the ability to recruit, train, inspire and lead grass roots. Someone who has run a district and county Party and knows what that entails. Someone who has run major campaigns and has experience helping the GOP win presidential elections and send REPUBLICAN presidential electors.

That is why I answered the call and seek the Chair. Together we can re-build the Reagan big tent, unify the Party and expand our base.

Bingo.

READ MORE ►

You Betcha! (16)Nuh Uh.(2)

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

Resolution to ban “Winner take all”…

by  •  • 1 Comment

Think this will fly???

Just sent this out to a few Chairs, and posted it on FB…bring on the comments…

Resolution

Resolution on the restoration of apportioned convention delegates for the 2016 Republican National Convention

Whereas the State Rules Committee, after to 2012 Presidential primary election, did amend the rules of the Michigan Republican Party to award all Republican National Convention delegates to Mitt Romney over the protests of the party members;

Whereas this decision did cause and effect a change in the 2012 Presidential campaign due to the favoring of one candidate over another;

Whereas a significant portion of the Michigan Republican Party and 2012 Presidential primary voters were summarily ignored as a direct result of this decision; and

Whereas “winner take all” Presidential primaries affect candidate campaign strategies to the detriment of lesser financially viable candidates, thus stifling serious debate; now therefore be it

1. Resolved, that the Michigan Republican Party (MIGOP):

1. adopt a rule establishing the State Presidential primary contingent of Republican National Convention delegates as apportioned by county result;

2. establish such rule by floor vote of 50% plus one of the delegates to the February 20th, 2015 State convention, effective immediately upon approval of said delegates;

3. require a two-thirds majority of a full State convention to revoke apportioned national Presidential delegates.

So moved by:_____________________________________
Position:_______________________________
Phone:______________________
E-mail:___________________________

Supported by:_____________________________________
Position:_______________________________
Phone:______________________
E-mail:___________________________

Supported by:_____________________________________
Position:_______________________________
Phone:______________________
E-mail:___________________________

Adopted by majority vote, this ______ day of _______________________, 2015

_____________________________________________________Chairman,
___________________County Republican Party

You Betcha! (8)Nuh Uh.(2)

Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Proposal 15-1

Presumptive Bureaucracy And Wagon Pi.

by  •  • 4 Comments

Why would our public servants feel compelled to offer opinion on a matter that is not yet before them?

There are 9.9 million people living in Michigan.

Of that number 77% are of voting age, and most are legally able to cast a ballot. And of those who can and do cast their preferences, most have no clue of their responsibilities beyond placing their mark, and walking out from the curtain a couple of days a year.

Indeed, the roughly 7 million registered voters of Michigan will in their lifetime: Miss votes, Make uninformed Votes, Will unknowingly vote in opposition to their interest, and never truly hold their elected officials accountable to promises and integrity of office. They will not complain when lied to, or even call out their own party’s elected when the situation demands it.

But this one will.

Why on earth would we have platforms, rules, and constantly repeated promises of action when at most we might get lip service and disappointment? Why would we have laws to protect the public from abuses of government, when the slight of legalese is used to exempt the perpetrators from culpability?

And why will so few actually speak up against it? Perhaps it should come as no surprise that those few might not want to be told they are wrong, and won’t try in the first place.

READ MORE ►

You Betcha! (25)Nuh Uh.(2)

2015 MIGOP State Convention, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy, Republicans

A Time For Choosing

by  •  • 4 Comments

There is only ONE Logical choice for Chair of the Michigan Republican Party.

There is no question that it is time for a change in the Republican Party.

We won’t sugar coat it.  Bobby Schostak and the ‘elite’ within the party have produced only a fractured base over the last several years.  Each time the grassroots begins to feel a part of the process, it is told to wait its turn, be pragmatic, and swallow hard with the neo-progressive efforts at reaching out to the socially and fiscally broken ideologues which normally associate with left of center political organizations.  This is unacceptable.

The cronyism and political patronage that has shown itself repeatedly hardly allows any self respecting conservative Republican to make the claim that there is integrity within the party.  The failure of party leadership to step up and offer guidance to an administration and legislature that has done more to advance liberal planks than the last (Democrat) administration is outrageous.

But it is not the party platform that is wrong, the party leadership has been.  And now we are expected to look at the coronation of handpicked succession, and expect anything different?

READ MORE ►

You Betcha! (25)Nuh Uh.(3)

Cronyism, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Proposal 15-1, Rent Seeking, Taxes

AgitProp in the 21st Century

by  •  • 12 Comments

Mercenary Research in the Service of Greed

News stories on the Michigan road tax proposal are replete with compelling, eye popping factoids about the costs poor roads impose on Michigan drivers. These factoids are so compelling that our colorless Governor cites them to sway voters in the upcoming sales tax proposal debate. Some examples:

  • An inadequate transportation system costs Michigan residents a total of $7.7 billion every year
  • Driving on rough roads costs Michigan motorists a total of $2.3 billion annually in extra vehicle operating costs
  • Driving on rough roads costs the average Detroit urban area motorist $536 annually in extra vehicle operating costs
  • Driving on rough roads costs the average Michigan motorist $357 annually in extra vehicle operating costs

You are expected to conclude that a 16.67% sales tax increase is a just trifle to escape these ghastly financial burdens. These factoids are always attributed to “TRIP, a national nonprofit transportation research organization”. Sounds like an independent, credible source – right? The adjectives ‘nonprofit’ and ‘research’ give you a high level of confidence in their pronouncements? Perhaps you should dig a little deeper than our conniving politicians and their lazy media scribes.  The TRIP report they are mining for these factoids is: MI_Transportation_By_The_Numbers_TRIP_Report_Jan_2014

READ MORE ►

You Betcha! (30)Nuh Uh.(0)

2015 MIGOP State Convention, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy

The Window Dressing of Reverse Racism

by  •  • 8 Comments

Do we really want a third term for a Vice Chair who appears to be more interested in pandering than in outreach?

Since early 2014, there have been ever-escalating smear attacks against our national committeeman, Dave Agema, that have been as predictable as the calendar, in that they’ve occurred, if my memory serves me correctly, during the runup to every national or state committee meeting last year, as well as during the weeks immediately preceding the “fall” state convention (and are now occurring concurrent to the weeks preceding the “spring” state convention four weeks from now). The pattern is also predictable, in that either Ken Braun or Dennis Lennox (occasionally Kathy Hoekstra just for the sake of variety) will get wind (via one of their trolls) of a social media post on Agema’s Facebook page, will then cherry-pick some alleged “money quote” from the source article (or an article buried up to three links deep from that source) and then report that “money quote” as though Agema originally said it . . . and never-you-mind that they can’t be bothered to accurately report what he actually said with regard to why he found something post-worthy. The next step, again ridiculously predictable, is that the three amigos will then use their press credentials to publish opinion pieces, which allegedly-more-credible reporters will then use as source material for front-page “news” stories, which the usual suspects will then use to fuel a smear campaign of manufactured outrage, which the party’s useful idiots and low-information voter bloc will dutifully echo as an ever-increasing crescendo of calls for Agema to step down “for the good of the party.”

Fully detailing this pattern and the miscreants perpetuating it – which I intend to do – is a topic for another day soon. My purpose in mentioning it here is to merely highlight the hypocrisy of selective outrage within the party leadership, specifically in regard to a certain vice chair whose own conduct has been perhaps more offensive than that of the national committeeman for whose resignation she has recently called.

READ MORE ►

You Betcha! (28)Nuh Uh.(4)

Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Proposal 15-1, Taxes

Heads Up Watchdogs

by  •  • 7 Comments

State Superintendent hints at major advocacy through school systems, and express advocacy.

With the push by big government to drive a 16.7% sales tax increase, we need to be especially vigilant.

A few days ago, Rick Snyder (allegedly) broke the law. We expect the filed MCFA complaint to be fought, but there is little defense when the AG Bill Schuette, and SoS Ruth Johnson were in the front row watching (Witnessing) him doing so. Certainly, the Attorney General cannot decide which laws he will enforce, right?

There are other folks with ‘skin in the game’ who will be weighing in on the ballot measure.  One of them is State Superintendent Mike Flanagan.  Flanagan, already pushing the envelope by posting his advocacy on a state (taxpayer) paid for website will be “actively promoting its passage” in venues as-yet undetermined.

Mike-Yes

READ MORE ►

You Betcha! (20)Nuh Uh.(1)

Firearms, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Philosophy

Rotten Fish in Michigan

by  •  • 3 Comments

DNR Fee Increase Backfires

Politicians of all stripes are rooting around for fresh money to fulfill past, present, and future promises lately, figuring that the economy is so hot that their depredations will go unnoticed and have no consequences. Let’s take a look at a Michigan example: the increase in license fees for hunting and fishing which the Legislature authorized in 2013 and which took effect in 2014.

The most popular hunting and fishing license prices doubled under the new fee schedule, although a direct comparison is not possible because the licenses were restructured to ‘simplify’ the license schedule. Governor Snyder’s goal for these increases was to raise an additional $ 18.1 million dollars annually for the DNR. The Senate Fiscal Agency benchmarked the anticipated annual increase at $ 19.7 million.

These are fees, paid voluntarily, so why should we care? Only taxes matter? The State of Michigan has been reducing the amount of money appropriated to the DNR from tax revenues since 2000, a reduction that now amounts to about 70%. So fees are now required to replace taxes. A common story across the United States. Fees play better with voters than taxes.

READ MORE ►

You Betcha! (25)Nuh Uh.(0)

Conservative News, Cronyism, Elections, Michigan Politics, Republicans

Climate change is real. The “republicans” in Congress even said so themselves.

by  •  • 26 Comments

Senate Amendment 29 to SB-1 (Keystone XL Pipeline Bill):

“To express the sense of the Senate that climate change is real and not a hoax. “

And these are the people we were counting on to stop the Obama Agenda?

I can only surmise that they didn’t read the bill.

Submitted without any further comment.

You Betcha! (22)Nuh Uh.(4)

All the Other Stuff, Cronyism, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Proposal 15-1

Arrogance Of The Aristocracy

by  •  • 6 Comments

Having no one to tell them "NO" previously, our leadership brazenly assumes immunity from the law.

Watching Obama the other night was something many of my friends could not do.

As he quite literally leaned on the podium and gave an in-your-face ‘I don’t give a damn about your efforts’ speech to the congress, he further provoked with the threat of veto for anything that did not meet his agenda. The soft sneer of disrespect to the people’s house and its ‘opposition’ inhabitants was palpable.  But it was not unexpected.

How else might a top executive act when he is given every thing that he wants? In what other way would he comport himself when weak threats are buttressed by inaction and outright political cowardice?  The Republican controlled House of Representatives has hardly put its foot down each time the president has acted in an unconstitutional manner, and there is little indication it might in the future.

So the law does not matter to this president, and for many of the same reasons, it does not matter to Michigan’s governor.  When people seek power, they are sometimes willing to overlook the blatant disregard for checks and balances, and pretend the emperor is indeed fully clothed.

READ MORE ►

You Betcha! (38)Nuh Uh.(1)