Michigan Politics

Michigan Political considerations.

The Window Dressing of Reverse Racism

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.

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

Heads Up Watchdogs

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

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

Rotten Fish in Michigan

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.

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

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

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)

Arrogance Of The Aristocracy

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.

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

Bill Schuette: NO TAX INCREASE

Bill Schuette Agrees That Tax Increases are BAD.

Sent out Just after Obama’s State Of The Union

schuette_logo

Schuette: Obama Tax Increase Bad For America

LANSING– Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette issued this statement following the State of the Union address by President Obama:

“The last thing America needs is a tax increase. What hard working American families and job providers deserve is comprehensive tax reform that cuts taxes and provides the incentive for growth that will create jobs and keep the United States as the economic leader worldwide.”

Right On Brother Bill!
STOP-167

You Betcha! (29)Nuh Uh.(0)

Miller mea culpa…you be the judge.

Does this sound acceptable to you? I'll let you be the judge.

One of the things I love about elected officials is how seriously they take their jobs.

I mean, where else can you effectively ignore your “boss” and not only do things that you were not empowered/authorized to do when you were “hired”, but when it comes to accounting for your actions, you blow off requests to explain yourself.

I can effective count on one hand (and still have fingers left over) politicians who get back to me in a timely manner after I write a letter or phone their office. Especially, after I specifically tell their staffer that I would like a response from them.

I’ll be realistic. I’m not expecting a call back within the next five minutes from them, although it would be nice, but the level of disrespectfulness from these “professionals” from their actions is appalling.

So what does this have to do with one Candy Miller?

{Click on the button to find out.}

 

You Betcha! (10)Nuh Uh.(0)

Well This Is Embarrassing

Young man, the plain language of the law is the plain language of the law, even when it works against you.

Regulars on either this site or the old one likely are sure to recall the Michigan Dele-Gate Fiasco. The quick synopsis, for the Johnny-come-latelies, is that, on the final night of February in 2012, the MIGOP Credentials Committee (at that time consisting of Bobby Schostak, Sharon Wise, Saul Anuzis, Holly Hughes, Eric Doster, Bill Runco, and Mike Cox) had the high-tech equivalent of a middle-of-the-night, smoke-filled-back-room meeting, and decided, by a 4-2 vote – Hughes didn’t get word of the meeting until after its conclusion – that the published and promulgated delegate allocation rules would be overridden, ex post facto, for no other purpose than to preserve the narrative of a “favorite son” presidential primary win. The resultant grassroots backlash culminated in the Showdown In Motown, where the alleged chief engineer of the fiasco, one Saul Anuzis, was convincingly replaced with Dave Agema (to the ongoing agony of Michigan Republican Progressives).

However, with now mere days before the MIGOP Policy Committee meets to rule on the affidavits of candidacy for the various 2015 State Convention candidates, we see a similar scenario playing out . . . with at least one familiar player in the mix.

You Betcha! (12)Nuh Uh.(17)

Everything That’s Wrong With The MIGOP In One Photo

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)

We’re Still Watching

Before the ink is put to paper, we should be on record.

Just so no one forgets, we called this one before it happened.

And NO, it has not yet happened, but to be sure, the water boy is owed his paycheck.  From the Ivory Tower:

“Novi District Court, one of the busiest in Oakland County, will see two new judges seated in January — one who has promised reform after a series of scandals and another yet to be appointed by the governor.”

Appropriate link and reminder above provided as a free public service.

You Betcha! (12)Nuh Uh.(1)