Tag Archive for Jeff Sakwa

Michigan, Michigan Politics, Republicans

#SurrenderCaucus: Sakwa-Led Sabotage Plan Backfires Spectacularly in 11th District MIGOP

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It’s been a jubilant year in the wake of Trump’s ascension to the Presidency, but the excitement hasn’t lasted. I regret to report to you that the Trump wave is already being aggressively squandered by the same, old, establishment Republican forces. Activists in the 11th District Republican Party made national news for their efforts to get Trump elected. Instead of embarking upon a new era of unity, the establishment actors decided to kick their deceptions up several notches at last week’s county convention.

The Oakland County GOP convention actually got off to a good start. After a series of grueling conventions, there was a sense that all involved wanted party unity and a smoothly-conducted affair. It ran fine up until the point when delegates were slotted into their district sub-caucuses. From there, establishment forces showed that they were not acting in good faith but instead were leading principled delegates into an unsuspecting ambush. The Trump ‘kum-ba-ya’ moment was not meant to be. The establishment cares more about pride, ego, and control than keeping the peace and crushing Democrats, and their agenda couldn’t be more obvious.

First, Matt Maddock was elected chair by an overwhelming margin. This is what usually happens, but due to Chairwoman Theresa Mungioli’s unilateral slaughter of over 500 precinct delegate posts throughout Oakland County, the result was not as certain as it was in convention’s past. Unfortunately for the establishment, their dirty tricks backfired, and Matt easily claimed the chair. Instead of taking their loss with dignity and self-respect, they rushed headlong into a new series of dirty tricks. This latest disgrace has perhaps obliterated any lasting opportunity for party unity once and for all.

After Maddock was elected to his position, there was a fierce debate over the rules. Discussion was called, and delegates began to speak. In spite of a tense atmosphere and heated animosity between the grassroots and establishment factions, none of the establishment lackey speakers were shouted down. Even as they were spewing deliberate falsehoods and other ignorant nonsense, they were granted their right to speak. On the other hand, Matt’s wife, Meshawn wasn’t treated with the same respect. She was Co-Chair for Trump in Oakland County and led Michigan Women for Trump. She was one of the most influential and hard-working Republicans out there working to turn Michigan Red Again. She went around the state at her own expense on Trump’s behalf to stage events and even invented the flash mobs that went viral and spread to other states as well.

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Conservative News, Elections, Michigan, Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy, Republicans

Proportional Backfill

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Did the Michigan Republican Party pull another fast one with RNC delegate allocation?

Those of us who’ve been hanging around RightMichigan since prior to 2014 likely remember well the Michigan Dele-Gate Fiasco of 2012. As a quick refresher, on Tuesday, February 28th of that year, Mitt Romney defeated Rick Santorum in the statewide popular vote, 41.10% to 37.87%. However, because 28 of Michigan’s 30 post-penalty delegates were awarded on a district-by-district basis (Romney and Santorum splitting the state at 7 districts each), and because the statewide vote totals were so close (requiring the two at-large delegates to be split one each), the resulting 15-15 delegate tie didn’t exactly square with the RNC/GOPe’s preferred media narrative that Romney won his native state. Thus, in the telephonic equivalent of a late-night, backroom deal, the MIGOP Credentials Committee (then consisting of Bobby Schostak, Sharon Wise, Saul Anuzis, Holly Hughes, Bill Runco, Mike Cox, and Eric Doster) voted 4-2 – Hughes was not present at the meeting – to creatively interpret State Party Rule 19C, and award both at-large delegates to Romney. The resulting backlash fueled an eleven-week effort that culminated in a two-day Showdown in Motown, with the end result being the ballot box blowout ouster of the national committeeman regarded as the chief engineer of the ex post facto railroad job.

It’s probably not going to draw much attention (likely because damn near no one noticed), but the potential for a Grand Theft Delegate con job similar to the Michigan Dele-Gate Fiasco of 2012 was averted, largely due to one person explaining a key state party rule in a way that eliminated the possibility of applying that rule by political discretion, and instead imposed a resolution rubric according to plain mathematics.

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Michigan Politics

Sunday Open Thread – After Convention Edition

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Good morning. Start the conversation.

The convention is over.

west-jasonAs usual, there is much to talk about as those of us who attend, rest up, decompress, etc.   Snyder got his ‘conservative’ to run with again, the U of M regent race mixed it up a little differently than some might have expected, and there is a renewed impetus to get behind Terri Lynn Land.

A quick summary of my own thoughts

  • Snyder-Calley yuck ticket.  Missed opportunity and a race to watch (shades of Romney; w/6 million sitting on hands) in disappointment.
  • Land moved to top of ticket and should stay away from embracing the homophile agenda or risk losing remaining conservatives.
  • Ruth Johnson is still THIS VOTER’s top of ticket.
  • U of M ticket construct may have made it possible for MiGOP to win Regent races as well as assist in higher ups (reverse coattails)
  • Sakwa Foster Ticket may even do well this time.

I will try to elaborate tonight or tomorrow.

Thoughts?

You Betcha! (11)Nuh Uh.(1)

Elections, Michigan Politics, Opinion

Why Is This Load So Heavy?

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Did Melanie Reinhold Foster ever encounter a housing or tuition increase she didn’t agree with?

Edward John Markey, the junior U. S. Senator from Massachusetts (since July 16th, 2013) has represented the Bay State in Congress since November 2nd, 1976. Adding in his time in the Massachusetts House of Representatives (starting January 3rd, 1973), he’s served a total of a little over 41-½ years in publicly-elected office. During this time, Markey has developed a reputation, supported by both his voting record and his own live-mic admission, of having never once seen a tax increase that he didn’t support. (The long-running backroom joke is that the surefire way to get Markey’s support on a bill that he’d otherwise oppose is to slip a tax increase into the final version of the bill.)

Similarly, a certain candidate for this summer’s convention nomination to a certain university governing board already has an 18-year history on the governing boards of Michigan’s Division I universities. Reviewing her history during that time, I have found no evidence whatsoever of a tuition or housing increase that she wouldn’t support. If she gets back on one of those boards this fall, then that particular habit is going to be a problem.

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Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy

Rhetoric and Scatology

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Allegedly setting the record straight, Melanie Foster continues to blow smoke

Those who know the basics about me are aware that I’m a native of Iosco County, specifically western Oscoda Township. Due to the nature of life in rural Northeast Michigan, I’ve also spent some time in and around various other parts of northern Iosco and southern Alcona Counties. Farms are a fact of life up there, and seeing, not to mention smelling, cows and/or horses is fairly common. I know what manure is primarily because I spent so much time stepping in it while attempting to impress the first girl I had a romantic interest in (long story, and it didn’t work out anyway).

It would appear to me that a certain education board candidate, who happens to have an agriculture background, is also quite familiar with manure. I say this because she’s been slinging it around quite a bit of late, most recently in a damage control effort that can only be described as a spin job.

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Michigan Politics, Opinion, Philosophy

Fostering Distrust

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Wasteful stewardship of university resources characterizes convention candidate.

According to Michigan State University Board of Trustees Conflict of Interest Policy, some of the responsibilities of the individual and several members of the Michigan State University Board of Trustees are:

  • Fiduciary Responsibilities: Trustees will act in a manner consistent with their fiduciary responsibilities to the University. Trustees will place the University’s interests ahead of their private interests. Trustees will exercise their powers and duties in the best interests of the Board and the University and for the public good.

  • Conflict of Interest: (a) A conflict of interest exists when a Trustee’s financial interests or other opportunities for personal benefit may compromise, or reasonably appear to compromise, the Trustee’s independence of judgment in fulfilling his/her Board duties. (b) Trustees will endeavor to remain free from the influence of, or the appearance of, any conflicting interest in fulfilling their Board duties. Trustees will exercise care that no detriment to the University results from conflicts between their interests and those of the University. (c) Trustees will attempt to refrain from accepting duties, incurring obligations, or engaging in activities that would be incompatible with, or in conflict with, their Board duties.

Now, I’m not a Harvard-trained Philadelphia lawyer, but I am an educated man who is perfectly capable of understanding basic legalese. And I gotta tell you, I’m having one helluva time reconciling that with this here 7 Action News investigation from WXYZ-TV in Detroit.

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