"That's Saul, folks!"Michigan Republican Party Blog

Granholm Lies on Abortion...tries to play both sides???

Jennifer Granholm conceeds her economic "plan" has failed, now she goes on an attack against Dick DeVos on abortion.

But her ad is lying about her own extreme position on abortion - she claims in a new ad that she is "personally pro-life."

Funny, she said on Off the Record in 1998:

GRANHOLM: I'm pro-choice.

SKUBICK: Always have been?

GRANHOLM: Mm-hmm.

She told Between the Lines: "I am pro-choice, I am pro-choice, I am pro-choice! I've been endorsed by EMILY'S List and they don't endorse people who are not pro-choice."

The second part of the ad is attacking Dick DeVos for being "extreme" on abortion. Dick DeVos is extreme? He wants to protect life.

Granholm also said: “If elected governor, Granholm, who is Catholic and rides with a Bible in her campaign vehicle, says she would defend a woman’s access to abortion and support an increase in abortion clinics.” (Detroit Metro Times, 7/24/02)

The truth is, Granholm will do anything to stop from talking about the real issue: jobs - the Governor has lost almost 100,000 of them since being elected and has no excuse and has no plan to stop the bleeding. We all know better.

Let this motivate you: Granholm will say and do anything to try to get re-elected.

I think this is clearly a desperate move...this is the first time I have ever seen the "abortion card" played to the general electorate. She is counting on again confusing the issue...she vetoed a ban on partial birth abortion, she has bragged to her "constituents" that she is "pro-choice" and now says she is "personally pro-life"...what does that mean?

Jennifer Granholm support abortion on demand, for any reason...anytime?!? She is out of the mainstream!

The question now is - what will you do about it?

http://www.migop.org/granholm/abortion.asp

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRs0Q9Omesc

Granholm II: Lost in Michigan

A great TV commercial by the Repbulican Governor's Association you must see!!!

Genesee & Lapeer County Volunteers!!!

Granholm's Numbers Keep Dropping

Great numbers…a new WZZM 13 poll shows that Governor Granholm’s approval rating keeps falling…now THREE months in a row.  Maybe the people of Michigan are not joining her in a “state of denial” and are ready for a change.

http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=63463

New Billboards Popping up Around the State

The truth hurts!

Granholm Lost her "soul"...in her own words?!?

"My opponent and others have been issuing ads and literature that contain absolute lies," said Ms. Granholm as the debate sponsored by the American Association of University Women wound to a conclusion. "I'm calling on you Mr. Smietanka to stop the lies. I wouldn't be able to lie about you before my children, and I would hope you wouldn't be able to lie about me to your daughter...And I wonder how you can live with yourself if in the pursuit of this office, you lose your soul." (Gongwer 10/6/98)

What ever happened to "this" Jennifer Granholm...

Lord Acton once said...power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely...

Apparently it steals your soul too?!?

Detroit News: DeVos keeps focus on Granholm's poor record

In case you missed it-- GREAT Detroit News editorial:

Editorial Update: DeVos keeps focus on Granholm's poor record

Governor's reliance on cheap shots doesn't help cause

The winners in Monday night's final gubernatorial debate were Michigan's economically ravaged voters, who know they have stark choices in who should lead the state for the next four years.

GOP challenger Dick DeVos helped define their options by reminding citizens of Gov. Jennifer Granholm's four years of lackluster achievement. His proposals for cutting business taxes and easing regulations are a marked contrast to the governor's reliance on public works projects and a questionable public venture capital fund.

DeVos pointed out that high taxes have horrible consequences and discourage businesses from investing and expanding here. His best point was about the state's personal property tax, which punishes businesses for investing in manufacturing plant equipment and leads to lost jobs, especially when other industrial states in the region don't have that tax.

That was also clear on Canadian trash, where Granholm supports gouging Michigan consumers with sharply higher garbage rates and fewer landfills. DeVos doesn't.

On atmospherics, DeVos clearly was less comfortable than Granholm on stage and slower in the repartee that televised debates demand. But that was offset by Granholm's smarmy attitude and cheap-shot tactics, which included dropping distortions and lies into her rebuttal time that DeVos couldn't respond to.

The most grating example was in the governor's opening statement, when she conveniently challenged DeVos not to mention the names of dead foster children in his ads. These are the same kids whose deaths were contributed to by the mismanagement of government agencies under Granholm's watch.

Granholm, a Harvard-trained lawyer, may want to put a gag order on discussing the public safety of children in the state's care, but citizens deserve an open, vigorous debate about the best way the people's government should protect some of our youngest and most vulnerable citizens.

Another key distortion Granholm keeps crowing about is that she inherited a $4 billion cumulative deficit. She didn't. Most of that was declining revenue that happened from lost jobs and fleeing companies on her four-year watch. She can't blame it all on former Gov. John Engler.

This raises an interesting question: What's the problem with cutting another $1 billion in the budget to attract more jobs to Michigan with lower business taxes if she already has cut $4 billion in a $41 billion budget?

DeVos correctly has harped on accountability and leadership. Michigan has judged all of its governors on their records, and Granholm is no different. Unfortunately, she has been sorely lacking.

That was particularly glaring early in the debate, when the candidates were asked what one piece of legislation they wanted to get passed to create jobs. Granholm couldn't name a single one. All she could do was talk about her already enacted $2 billion economic subsidy and grant program. The impression that leaves is she has done everything she can and the only thing for Michigan to do is to wait.

But DeVos argued that this state can't stand still in the fast-paced world of attracting jobs and commerce. It is now up to the voters whether they want change or the status quo.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061016/OPINION01/610160433

Granholm...Captain of the Titanic???

YouTube - The Buck Stops Here- Ouch!

Granholm: More of the same 'ol, same 'ol

DeVos hits a Grand Slam!!!

Today, at the Detroit Economic Club forum, Governor Jennifer Granholm and Dick DeVos faced over 1,200 business and civic leader in Detroit.  Both were introduced by "friends" and then given 15 minutes to make their case of why they should be elected Governor.

Granholm got up and gave her typical...it's someone elses fault, I have a plan...I'm working the plan...give me another four more years...it will be better???

Dick delivered the most powerful and forceful speech I have ever heard him give, laying out the compeling reasons he should be elected our next Governor.  It was direct, it was bold and by many's reactions in the audience, it was controversial.

Here is a link to the to a video of the speech:

http://www.wzzm13.com/video/video_player_1.aspx?aid=10547&sid=63096&bw

Dick DeVos will make a great Governor...a must read.

To see the complete text click below:

Priceless...A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words

Yes...this is a real, non-doctored picture taken last night during the debates...so much truth in a simple picture!!!

Granholm's Super Secret Slush Fund

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061004/OPINION01/610040303/1008

Granholm should come clean on secretive fund

Democratic account skirted disclosure rules

The Detroit News

Now that Gov. Jennifer Granholm has made a campaign issue out of financial disclosure, it's fair to ask her to adhere to the same standards she's demanding of gubernatorial challenger Dick DeVos.

Specifically, it's about time Granholm told the voters of Michigan who is bankrolling her re-election bid.

For most of her first term, Granholm and the Democratic Party were dogged by questions about a secretive committee called Partnership for Progress, which appears to have raised as much as $1 million a year for four years.

That committee has been dissolved, but neither the Granholm campaign nor the state Democratic Party will say where the Partnership for Progress money went.

Nor will they say who wrote the checks. And those checks aren't small. The governor appeared at $25,000-a-head fundraisers -- billed as policy briefings -- attended by lobbyists and special interest groups from both inside and outside of Michigan.

Who are those big spenders and what do they expect from the governor in return? As things now stand, we'll never know.

The governor's handpicked former Democratic Party Co-Chairman Butch Hollowell carefully set up Partnership for Progress to skirt federal and state campaign finance disclosure rules.

The fund was attached to the Kalamazoo County Democratic Party, which doesn't fall under the same disclosure rules that apply to the candidate and the state party.

So donors can put money into the account without having to worry about public exposure. No one is saying where the committee's millions went when it was dissolved or whether any of the money was shifted to other funds that are involved in the campaign.

This lack of disclosure cheats voters of the information they need to make an informed decision. Voters have a right to know who is financing a candidate, so they can decide for themselves whether the candidate will be beholden to big-money special interests.

Granholm makes a big deal out of the millions DeVos is spending on the campaign. But at least voters know where the money is coming from -- his own pocket. So far, DeVos has taken no funds from special interest campaign committees.

Granholm raised the disclosure issue during Monday night's debate, asking why DeVos had not disclosed his family's former investment in a chain of nursing homes that had experienced isolated cases of patient abuse.

Although DeVos bungled the answer, the question itself was irrelevant, since the family no longer holds that investment. And although unfortunate, the number of abuse allegations appears to be fairly typical for the nursing home industry.

It's hypocritical for Granholm to try to hold DeVos, as in investor in the company, accountable for the abuse, given that she refuses to accept responsibility for the mismanagement of the state parole board and Human Services department. Mistakes made by those agencies under her watch resulted in the deaths of innocent Michigan citizens.

And it's just as disingenuous for her to tar DeVos for withholding financial information, when the governor won't even tell voters who's paying for her campaign.

My Thoughts on the Debate

DeVos wins the first debate!

The best line of the night…Dick DeVos:

"It is unbelievable for the governor to say here tonight that her jobs plan is working when the rest of Michgian is not."

Style vs Substance.  I would argue the Governor was “smoother”, her “stage presence” was better, she looked more relaxed and comfortable in front of a camera...well what would you expect from a Harvard trained lawyer and a UC Berkley acting student.  Dick DeVos hit it on the issues.  He talked a jobs, leadership, management, disappointment and result.

If you asked folks what themes they both put forth…the Governor’s theme had to be “blame”…everything was someone elses fault…accepting no responsibility, acknowledging any problems. Almost 100,000 jobs lost under her Administration…not her fault….releasing murderers under her Corrections Department…not her fault…have a jobs “plan” that isn’t working…not her fault…not providing leadership and policies to bring jobs to Michigan…not her fault.

Dick DeVos’s themes…jobs, jobs, jobs.  Dick DeVos can provide the leadership necessary to turn Michigan around.  Dick DeVos understands and has competed and sold Michigan made products in the world market.  Dick DeVos isn’t looking to blame anyone, he wants to provide the leadership and management skills necessary to turn Michigan around.

Governor Granholm also threw out distortions and misrepresentations to confuse voters.  She played the “china card”, which isn’t true…not a single job was ever outsourced to China…not one.  She threw out a “connect the dots” card bringing up the fact that the DeVos family owned less than 1% of the stock in a publicly held company and therefore was responsible for mismanagement and abuses that occurred there.

This Governor is willing to say just about anything to get re-elected.  She also had the audacity to complain about Dick DeVos’ financial disclosure statement when Michigan’s Common Cause called it the most extensive financial disclosure of any candidate for public office…ever. 

While at the same time the Granholm has funneled MILLIONS of special interest, corporate dollars into a super secret Partnership for Progress slush fund, which she refuses to report which companies and lobbyist gave her $25,0000 contributions, what they got in return and what she did with the money.

The bottom line is Dick DeVos did what he had to do in this debate.  He took on one of the nations most gifted Democrat politicians, stood his ground, stayed on message, didn’t make any mistakes and kept the Governor from hitting him with any punches.

Press coverage last night and this morning has been fair, balanced and stressed the fact that jobs and the economy where the main issues…our issues!!!

Pundits usually say no one really wins a debate, the question is who lost.  Given the political realities, given the issues and given the expectations…Dick DeVos came out the clear winner!!!  Onward…

DeVos Wins Debate...Substance over Style

Republican Governor's Association Ad...Right On!!!

Click on the link below to watch the newest independent ad by the Republican Govenor's Association...hit's it right on:

Click here to watch the video.

Quicktime is required to play this file.

Off The Record: The Race for Governor

A special edition of Off the Record and in-depth view of ‘The Race for Governor’ was taped this week.  Tim Skubick hosts DeVos spokeman John Truscott and I, as we face off with Democratic Chairman Mark Brewer and Graholm spokesman Chris DeWitt. After an introduction of both campaigns and the candidates, we participate in a give and take on the issues of the day.

If you missed the show, you can catch it on the internet at the following site:

http://www.wkar.org/offtherecord/program.php?num=2007-101

New Poll: Strategic Vision - Gov & Sen close

A new Strategic Vision poll was released today:

Below are the results of a three-day poll of likely voters in the state of Michigan. Results are based on telephone interviews with 1200 likely voters in Michigan, aged 18+, and conducted September 15-17, 2006. The margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points.

16. If the election for Governor were held today, whom would you vote for Jennifer Granholm, the Democrat or Dick DeVos, the Republican?
Jennifer Granholm 47%
Dick DeVos 46%
Undecided 7%

17. If the election for United States Senate were held today, whom would you vote for Debbie Stabenow, the Democrat or Mike Bouchard, the Republican?
Debbie Stabenow 51%
Mike Bouchard 44%
Undecided 5%

MI Manufacturer Association go "Neutral"

This is a HUGE victory for Dick DeVos and his campaign for Governor.  This endorsement was long thought to be tied up by Governor Granholm and touted as a "coup" by her campaign folks.  The DeVos team went to work and made their case for who is best prepared to bring jobs to Michigan.

EVERY "job provider" group in Michigan has recognized the need for a change in direction and are encouraging their members to seriously consider Dick DeVos for Governor...we're in a single state recession.

With 5.5 million new jobs nationwide and Michigan losing ONE job for EVERY twenty minutes Governor Granholm has been in office...the choice is obvious.

Here is the MMA's press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                       
CONTACT:     John MacIlroy

September 15, 2006                                                                                    517-487-8530
         

Michigan Manufacturers Association Board
Chooses not to Endorse in Governor’s Race

LANSING — Today, both major party candidates, Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Dick DeVos, outlined for the Michigan Manufacturers Association (MMA) board their plans to get Michigan’s manufacturing sector back on a positive track. After careful deliberation, the board decided not to issue an endorsement in Michigan’s gubernatorial race.

“Both candidates were recognized as having unique strengths to bring to the office,” said W. Frank Fountain, MMA chairman and senior vice president, external affairs and public policy for DaimlerChrysler Corporation.

Specifically, the board pointed to Gov. Granholm’s successes in implementing tax cuts that will save manufacturers $600 million over the next five years and improvements that cut the regulatory air permitting time by more than half, as well as her commitment to improving Michigan’s ailing K-12 education system.

In recognizing Dick Devos’ strengths, the board pointed to his first-hand understanding of the challenges manufacturers face in today’s intensely competitive global marketplace, the opportunity to bring a business perspective to state government operations and the fact that he would have the full support of the Republican Legislature.

“We look forward to working with either leader to make the changes necessary to get our manufacturing industry and this state back on the path to prosperity,” said John MacIlroy, MMA president and CEO.

“This will include a focus on building a world-class education system, implementing a fair, broad-based business tax system to replace the single business tax and removing other barriers to manufacturing investment and job creation.”

# # #

Farm Bureau Endorses Republican Ticket

This morning the Michigan Farm Bureau announced that it endorsed the following Republican candidates:

Dick DeVos - Governor

Mike Bouchard - U.S. Senate

Terri Lynn Land - Secretary of State

Mike Cox - Attorney General

This was a huge victory as Governor Granholm and her team were  spinning that they would pull off a suprise endorsement of the "Ag Community" .

While attending the Farm Burea endorsement on the steps of the Capitol, a touring group of children came by and wanted to join Dick DeVos...their futures depend on it...they should have a stake in who's there to help!?!