========================================================================================
January, 2014
An independent monthly chronicle of 11th Congressional District Republican Party news and events
========================================================================================
An independent monthly chronicle of 11th Congressional District Republican Party news and events
========================================================================================
'The Elephant In The Room' is a monthly newsletter, reporting items of interest to active Republicans in the 11th District - primarily present and future Precinct Delegates, but also other interested Republican party participants. Occasional bulletins may also be sent if an important item comes up that can't be delayed. If you know others who would have in interest in reading this, but do not currently receive it, they can be added to our mailing list. Just send an e-mail from the address at which they wish to receive the newsletter to EITR@Juno.com, with the word 'Subscribe' in the header. If you do not want to receive any further issues, simply reply to this address with the word 'Cancel'.
Previous issues can be found archived here, with the newest at the top: (Link)
No December Committee Meetings
None of the major Republican committees in the 11th District held public meetings in January, most putting on Christmas parties instead.
The chairman of the 11th CDRC stated that bylaws prevented that committee from endorsing candidates before the primary. What will take place at their next public meeting on January 28 remains to be seen.
11th CDRC monthly meetings are usually on the last Tuesday of the month, at 7pm in the Suburban Collection Showplace (formerly called Rock Financial Center). The address is 46100 Grand River Ave Novi, MI 48374. The meeting room is on the right after you enter the front door, then left down a hallway. Chairs are available for visitors to watch from, and two-minute audience comments are allowed at the end of the meeting.
A "Hard Working" Plan
The Michigan Republican Party State Committee met in Lansing on December 14. A new modification in state party rules was voted on and passed, changing the number of Precinct Delegates who can be elected at a county convention, under the "hard working party member" exception, to go to the August state convention. Under the old rules, the number of delegates sent to state under the "hard working" rule was two per congressional district. With the new rule, the number is now going to be ten percent of the allocated delegates. This will provide a large new chunk of votes which can be hand picked by the party bosses. The usual way this is done in the 11th District is that the list of names is proposed as a slate, late in a county convention, when everyone is tired and just wants to finish up and go home. Any objections are ignored or ruled out of order, and the vote is rushed through without any discussion. Most of the delegates present will vote yes without understanding what the result was.
OCRP Membership Should Be Wary of By-Law Changes
By David Lonier, Member, OCRP Executive Committee
There’s an old saying that “one must exercise extreme caution when wishing for something, as the fulfillment of the wish might not be what the wisher had in mind”…This is sometimes referred to as “Unintended Consequences”.
It’s no secret that there’s a movement sweeping the country resisting government’s total disregard for our people’s life, liberty and property. In this regard, both major political parties are scrambling to hold on to whatever control they have over their dwindling members, and rein in dissention by whatever means possible.
When considering numerous changes to the OCRP By-Laws, as drafted by a few “appointed” so-called experts, one should ask one’s-self why were the changes proposed, and for whose benefit?
Upon careful examination it would appear to this writer that the proposed changes give greater control to a fewer number of people within the OCRP by further marginalizing the opportunity to influence party policy by those members who may be less inclined to go-along-to-get-along with whatever the “leaders” decide is in the best interest of the “Party”.
One reason our founding fathers gave us a Constitutional Republic instead of a majority-rule Democracy was because by giving everyone equal rights, we honor the principle that the majority isn’t always right and the minority has as much right to have their voices heard as does the majority. After all wasn’t it a minority (3-5%) that actively participated in our American Revolution?
Here are just 3 examples where caution should be taken in regard to proposed changes to the OCRP By-Laws:
1. The Vice-Chair would no longer be “elected” by the membership, but would now be “appointed” by the Chairman. This is an incremental step toward more top-down control, and should not be approved.
Article 7, Sec. 7.2
2. It is proposed that a committee be appointed by the OCRP Chair for the purpose of endorsing judicial candidates. The committee is to be chaired and made up mostly of attorneys. Given the rare impartiality of the money-machine known as our court system, this would open the door to cronyism and heavy-duty special interests influence. It would be far better for the Party to expose the corruption of our courts than to become a party to it. This “Judicial Candidate Review Committee” should be voted down.
Article 9, Sec. 9.2
3. It is proposed that the OCRP Chair appoint (select) five members to an Issues Committee. Members should be encouraged to bring issues before the entire Executive Committee, and not scrutinized for acceptance or rejection by a committee selected by the Chair. The Issues Committee should be voted down.
Article 9, Sec. 9.3 and Article 10, Sec. 10.1
Wisdom would dictate that it would be prudent to not vote for any change unless you are absolutely certain the change will move the OCRP closer to, rather than further from, the principles which the GOP claims to embrace.
See “History and Principles of the Republican Party" here: (http://www.migop.org/index.php/about/principles/)
Know Your Enemy
At the Dec. 9 AFP event, ex-11th CDRC chairman Tom Stroup was going around to people wearing YesWes campaign buttons, and asking if they were currently a precinct delegate and if they planned on running again. Further inquiries included whether they planned to attend the state convention, what city they lived in, and what was the person's name.
Conservatives are going to find this sort of thing going on intensively now. The Snyder/Calley forces want to make a list of Precinct Delegates to defeat in the August election, and they are very actively trying to find out right now who the names are, before Delegates can be warned to not give them out. There are a number of well known Republican figures, who frequently attend conservative and TEA party meetings, that are actually there to defeat them. The more idealistic of us might not think this is possible, that Republicans don't do stuff like that. You can expect to find familiar smiling faces giving you a warm greeting, telling you how much they are 100% on your side, while actively planning to prevent you from getting to any state conventions. Be aware of who you are talking to; 2014 is going to get very ugly.
(For those interested, Mr. Stroup's response to this warning can be found here, after the newsletter: (Link) )
Event calendar:
Jan. 9, 7pm- Wayne 11th CDRC Meeting (Link)
Jan. 13, 6:30pm- Lakes Area Tea Party meeting (Link)
Jan. 13, 7pm- Rattle With Us Tea Party meeting (Link)
Jan. 14, 7pm- Troy Area Tea Party meeting (Link)
Jan. 21, 7pm- S.E. Michigan 912 Tea Party gathering (Link)
Jan. 23, 6pm- Fundraiser for Pat Colbeck (Link)
Jan. 27, 7pm- Wayne County Republican Committee meeting (Link)
Jan. 28, 7pm- 11th CDRC meeting (Link)
Jan. 30, 7pm- Birm./Bloomfield Republicans Special Meeting with Lt. Gov. Brian Calley (Link)
Thought For The Day:
(Excerpt from discussion of a George Will column):
"There may no longer be a unifying “center” to hold the GOP together. If the GOP doesn’t encompass the limited-government views of the Tea Party, there is an essential sense in which the party no longer represents an alternative to the Democratic Party."
"But there is still a sizable number of Republicans who see a viable future for a Republican Party that makes its name on what George Will has been calling “splittable differences” with the Democrats in Congress. I admire Will’s broadly positive and genial take on the current impasse between the parties, and between the factions in the GOP. But ultimately, I’m not convinced that being the party of “splittable differences” would be a big motivator or vote-getter for Republicans."
"We’ve been here before over the last half-century – dealing with the same party division – and the party has eventually rallied each time. When the party rallies and gets the vote out nation-wide, it does so around more-conservative as opposed to less-conservative candidates. "
--------The Optimistic Conservative
E.I.T.R. Policies and Principles
If you have an article, event, or other news that you think the readership should know about, we welcome your contributions. Editorial judgement will be applied to consider what interest readers will have in the submission, so keep articles or letters to a reasonable length. Articles should be factual - you must be able to provide corroboration of your information. Articles can be published under an alias, but you must be prepared to be able to stand up in court, raise your right hand, and testify to what you personally witnessed (because it may come to that). Unsubstantiated allegations just won't fly here, and rumors will be not be treated seriously unless they have some special reason to have plausible and substantive news value. We will be happy to follow up on tips which cannot yet be proven, but we can't publish them as fact without confirmation.
Letters expressing an opinion are fine, and will be published as such, if they would be of interest to the 11th District readership. Keep it local; there are other venues for national articles and issues. We want to focus this chronicle on items affecting Republican district affairs, including the activities of the office holders elected from this district.
Notices of events, planning, organization, etc. are welcome. If you want to get word out to like minded people in this district, send in your notice or idea. Keep it succinct, factual, and don't bore the reader - nobody wants to plow through long diatribes. The 11th CDRC party leaders have no control over this publication, and cannot censor any notices or opinions.
Responses to E.I.T.R. articles will be considered on their merits, and published if they are informative and a reasonable length. Our intention is to send each issue out at or around the beginning of the month, so sending items in at least a week before that is a good idea. That will allow time for two-way communication regarding any questions that may come up.
Denis Curran, Editor - E.I.T.R.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The following is from a blog on the Rattle With Us website, originally posted on Dec. 11, 2013. It is no longer there, as it was deleted by the site owner on Dec. 22.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://rattlewithus.ning.com/xn/detail/3305780:BlogPost:57617
Blog post by Denis Curran December 11, 2013
Know Your Enemy
At the Dec. 9 AFP event, ex-11th CDRC chairman Tom Stroup was going around to people wearing YesWes campaign buttons, and asking if they were currently a precinct delegate and if they planned on running again. Further inquiries included whether they planned to attend the state convention, what city they lived in, and what was the persons name.
TEA party members are going to find this sort of thing going on intensively now. The Snyder/Calley forces want to make a list of conservative Precinct Delegates to defeat in the August election, and they are very actively trying to find out right now who the names are, before we get the word out to not tell them. There are a number of well known Republican figures, who frequently attend TEA party meetings, that are actually there to defeat TEA partiers. The more idealistic of us might not think this is possible, that Republicans don't do stuff like that. You can expect to find familiar smiling faces giving you a warm greeting, telling you how much they are 100% on your side, while actively planning to prevent you from getting to any state conventions. Be aware of who you are talking to; 2014 is going to get very ugly.
======================================
Comment by Tom Stroup December 20, 2013
Denis - You like to take things out of context. I was in the line to get food at the event and having a conversation with someone I had never met. I used the button he was wearing as a "conversation starter". At no time did I make a pitch for LG Calley. And I did not write down his name and put him on some list.
But what really disturbs me is the title of your post: Know Your Enemy. I am not your enemy Denis. In fact I think we would find that on 80% or more of the issues we are in agreement. I, for example, was opposed to the Medicaid Expansion. I was in the House Gallery the day Right to Work was passed (and I lobbied our legislators in the 11th to support it). I am personally throwing a fundraiser for Pat Colbeck. That does not sound like something "the enemy" would do.
The election of the LG will be run like any other election at a convention. Each side will make their arguments and try and sway voters. I do support Calley. I do like Wes...we have spoken many times. I just don't support him.
I would also remind you that I am nothing more than a Precinct Delegate. I don't have any "power" to pick and chose who goes to a state convention....
=====================================================
Comment by Denis Curran December 20, 2013
Sure, Tom, all those specific details - just a "conversation starter". Of course. How many other "conversations" did you find opportunity for? I'm sure you'd be shocked, shocked, to find there was duplicity in this Establishment.
Quote:" I don't have any "power" to pick and chose who goes to a state convention...."
No, indeed, you don't, any more than Mr. Trott, Weiser, or Schostak do. They just provide the money to campaign against Tea Party precinct delegates, you provide information on what names to target, and whaddya know, we'll have a great little civil war peaking in the Michigan Republican party right after the August primary. Tom, whether you are my enemy is irrelevant - you are the local button man for the Establishment party bosses that want to maintain power at any price, including major losses in the 2014 election. You are the enemy of Tea party precinct delegates; try and deny that however you like.
=====================================================
Comment by Tom Stroup December 20, 2013
Denis...here are the facts: Are supporters of the LG recruiting PD's to run in 2014. Yes, I am sure it is happening. Am I a part of that process: No. Will I help them recruit PD's...Yes. Just as I HAVE ALWAYS helped the party recruit PD's. But look at it from the other direction: Are supporters of Wes looking to recruit PD's to get elected in 2014? Yes. So what is the difference? Both sides are trying to get their supporters elected. That is the american way. I have no issue with it.
The real question you should be asking is this: Is Wes the best candidate to be LG? I would say no. I understand why he is running. I understand why he is trying to draw a contrast with LG Calley. I just think it is a bad idea that will not accomplish his end goal. His end goal is to provide a more conservative voice to the Governor when he is making decisions.
The first problem with this premise is that I think the LG is a conservative voice to the governor. But the difference is Calley will carry the message for the governor even if they privately disagree on a subject.
If Wes gets elected he will either A. Not be a part of any decision making process or B. Be a part of the decision making process until the first time he disagrees with the governor and goes public with his disagreement. At that point the only thing the Governor will ask him to do will be ribbon cuttings in Escanaba !
Our focus needs to be electing a United States Senator Terri Lynn Land. Re-electing the Governor and LG. It needs to be keeping our majorities in the State House and State Senate. It needs to be keeping our Republican congressional seats and expanding it if possible. Not fighting internally over the LG position.
...and regarding the comment "local button man for the Establishment Party bosses". If by "Establishment" you mean someone who has dedicated 10 years of making calls, knocking doors, raising money, etc. Then yes. I am an establishment man. Maybe the real question is this: Where have you been Denis? How long have you been in this fight for our country? Why are you spending your time tearing me down when you energies could be focused on electing our candidates?
Just something for you to think about...Merry Christmas Denis !! :)
=====================================================
Comment by Dave Staudt December 21, 2013
I doubt 2014 will be "very ugly". Most reasonable people refuse to buy into the rants and rhetoric of people like Denis and would rather work together for Republican candiates of all persuasions; establishment or Tea Party. I have no problem supporting Tea Party candidates if I think they are the best suited for the office. I have always had a blend of Tea Party and establishment Republicans come for my City Caucus for the State Convention. We have always been friendly and respectful, even when we disagree.
Calling Tom an "enemy of the Tea Party precinct delegates" in just another example of Denis's disconnection with reality. Tom has been a strong supporter of the Tea Party and has the support of many of it's leaders. Denis would like to tell you he is the voice for many, but that isn't proven by anything I have seen. It's interesting that the leaders of the Tea Party never come to Denis's defense.
Happy Holiday's to all. I am looking forward to working with many of you in 2014 to beat down the Obama liberals and win elections with Republican candidates.
=====================================================
Comment by Denis Curran December 21, 2013
Hey Tom, the Establishment cavalry is here to rescue you. Your side must feel you need propping up - if your record is exposed, you're no longer much use to them.
Nice try at obfuscation Tom, but you can't blow enough smoke to hide your activity.
We've seen you running off to Brooks Patterson to try and block Kerry Bentivolio's candidacy. You got the local party bosses together in a conclave to call Nancy Cassis back from her Florida retirement, in a desperate write-in attempt, to prevent some outsider that didn't owe any obligations to the powers-that-be from taking over your insiders-club's accustomed right to control of the congressional seat.
We've seen you shouting at the June 26, 2012 11th CDRC meeting "I'm NOT going to support Kerry!". This was not stated as a private opinion, it was proclaimed while chairing the meeting.
We've seen how you ran the last district caucus, arbitrarily refusing to allow any motions to amend the rules, no matter what the request was, ruling every single motion "out-of-order".
We've seen you gushing away after the April 23, 2013 11th CDRC meeting, telling us that the way the February district caucus turned out wasn't your fault, you didn't even plan to be the chairman. In your own words, you got a call from Shannon Price just 48 hours before the convention, not asking you, but telling you that you "were going to be the permanent chair". You had to do as you were told, making sure the caucus was run the right way. Like Mr. Calley, you are a good yes-man, and know who you have to kiss up to, so you did what you were told, refusing to recognize objections from the floor, and thoroughly suppressing any attempts at change. Your establishment bosses were doubtless pleased to let you take the heat for it - that's your value to them.
We've seen you loudly announce that Kerry Bentivolio's supporters don't deserve any representation on the 11th District Committee, because (quote) "He wasn't working for years in the party", "He just got struck by lightning", and he doesn't deserve any credit for getting elected.
[ Sentence censored at request of third party. ]
The humorous part about all this is that your side thinks you are the designated "Tea Party expert", so you are sent out to do the snow jobs the Establishment bosses want pushed, while they all take a non-controversial low profile. Great work, there Tom - keep it up. Sooner or later your masters will reward you with the traditional Republican "It's His Turn" policy of being handed some plum position, or coronation candidacy; just like Dole, McCain, Romney, etc.. That's the standard Republican party obligatory tradition - because it always works so well.
============================================================
Comment by Tom Stroup December 22, 2013
Wow Denis...I never knew you had such animosity towards me.
You keep living in your 'own little world' Denis. I hope you have a Merry Christmas...
For the record:
1. Kerry is not qualified to be a State Rep let alone our congressman. He will serve his 2 years and get thrown out of office by the voters who will select a real leader in David Trott.
2. I did participate in selecting Nancy Cassis to run against Kerry as a write in. See #1 for my reasons why.
3. I did not recognize the individuals who were shouting at me from the floor during the caucus you are referring to BECAUSE THEY WERE OUT OF ORDER. We were voting on a set of rules that had been introduced. Not the set distributed by Sarah Ledford and Kerry supporters.
4. I never said Kerry supporters should not have some representation on the committee. In fact I supported the idea of putting 3-4 people on the committee that were selected by Kerry. There were many conversations that took place before the caucus to avoid what happened. But Kerry was determined to dictate who would serve on the committee and he does not have the power to do that. Just as Thad McCotter did not. He took his shot with his slate of candidates. They all lost by 60-40 margins or larger. The voters spoke...even if you do not like the outcome.
5. [ Censored at request of third party. ]
============================================================
Comment by Denis Curran December 22, 2013
I'm sure we're all pleased to gain such edifying wisdom from you, Tom. After reading your statements 1 and 2, I realize now what ignorant peasants we are here in the Rattle With Us Tea Party. For gosh sakes, at one of our meetings, we actually voted for Kerry Bentivolio over Nancy Cassis in a straw poll - I believe the vote was 76 to 13. How inconsiderate we were in failing to acknowledge the natural right of a member of the Ruling Class (link) to accede to the throne. Now that you've straightened us out on who is Qualified, I'm sure we'll all see the error of our ways, and bow down to the choices of our superiors from now on.
For #3 - if anyone reading this knows how to convert VHS videotape to a computer file, I'd love to post the February caucus stonewalling segment here on this page.
On #4, now you're just plain lying, Tom. On April 23, 2013, you said Kerry Bentivolio's supporters don't deserve any representation on the 11th District Committee, using the exact words "He wasn't working for years in the party" and "He just got struck by lightning". I see in my notes I even wrote down the names of other people who were there to hear it, just in case it was denied later.
#5. Well, of course. Why else would you even bring it up .....
============================================================
