Elections will not legitimize any government if they are rigged. We must end the absurdity whereby a private corporation can be hired to count our votes and then refuse to prove to us exactly how it got the final numbers. If the system is not completely transparent and auditable, you can never be confident in it. You can be completely justified in suspecting that it is fraudulent. When the public no longer trusts those who count the votes, then the outcome will be chaos.

The 2020 election was rigged, but it is not up to us to prove that. Instead of resisting audits every step of the way, the burden of proving otherwise falls on those who refuse to open the voting machines for inspection. There can be no innocent motive to hide them. Nor can there have been any justification for blocking observers from observing. Given all the evidence, there is more than ample reason to suspect the vote-counters of cheating. The stakes are too high for them to simply call upon their accusers to prove malfeasance, when the officials in charge of ensuring fair elections are the ones obstructing justice.

What matters even more, however, is the next election. How much assurance do we have that it will be fair? So far, not enough.

Well ahead of the November election, ABC News has already made suspiciously detailed predictions of the outcome. The news item contains the words, "'Oddly specific': ABC News deletes tweet declaring Dems will hold House in Nov, gain 4 Senate seats."

My questions are, has the election already been decided? Have we already lost? Who can count the votes ahead of time?

To those who claim that accusations of a rigged election are a "big lie," are without evidence, or are a conspiracy theory, the rebuttal is, what will it matter what the true outcome this year will be, if on Election Night, half or more of the voters are persuaded that their votes have been stolen?

Absolute assurance can be made, but only if there are no screens or computers between impartial observers and the ballots. Given the potential for fraud, there is no reason to trust a computer, when a verifiable paper trail can be made that is all but indisputable.

There is only one reason to prevent this from happening, and you know what it is.
 

Reprinted with permission from the American Thinker: https://www.americanthinker.com

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JANUARY 2021

AMERICANS CAN'T LET THE LEFT STEAL THE 2020 ELECTION
By Rick Hayes, December 8, 2020

The left is famous for ignoring the law. Hillary, Comey, and Biden are perfect examples of unapologetically tossing away any pretense that laws matter.  And because the left has no respect for the law, the United States is on the verge of having a presidential election stolen from the American voter's hands.

So significant are the consequences that anti-American forces normally acting behind the scenes are out in the open, flagrantly telegraphing their future moves to finally overthrow the Trump administration.
Americans are deluged day in and day out with declarations that the election is over.

Says who, the propaganda forces that help steal the election? Americans are well aware that currently, Joe Biden is ahead in the current election count; the American people can see the numbers.  What Americans are saying is that the numbers are fake. The numbers do not add up to reality — a reality that saw one candidate draw tens of thousands of voters at multiple events while the other candidate couldn't muster up more than 300 even with help from Obama and Bon Jovi.

It's a reality that saw one candidate inspire grass-roots flotillas and 90-mile-long caravans while the other candidate generated more followers from the opposition than supporters.

The propaganda networks are no longer concerned with optics and have exposed their extreme bias against President Trump and the United States Constitution.

And now Americans are instructed by the propaganda wing of the Democrat party to hold hands and move forward. Really?

Americans who disagree with a fraudulent election are now being shamed into accepting the theft from the same propaganda networks that spent over 26 thousand hours in over 1,095 days questioning the legitimacy of the 2016 election.

We're scolded by propaganda networks that didn't ask one question regarding Biden's foreign policy or son Hunter's 1.5 billion investment gift from China.

We're browbeaten by the propaganda networks that mistreated the highly available and transparent Trump administration and yet were filled with unrestricted exuberance from a presidential candidate who never emerged from his basement.

Is it possible to show less interest in looking into the glaring irregularities or mathematically implausible results than leftist Democrats such as N.Y. senator Charles Schumer and House speaker Nancy Pelosi?  And what if freedom-loving Americans decide not to conform? What if 73 million–plus Americans refuse to move forward, refuse to be lied to, refuse to have their votes tossed in the trash? Using one of President Trump's messages to the black community back in the 2016 election run — "what do you have to lose?"

Do Americans risk losing their safety, their assets, or the Republic? Those things are already dead and gone if this stolen election is allowed to stand.

What is certain is that Americans will lose their right to defend themselves. They will lose the right to think and speak freely and the right to have their votes mean something.

If America doesn't take a stand now and demand a complete audit of every aspect of the 2020 election, it will never stand again. Everything from this point on is meaningless if legally cast American votes do not count.

Reprinted with permission from the American Thinker: https://www.americanthinker.com

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SEPTEMBER 2020

THIS ELECTION IS A CHOICE BETWEEN FREEDOM AND SLAVERY, GOOD AND EVIL
By J.B. Shurk, August 8, 2020

Ronald Reagan famously observed nearly sixty years ago: "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same[.]" The man could say so much with so few words. (1) Freedom is an idea; (2) it belongs to anyone wise enough to recognize its value irrespective of race, color, or creed; and (3) it will be endlessly threatened at all times by those opposed to liberty.

Three generations later, and Reagan's warning is uncomfortably prescient. Before the Chinese coronavirus turned into a weapon for destroying freedom, we were already under attack. For years, hate speech laws have been used to censor points of view and silence critics. Public schools have replaced education with "politically correct" Marxist narratives, while Christianity is banned from public life and public squares. Socialists attack words as violence so they may use violence against our words. Wherever we look, the left has been nibbling away at liberty and pushing us toward gilded cages under their control.

Now the Democrats' push to "fundamentally change America" is in overdrive. A combination of their awareness that they have lost ground since President Trump's election and a growing sense of urgency to speed up their revolution before his looming re-election has led them to throw all caution to the wind.

What could have been seen as a moment for national unity just as WWII was for that generation of Americans, the present pandemic unleashed by China, has become nothing more than an opportunity for Democrats at every level of government to steal freedom in the name of security.

Joe Biden talks openly of a "physical revolution" ahead.

Barack Obama no longer pretends to be a moderate and instead openly trashes police officers as racists and murderers, chooses the side of Antifa anarchists destroying federal buildings and harming American civilians, and turns funeral memorials into political rallies demanding that new socialist legislation be pushed through Congress despite the will of the people.

Mayor de Blasio has installed checkpoints to restrict free assembly and arbitrarily and capriciously shut down businesses and church services with fines exceeding ten thousand dollars, while openly encouraging Antifa and Black Lives Matter shock troops to run roughshod over New York City.

Mayor Garcetti has empowered himself with the authority in Los Angeles to deprive individual homes of power and water should he find their owners in violation of any new rules he unilaterally creates.

The Democratic Party is furiously scrambling to use the pretext of public health to force "cheat by mail" voting schemes upon swing states within their control just in time to steal a presidential election in November.

And Google and Facebook and Twitter have turned a health emergency into one more excuse for censoring free speech and depriving conservatives of having any voice in what is indisputably our modern town square.

China released a virus upon the world, and Republicans and conservatives rolled up their sleeves and said, "Let's get to work." Democrats and the socialists running their show grinned and said, "This is the perfect time to fleece Americans for everything they've got."

If it feels as though we're surrounded, that's because we are. For freedom-minded Americans, this is an unnerving time. But that's exactly the way it's always been.

As inspiring as Reagan's words are, they leave out the chilling context that Lord Acton's provide: "At all times sincere friends of freedom have been rare, and its triumphs have been due to minorities[.]" If the task of defending freedom seems daunting, if the odds of success seem narrow, if socialism's darkness seems ever near, take strength that this has always been the price for freedom. We are all of us at all times cut-off paratroopers far behind enemy lines. Defenders of freedom will always be surrounded. No battle will be final, no victory permanent, no peace respected by freedom's enemies. We will be forced to fight tooth and nail for freedom, or there will be none at all.

I am convinced that the battle between good and evil is, at its heart, a fight between truth and deception. Not falsehood, but deception. Evil always comes in the form of an ideology that allows man to justify unspeakable acts and unconscionable harms.

Auschwitz greeted each prisoner with the lie that "work sets you free." Buchenwald added to the insult by insisting that "everyone gets what he deserves."

Now Joe Biden's Democrats spread fascism while calling themselves "antifascist." Democrat race-baiters and race-hustlers insist that "black lives matter" while doing everything in their power to kill black babies before birth and to deprive black Americans of their God-given freedom in return for cradle-to-grave government control and subsistence. Democrat operatives unleash armies of domestic terrorists upon American cities, and then Democrat congressmen ignore all the mayhem, carnage, and murder they have caused by disregarding the visible destruction as nothing but "myth."

Lies and arrogance have a tendency to topple empires. Leaders mistake their offices for temples to be adorned and their orders as commandments to be obeyed. Faith in institutions dries up while nobody is looking. History is forgotten, and stupidity rises to rule the day.

There is an antidote: freedom. Its power to confront evil is immense. Its protection of life is unmatched. And it exposes socialism's lies by drenching darkness with light. But at all times, the cost of freedom will be borne entirely by its few, true defenders. A line in the sand is small compared to the beach, but when enough of us come together, a line in the sand is all we need. So take heart that you are not alone. Find strength in those around you. No matter what, hold that line.

Hat tip to TimothyGKC.

Reprinted with permission by the American Thinker: https://www.americanthinker.com
Follow us: @AmericanThinker on Twitter | AmericanThinker on Facebook

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JULY 2016

Be worried, Donald Trump. That was an insurmountable 10-point lead for Bush in 1988.

Latest CBS Poll has Hillary up by 6. Same as May.

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OCTOBER 2014

THIRD PARTIES WON'T SAVE OUR COUNTRY
By David Long, September 4, 2014

Thirty-six seats are up for grabs in the Senate and all 435 seats in the House of Representatives will be contested. Of those 36 Senate seats, 15 are currently held by Republicans while 21 are held by Democrats. Clearly, the math is on the Republican side, as is the fact that the incumbent party typically loses seats in mid-term elections.
This upcoming November 2014 election is crucial for America and voting for a third party candidate will not achieve the victory. To end the Obama “Rule by Decree” power grab, we have to wrest control of the Senate from the Democrats. The only possible way to do that is for us all to unite and vote GOP.

This November 4 election may well see the Democrat incumbents perform even more poorly than historical analysis might indicate because of the currently extremely low ratings of President Obama. Whether it’s his apparent bewilderment over what do to about the threat from ISIS, his “do nothing” policy towards Russian (I almost said “Soviet”) leader Putin, or his “deer in the headlights” reaction to the immigration invasion along our southern border, it is clear to even the most ardent Obama fans that his polling numbers are not encouraging for the Democrats.

CNN, normally a big fan of the president, called his ratings "underwater" and "stuck in a rut” with only 42% approving in their poll.

The Washington Post, another of Mr. Obama’s normally ardent supporters, asked, “Has President Obama bottomed out yet?” while pointing out that 58% of Americans disapproved of his handling of the immigration crisis and 52% disapproved of his performance regarding ISIS in Iraq.

A Gallup poll released August 28 found that 53% of Americans disapprove of the way Mr. Obama is handling his job as president, and that the number of those who strongly disapprove is more than double the number who strongly approve.

By comparison, at this same point two years into the last term (August of two years into their last term), George W. Bush had an approval rating of 54%, Bill Clinton of 62%, George Bush the elder of 68%, and Ronald Reagan of 61%. I’m not sure it’s much consolation to the current occupant of the White House that he is doing better than Jimmy Carter who had an abysmal rating of 39%.

This November election could well change the course of history. It might even be so critical as to decide the eventual fate of the United States and whether we remain a bastion of freedom or slip into the oblivion of universal entitlement, “Big Brother” government, and rule by decree rather than by the law of our Constitution, only to eventually dissolve into obscurity.

So, you ask, what’s my point?

My point is -- the point is! -- that one of the biggest obstacles to the Republicans regaining control of the Senate, and being able to stand off the Harry Reid/Nancy Pelosi cabal, are those who don’t understand the inescapable fact that the United States has a two-party system.

That’s right; count ‘em. One -- Republicans, two -- Democrats. There is no number three. Whether it be the Libertarians, the Green Party, the American Independents, or whomever (take your pick -- here’s a list of about 100 of them) -- the other parties are simply not meaningful choices in the equation. They can delude themselves into thinking that they offer a meaningful alternative, a reasonable choice to take a valiant step away from the mainstream political world and offer a wakeup call to America, but that’s all a fallacy. More than a fallacy – it’s a fantasy!

In all of the 230+ year history of the United States, third party candidates for the presidency have won a total of – are you ready? – zero elections. That’s right, zero, as in none, nada, zip, zilch. Not a single one. And that even includes the Bull Moose progressive party of 1912 whose candidate was former President Teddy Roosevelt. Even with a former President of the United States at the head of their ticket, they still lost!

Voting for a third-party candidate who drains votes away from a candidate who has a valid chance to defeat a liberal is the craziest so-called "logic" on the political landscape. Those misguided people who vote for a candidate who cannot possibly win need to recognize that we in the USA have a two-party system. If they don’t vote for the candidate of whichever of the two main parties is closest to their political point of view, then their decision is, with all respect, quite frankly ridiculous.

Most of you have probably heard the ancient proverb: “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” That concept was first published in a Sanskrit treatise on statecraft dating from the 4th century BC. It’s been repeated thousands of times since, not least by Winston Churchill, who went so far as to say, “If Hitler were to invade Hell, I would make at least a favorable reference to the Devil in the House of Commons.”

If there’s an election in which a liberal Democrat backed by Mr. Obama, Mr. Reid, and Ms. Pelosi is running for a Senate office and he’s opposed by a Republican, then by definition, the Republican is his enemy! And if you’re opposed to the Demo liberal, then he’s your enemy too. Hence, by the almost inescapable logic that the enemy of your enemy is your friend, that Republican is your friend -- so get out there and cast your vote for him.

I don’t care whether he or she is a Reagan Republican, a Rand Paul Republican or *shudder* a centrist, semi-liberal, barely-knows-how-to-spell-the-word-conservative Republican -- she or he is a better choice than another chip-off-the-horrible-block Reid/Pelosi/Obama-ite. He has to be better! Period.

I have no argument at all, none whatsoever, with enthusiastically supporting candidates in the primaries to oppose that “more-or-less-conservative” guy. In fact, those of us who want and stand for freedom and liberty in the USA should be trying our best to get the true conservatives into the final election. But in the final battle, it’s one-on-one, them against us, and no time left for indecision.

The battle of the primaries is over! The finalists are facing each other in November, and if you don’t cast your vote for one of the Big Two parties, you’re wasting it, tossing it in the toilet and flushing it away.

It’s about as logical as taking a shower with a raincoat on -- you can pretend to yourself that you’re doing something meaningful, but in reality you simply are not. You’re wasting your time. By refusing to make a rational, well-thought-out choice between the two real options, you are essentially abandoning your responsibility as an American by not voting for one who really has a chance to win.

To those of you who are considering voting for a third-party candidate, or maybe even not voting, I say:

Please! I beg you! As a vote-bearing citizen of the United States, stand up for what you believe in, but don’t forget the truth – the enemy of your enemy is your friend.

Vote for the better of the two candidates, the one closer to being a true conservative, the one closer to the ideals and beliefs immortalized in the U.S. Constitution. He or she may not be your optimal choice – but he or she has to be better than leaving the Senate in the hands of the Obama/Reid/Pelosi apparatus. Give your vote to one who has a meaningful chance to get elected, and to return control of our Senate, of our government, of our freedom to the only party who comes even remotely close to the ideas and beliefs that our forefathers stood for.

And, for the most part at least, that sure as heck doesn’t mean to vote for the Democrats.

Reprinted with permission from the American Thinker: http://www.americanthinker.com/2014/09/third_parties_wont_save_our_country.html

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MAY 2014

NEW HEADQUARTERS SIGNS

Billie Wright provided pictures of the signs which were donated by Bill Raslich and Bob Krumbach with her contribution of $60 toward the lumber.  One was for the SSRWC and one for the Iosco County Republicans.  They should work very well at the headquarters and are quite heavy, requiring two people to move them. 

Jeff Johnston volunteered to spray them with a coating to help protect them from the weather when they are delivered to Adam.

Bill Raslich is the owner of Bill Raslich Graphics and is the gentleman who made the signs for the elephant blanket.  Please remember him for your graphic needs and be sure to thank Bob Krumbach and Billie for their contributions.

The signs are four feet wide and five feet four inches tall and very sturdy.

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APRIL 2014

IOSCO COUNTY CONVENTION DELEGATES TO BE ELECTED
AUGUST 5, 2014

At the March 14, 2014 meeting, we decided to distribute precinct delegates by dividing the vote in each precinct for President by 150 which allocates delegates in proportion to the Republican vote.  The result is shown below.  If you are interested in running for precinct delegate, you should complete the affidavit (which can be downloaded from the Clerk's section of the Iosco County website www.iosco.net) and deliver it to the Clerk's office before 4:00 p.m. on May 6, 2014.  They are required to be filed at the County Clerk's office now.  The townships can no longer accept them.  It needs to be notarized, but this can be done at the Clerk's office.

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DECEMBER 2012

RENDEZVOUS WITH DESTINY
By Greg Richards, November 15, 2012

Well, who would have thought it?

Who would have thought that it would fall to us, some of us in our so-called declining years (unless 60 is the new 40) to rescue the Republic? In our lifetimes, we have had the war in Vietnam, and the Reagan revival, and now we find the left has been tunneling under us all along. Last Tuesday, the platform we thought was solid collapsed as if its underpinnings had been eaten by termites, which they had.

According to the American Spectator Romney received 57.8 million votes to McCain's 59.9 million votes. And...who can say, it is not impossible that the Romney count is a fair count. But, it is very surprising that Romney would garner fewer votes than McCain. Virtually all Republicans and conservatives regarded this election as the most important in history, barring only perhaps that of 1860, and maybe more important than that.

That makes the Romney count relative to McCain very surprising. Very surprising. One could say very very surprising. Really so surprising, one might almost say incredible. Whatever the merits of the post-election analyses about the various ethnic blocs, women, the weaknesses of Romney as a candidate, at worst Romney was presentable and made a case for himself, if not the conservative case we would like to have seen.

Romney was in no sense a placebo. So, given the issues, the danger to the Republic of the hard-leftism that Obama represents, the enthusiastic crowds that Romney was getting as the campaign climaxed, the damage to our lives and fortunes which will occur by turning our health care over to the Post Office, it is very very surprising that the Romney vote would be less than the McCain vote. Truly very very very surprising.

Some may be getting the material on New Zealand, or Singapore, or Canada, or the Isle of Sark, or whatever refuge they think will suit. But the rest of us are going to stay on this hill called the United States of America. We are going to die on this hill.

Therefore, the mission of defending it falls to us. What a privilege. Who would have thought that it would fall to us to, perhaps, reach out and touch the hand of George Washington?

As Lenin put it, what is to be done? A lot. Pat Caddell, the renegade Democrat pollster who, being an honest man, is becoming more conservative every day, said something critical at one of the recent David Horowitz retreats. Sitting on a panel, he asked the audience, which was off-camera, to raise its hands if they had participated personally in their local political party. From his reaction, one could guess that the number of hands raised was sparse.

That is our mission. We are each going to have to find out where our local Republican Party meets and join its meetings personally. This is not going to be grim. It is actually going to be fun. The Tea Partiers can hold that identity, but the operational arm of Tea Partydom has to be the Republican Party. There is neither the space nor the time for a third party.

We are going to have to increase the presence, the mass, of the Republican Party by what scientists call an order of magnitude, a factor of ten. This means that as conservatives, as Republicans, we are going to have to set aside a new slice of our time for politics.

This is new. This is going to impact our lives. It might mean leaving the office a bit earlier than you do now on some nights and, yes, maybe the career will be a bit less brilliant. It might mean rushing through dinner with the family on some nights.

Maybe we have coasted on the political capital bequeathed us by our forbears. After all, the Founders committed their time personally, not by proxy. That is what we have to do now, but once the movement gathers momentum, it will be fun. None of us is going to be on that ice floe alone. It is our numbers that will make this work.

An example of just one task: we need to know every detail of the voting process. Who makes the machines? How are they initialized? How do we know they are initialized? How do we know they are counting correctly?

This will take time. A key technique of the Democratic Party is stealing elections. They have done it for two centuries. They used Jim Crow to steal elections. They used Tammany Hall in the 19th century. They used, and still use, big-city machines to steal the vote in the 20th century. Now they are using false registration, ballot stuffing and count-rigging in tight contests. The Dems are there ahead of us and they are not going to share the ground. The judges will not support us. It will not be easy, but it is necessary to assure that the country is getting a fair count.

We need to get our message out. We don't have to be obnoxious, but we have to stop trimming in polite society, as we all do. We need to make our case. It turns out that all the misrepresentations of the Dems have been absorbed as reality: if you are a Republican you are on the wrong side of history. We need to tell our story.

For instance, why did it take until the 1960's for the final Civil Rights law to be passed? Because it took that long for the Dems to throw in the towel on segregation. They blocked anti-lynching laws in the 1920's and 1930's, they threw blacks off the land in the New Deal, but by the 1950s, the Republicans were able to enforce Brown v. Board of Education (Little Rock) and pass two civil rights laws.

With the movement led by the Rev. Dr. King, the Dems could finally not ignore the developing political power of the African-American community. So in their own interest of maintaining access to power, they threw in the towel on blocking the advancement of the black community. It wasn't principle; they didn't do it until their power was challenged.

And then they came up with welfare as a career to sidetrack black progress. The African-American family survived 250 years of slavery and 100 years of Jim Crow, but was destroyed by 40 years of liberalism

That is only one story we need to tell. Socialism has failed everywhere it has been tried. The 20th century is littered with it. When the wealth is redistributed, without exception it is goes to the redistributors, not to the people. The nomenklatura in a socialist economy is about 10% of the population. Everyone else stands in line to shop at bare shelves.

Who would have thought that in our declining years, defending this hill would fall to us? It will be fun. And we will make history.

Page Printed from: http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/../2012/11/rendezvous_with_destiny.html

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AUGUST 2012

PROPOSAL TO KEEP FORCED UNIONIZATION INTACT --
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE MONEY
By Jack Spencer, published on July 23, 2012

The Service Employees International Union would get millions in cash, but the people it "represents" wouldn't get state employee benefits if a constitutional amendment the union is pushing is passed by voters in November.

That's the ugly truth for tens of thousands of people who have been roped into becoming members of the SEIU thanks to the union's "home health care dues skim," which has netted more than $31 million for the union.

Language in the ballot proposal promoted by the union to keep the scheme going paints a clear picture of what it’s all about — getting dues money from vulnerable disabled Michigan residents who are participants in the Home Help Program while excluding the workers it is supposed to represent from getting the same benefits state employees enjoy.

Rep. Greg MacMaster, R-Kewadin, vice chair of the House Appropriations Human Services Subcommittee, said the SEIU has been exploiting the Home Help Program participants and now it's trying to exploit the state constitution.

"I'm flatly against this proposal," Rep. MacMaster said. "No one should be trying to benefit from other people's poor health and that's what they (the union) have been doing. Nobody — businesses or unions — should be using the constitution for their own financial gain, and now that's what they are trying to do."

The Home Help Program gives elderly patients and others suffering from various ailments the option to be cared for at home instead of in institutions, such as nursing homes. It has been estimated that 75 percent of caregivers in the program are relatives or friends of the patients.

Language in the proposal would assure that those working in the Home Help Program will remain unionized with a newly created Michigan Quality Home Care Council posing as their employer. Those union members are only treated as if they were public employees for payroll and dues deductions purposes. In virtually every other way they are not treated as public employees.

The key wording from the proposal that would help guarantee continuation of the unionization helps explain the union's true motives:

" ... participant-employed providers governed by this section shall have the rights relating to collective bargaining with the Council as are otherwise provided by law to public employees not within the classified civil service relating to their public employees, and the Council shall be governed by such collective bargaining arrangements, to be enforced by the appropriate labor relations agency”

The proposal's language then specifies that the participants aren't entitled to any other benefits:

"But such providers shall not, as a consequence of this section, be considered public or State employees for any other purpose, nor be entitled to any other benefit reserved to such employees."

In other words, what the so-called “employees” get out of the constitutional amendment would be having dues taken out of their checks and collective-bargaining representation.

"The legislature has spoken on this and the attorney general has spoken on it as well," said Vincent Vernuccio, director of labor policy for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. "I think when the voters have their chance to speak they will reject it as well. These are people who take care of their sick relatives. They have no need for a union. The union is just exploiting needy people."

Permission to reprint in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author and the Mackinac Center are properly cited. http://www.michigancapitolconfidential.com

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APRIL 2012

IOSCO COUNTY CONVENTION DELEGATES TO BE ELECTED
AUGUST 7, 2012

At the March 9, 2012 meeting, we decided to distribute precinct delegates by dividing the vote in each precinct for Secretary of State by 250 which allocates delegates in proportion to the Republican vote.  The result is shown below.  If you are interested in running for precinct delegate, you should complete the affidavit (which can be downloaded from the Clerk's section of the Iosco County website www.iosco.net) and deliver it to the Clerk's office before May 15, 2012.  It needs to be notarized, but this can be done at the Clerk's office.

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DECEMBER 2011

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MAY 2009

THE END OF FAIR ELECTIONS?
By Tom Hoffman, April 09, 2009

Anyone who believes Hugo Chavez's presidency is the result of a free and fair election should stop reading and go protest against global warming. For the rest of us, it may come as a surprise to some; we may have witnessed the last free and fair election in this country. How long ago that election was does not matter now; there will not be another one.

Remember when "B1 Bob" Dornan lost his House seat to a woman named Sanchez? The election was stolen by Hermandad Nacional Mexicana a group that made a concerted effort to register illegal aliens. Since then, the art of rigging the vote has been refined and perfected by the likes of ACORN and other community activist organizations.

The modus operandi is clear. First, there must be a team of lawyers to challenge any efforts to determine voter eligibility. What we end up with here in California is "motor voter" registration. This means DMV workers urge anyone getting a driver's license to go ahead and register to vote. Lawyers and Democratic state legislators have made it illegal to require documentation regarding immigration status; it's the honor system. If an illegal feels uncomfortable lying to a bureaucrat at the DMV, he or she can apply by mail and receive an absentee ballot. This way they need not even have to show up at the polling place; just mail it in.

It's just too easy to cheat. Of course, at the polling place there is no need to prove who you claim to be; honor system again. Sign in and vote with no questions asked. The lawyers and legislators paved the way for the "undocumented worker" to vote like a native born citizen by doing away with need to document anything, let alone citizenship. All that is necessary is a mailing address; and, no kidding, the same culprits are busy doing away with that so the "homeless" can now register.

Registering as many fraudulent votes as possible and making it as difficult as possible to disqualify voters is only front end of the strategy. Once an election has been made close enough to allow for disputes and recounts, whole new machinery has been put in place. Here is where the big money comes into play. The secretaries of state, whose duty it is to oversee the election process, must be beholden to the community activists. Large campaign donations to the secretary of state candidates assure the community organizers a voice in all "recounts". Their squads of well-trained lawyers will likely get sympathetic rulings in their efforts to disqualify eligible voters and qualify the ineligible.

Is it any wonder that, as the rules get watered down again and again, the number of "get out the vote" organizations has multiplied? There has always been some fraud in our electoral system: but until recently, the scale has not been sufficient to succeed in stealing a national election. We've passed that line. Once passed, the line can never be redrawn.

ACORN is but one instance of a well financed nationwide effort to institute voter fraud. It is the financing of the likes of George Soros and the organizing skills of the likes of Bill Ayers that assures us of rigged elections from now on. Take the recent U.S. Senate election in Minnesota. The community activists registered thousands of new voters. Given that ACORN has already admitted to voter fraud (by mistake of course), it is certain a fair number of these were fraudulent. It is also certain that nearly all were Democrat votes. The Republican still managed to win by a few hundred votes on the initial count. The margin was too close to rule out a recount; mission accomplished for ACORN and their ilk. In come the lawyers to disqualify Republicans. With the full sympathy of the secretary of state, the radicals manage to turn the tide in favor of the Democrat; game, set, match.

With a proven game plan and large numbers of "community activist" organizations spread out across the country, all that is necessary to rig state and national elections from now on is a large and reliable source of funding. That has already been assured in the "Stimulus" bill. George Soros will now be helped by the U.S. Taxpayer; helped big time. Community activist organizations will find themselves flush with taxpayer cash. They are the grass roots agencies in charge of "neighborhood stabilization." I suppose we could get Jimmy Carter to certify the fairness of the 2010 elections.

Page Reprinted by permission from: http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/04/the_end_of_fair_elections.html

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APRIL 2008

HATCH ACT FOR STATE AND LOCAL EMPLOYEES

The Hatch Act which governs the political activity of federal employees, also applies to executive branch state and local employees who are principally employed in connection with programs financed in whole or in part by loans or grants made by the US or a federal agency.

It does not apply to people who hold an elective office or people involved in education.  However, if you earn most of your income from a job where you are a state or local government employee, you cannot be a candidate for a partisan office, attempt to influence the outcome of an election or attempt to obtain contributions from subordinates in support of a political party or candidate.

If your principal job simply uses equipment which was purchased with federal funds, it does not apply.   However, if your job is funded by a grant, loan or federal program, it does apply.  If that happens, you must quit your job before running or getting prepared to run for a partisan office.

For more information, go to http://www.osc.gov/ha_state.htm#state_do or contact the US Office of Special Counsel, 800-854-2824.

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NOVEMBER 2006

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AUGUST 2005

PRIMARY RESOLUTION

At the July 14, 2005 meeting of the Executive Committee of the Iosco County Republican Committee, a resolution passed unanimously for the elimination of the presidential primary for the 2008 presidential election.

Since the Democrats do not hold a primary, they nominate their candidates by caucus.

If the Republicans also use a caucus system, it will increase the interest in the county parties, hopefully, encourage more people to become active, will allow Republicans to choose their candidate and save the State of Michigan a great deal of money.

This resolution will be forwarded to the State party, the Speaker of the House, the Senate Majority Leader and Sen. Tony Stamas for their consideration.

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JUNE 2005

BEWARE OF VOTERS

Attention Voters! - We're in more trouble than I imagined!

While looking at a house, my brother asked the real estate agent which direction was north because, he explained, he didn't want the sun waking him up every morning. She asked, "Does the sun rise in the North?" When my brother explained that the sun rises in the East, (and has for some time), she shook her head and said, "Oh, I don't keep up with that stuff."

.. . . . . . . She also votes!

I used to work in technical support for a 24x7 call center. One day I got a call from an individual who asked what hours the call center was open. I told him, "The number you dialed is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week." He responded, "Is that Eastern or Pacific time?" Wanting to end the call quickly, I said, "Uh, Pacific."

 .. . . . . . He also votes!

So my colleague and I were eating our lunch in our cafeteria, when we overheard one of the admin. assistants talking about the sunburn she got on her weekend drive to the shore. She drove down in a convertible, but "didn't think she'd get sunburned because the car was moving."

 .. . . . . She also votes!

My sister has a lifesaving tool in her car. It's designed to cut through a seatbelt if she gets trapped. She keeps it in the trunk.

.. . . . . My sister also votes!

My friends and I were on a beer run and noticed that the cases were discounted 10%. Since it was a big party, we bought 2 cases. The cashier multiplied 2 times 10% and gave us a 20% discount.

.. . . . He also votes!

I was hanging out with a friend when we saw a woman with a nose ring attached to an earring by a chain. My friend said, "Wouldn't the chain rip out every time she turned her head?" I explained that a person's nose and ear remain the same distance apart no matter which way the head is turned.

.. . . . . My friend also votes!

My girlfriend and I were picking up some sandwiches from the sub place last week and she asked the clerk which of two sandwiches was better. The clerk didn't have an opinion but did say that the first sandwich was more expensive. My girlfriend got a quizzical look on her face and asked, "If that's the case, why are they both listed with the same price on the menu?" To this, the clerk responded, "I don't think we add tax to the turkey."

.. . . . The clerk also votes!

I couldn't find my luggage at the airport baggage area. So I went to the lost luggage office and told the woman there that my bags never showed up. She smiled and told me not to worry because she was a trained professional and I was in good hands. "Now," she asked me, "has your plane arrived yet?"

.. . . . . . She also votes!

An anonymous contribution from the internet.

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FEBRUARY 2005

COUNTY BY COUNTY

This county-by-county map, from the National Rifle Association, shows the magnitude of the win for George W. Bush. 

Even in the "Blue" states, one notices, that for the most part, only small areas are blue.  The bluest area is the northeast, with the edge of the "left" coast close behind.

If you are seeing this in grey tones, the light areas are the "Red" counties, the black areas are the "Blue" counties, and the white areas have not been categorized.

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DECEMBER 2004

ELECTION NEWS
by Mary P. Smith

What wonderful election results in Oscoda Township! All five Republicans, who are dues-paying, participating members of the county Republican Party were elected. Not only that. Two of them, incumbent Supervisor Rob Huebel and Clerk-elect Al Strickland, won BIG in contentious races. That, hopefully, will put an end to the constant harangues against the township board and these individuals by their opposition candidates, Mike Falletich and Dave Yettaw, respectively. Elected with Rob Huebel and Al Strickland were Republican incumbent Treasurer Jaimie McGuire, unopposed; Rick Binkowski and Larry Zucal as trustees where there were six candidates. Two incumbent Democrats were re-elected to complete the board. The electorate spoke loudly. Congratulations to the Oscoda winners.

In all, countywide, Republicans won 35 of 59 township offices in the Nov. 2 election.

By township, other Republican winners were:

Alabaster - Stephanie Wentworth, supervisor; Jeanne Lutes, treasurer; Charles Collins and Leonard Sarki, trustees.

AuSable - Dan Hayes, supervisor; Ron Lamrock, clerk; Judith Reeder, treasurer; Kevin Beliveau, Matthew Gary and Michael Burt Poland, trustees.

Baldwin Township - Jim Svoboda, supervisor; Jean Davis, clerk; Andrea Schmidt, treasurer; Thomas Meyer and Craig Prescott, trustees.

Burleigh - Robert Rowe, supervisor; Kathy Gibson, clerk; Lynn Daniels, trustee.

Grant - Peggy Ponke, trustee.

Reno - Terry Bellville, supervisor; Cheryl Hottois, clerk; Eilert Barnes, treasurer; Carol Barkholz, trustee.

Sherman - Mildred Letienne, clerk.

Tawas - Paul Westcott, supervisor; Michelle Westcott, clerk; Ervin Biggs and Daniel Warner, trustees.

Wilber - Howard Alverson, supervisor; Sally Krueger, trustee.

Congratulations to these winning Republicans! We invite them to join the county Republican Party. Only Stephanie Wentworth, Jim Svoboda, Terry Bellville and Jean Davis are dues paying members of the Party.

While Republicans did not win certain offices, we thank those candidates who put themselves in the race. It took a huge personal commitment for those individuals to vie for political office. We especially commend and thank Don Hooper, Bruce Rendon, and Craig Herriman.

Our Pre-election Party and Election Night Victory Party were successful, fun events. Thanks go to the members of Sunrise Side Republican Women’s Club for monetary donations which provided food for both parties and especially to Billie Wright for preparing many of the dishes and setting up for the Pre-election Party. Special thanks go to Mary Reilly for the wonderful job she did hosting the victory party at the Sears Store. She prepared several dishes and desserts in addition to decorating and setting up for the party. We also thank her husband, Bill, and her staff for helping with the set up and clean up. Thanks also go to everyone who brought dishes and participated in the party.

Winners of our Shoreline Players ticket raffle were Don Cowsert of Lincoln, Mary Lou Kersh of Oscoda, two tickets each to The King and I; Joyce Bellville of Reno Township, Bill Reilly of Tawas City, two tickets each to Proof: Ahren Speagle of Oscoda, Bill Reilly, two tickets each to Seven Nights to Baldpate. The drawing was held at the Victory Party. Congratulations to the winners and thanks to everyone who participated.

MORE ELECTION NEWS AND THANKS
by Mary P. Smith

Iosco County Republicans celebrate the victory of President George W. Bush. Even though Michigan, as a whole, did not swing to President Bush, Iosco County delivered. We are proud of the hard work done by our local volunteers on behalf of the Bush/Cheney campaign. That hard work reaped success in our county. President Bush garnered 52.11% of the local vote compared to 46.83 % for Sen. John Kerry.

Local volunteers participated in campaign phone banks for seven weeks leading up to the election. We recognize and thank these volunteers for their time and efforts. Those who participated in one or more phone banks or made calls on their own are Debbie Adams, Mary Boldt, Louise Ross, Linda Engelmann, Marv Engelmann, Billie Wright, Al Alexander, Dorothy Alexander, Rae McCready, Laura Merwin, Bonita Coyle, Jim Abney, Rick Hayman, Joan Glass, Audrey Cowsert, Pat Ellsworth, Connie Dombro, Chris Brennan, Delphine Weisl, Marge Geeraert, Tom Seigo, Carol Copland, Pat Copland, Linda Fonger, Florence Heine, Jack Pethoud, Tristum Coffin and Zack Foust.

Republicans retained several county offices with Clerk Michael Welsch winning by more than 2,200 votes over his Democratic opponent; Commissioner Jeff Matthews (District 2) defeating his Democratic opponent in a close race; and Commissioner John Moehring (District 4) winning by more than 1,000 votes over his Democratic rival. Unopposed for re-election were Prosecutor Gary Rapp, Register of Deeds Bonita Coyle, Drain Commissioner Gary Adams and Commissioner Clyde Soucie (District 1). Congratulations and thank you to these individuals on their re-election.

Your local Republican Party offered assistance to all member candidates with distribution of campaign information through the monthly newsletter, two campaign headquarters and a literature drop. Volunteers manned campaign headquarters in Tawas City and Oscoda on a regular basis. We thank those volunteers for the hours that gave and those who provided refreshments: Donna Roddy, Clyde Soucie, Sand Hollabaugh, Dorothy Alexander and Al Alexander, Mary Lou Kersh, Carol Miller, Doreen Engle, Delphine Weisl, Debbie Forbush, Billie Wright, Marv Engelmann, Mary Beth Fauchs, Jack Pethoud, Carol Copland, Pat Copland, Marge Geeraert, Kay Gordon, Louise Ross, Dick Raesly, Jessie Gordie, Laura Merwin, Audrey Cowsert, Rob Huebel, Jerry Allore, Jane Ruster, Rae McCready, Janet Keinath, Bonita Coyle, Janet Ernst, Loraine Ferguson, Linda Spell, Joan Voelker, Crystal Nelsey, Betsy Wetter and Eugenia Ulrich. Special thanks, too, go John Moehring and Jerry Allore for delivering nearly 600 bags of campaign literature to residents in Tawas and Oscoda areas. We thank Dave Wright for chairing the Sportsmen for Bush committee.

We also thank Dean & Debbie Wiltse of Wiltse’s Brew Pub, Mary Reilly of the Sears Store, John LeClair and Ron Kucineski for making their premises available to us for our campaign activities. We thank John and Tim O'Connor of O'Connor's for the use of their popcorn machine in the Tawas headquarters.  Please thank these businesses and people with your patronage.

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DECEMBER 2002

ELECTION RESULTS

While we are all disappointed in Dick Posthumus' narrow loss for Governor, the rest of the results state-wide were great.  We won the Secretary of State spot with Terri Lynn Land, the Attorney General's office for the first time in 50 years with Mike Cox, have increased our lead in the State House to 68 Republicans compared to 37 Democrats.  We also maintained Senate control, 22 to 16.  In addition, the two conservative Justices of the Michigan Supreme Court, Elizabeth Weaver and Robert Young were re-elected.  Bill Schuette won the open seat on the 4th District Court of Appeals.  In other words, we took all of the other marbles.

We had some good candidates who were unsuccessful this time around, but there is always another election.

Thanks to all of the candidates who ran, whether or not successful.  It is an extremely difficult job to do so, hard on you, hard on your families and hard on your pocketbooks.  Without people willing to take on the challenge, we would cede the field.

Thanks to Connie Barber who rented us the Oscoda headquarters and to John LeClair who rented us the Tawas headquarters.  They made it possible for us to help serve voters.

Thanks also to the many people who manned the headquarters, stuffed bags for the literature distribution, put up signs, took down signs, went door to door, volunteered their time and efforts to help our candidates.  Thanks also to those who came to the post-election party.  Many of the results came in very late, even the next day, but it was clearly a Republican victory around the country.  President Bush will now have a chance to pursue his agenda through the Congress.  With results like these, all the work we put in was worthwhile.

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AUGUST 2001

NEW DISTRICTS, FEDERAL AND STATE

The new districts have been adopted and signed into law.  These partial maps show the districts Iosco County will be in.  While the Democrats have filed suit, for now these are law.  You can see all of the maps for the entire state by accessing http://www.senate.state.mi.us/gop/Redistricting/index.html.

For the US House of Representatives, Iosco County will belong to the new 1st District, which encompasses all of the Upper Peninsula, the top of the Lower Peninsula and northeast Michigan down to the northern half of Bay County.  At present, Bart Stupak, Democrat is the only representative who lives in this district.  Jim Barcia, who now represents Iosco, lives in the southern part of Bay County, which will be in the 5th District.  Dale  Kildee, Democrat, is also a resident of that new District.

Iosco County will be part of the new 36th State Senate District, which will include, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Crawford, Oscoda, Alcona, Ogemaw, Iosco, Gladwin and Midland counties.

The new 103rd State House District will be composed of Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw and Iosco counties.   At present, Missaukee and Roscommon counties are represented by Rick Johnson of Osceola County, who is the present Speaker of the House.  Dale Sheltrown, who now represents Iosco County will be in the new 103rd as he is a resident of West Branch in Ogemaw county.  Both  will be term limited in 2004.

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MARCH 2001

THE NEW LOOK OF MICHIGAN?

Michigan Information & Research Service, Inc., 318 W. Ottawa Street, P.O. Box 19303, Lansing, Michigan 48901-9303, Ph: 517-482-2125, Fx: 517-374-0949, www.mirsnews.com, has come out with proposed new districting maps for Michigan which reflect the loss of one Congressional seat.

The maps, which show the details of the various districts on a county-by-county basis are expected to be very close to the final results.

David Bonior's district has been split so that, if he does not move, it will be very difficult for him to win.  The 5th district would be redrawn so that the northern portion of Macomb county would be combined with St. Clair, Tuscola, Lapeer, Huron and Sanilac counties which makes the district far more Republican.

The new 12th district (which was Bonior's) would include Sander Levin's base.

The 1st district would include the entire Upper Peninsula and the northeast portion of lower Michigan down to Bay City and would include Arenac, Iosco, Alcona and Oscoda counties.  This would leave Democrat Jim Barcia running against Democrat Bart Stupak, unless one of them moves.

Democrats John Dingell and Lynn Rivers would also be in the same district.

There would be one new district created in which no present incumbent resides.  It includes part of Troy, all of Royal Oak, Warren, Shelby Township, Utica, Clawson, Centerline and the ex-Bonior areas of St. Clair Shores, Frasier, Eastpointe and Roseville.  If one of the paired Democrats moves, the Democrats could win the seat since the new district would lean Democrat.

None of the Republicans is paired against another.  Republicans would hold an 8-7 advantage and could conceivably win 9-6.

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DECEMBER 2000

A WORD ABOUT THE ELECTIONS

While we are sadly disappointed that Michigan did not go to George W. Bush in the Presidential election, which would have helped avoid the Florida debacle, we did have good news.  

The Michigan House of Representatives remained in Republican hands, guaranteeing that we will have a chance to redistrict the State of Michigan to allow Republicans to get elected.  We have been at a large disadvantage over the last 40 years because of the Democrat control of the redistricting process.  With the House, Senate and State Supreme Court, we finally have a real chance.

We can be greatly pleased by the retention of Justices Clifford Taylor, Stephen Markman and Robert Young, Jr.  Iosco County gave 6,345 votes to George W. Bush, 5,559 to Taylor, 5,397 to Markman, and 5,117 to Young.  In contrast, the Democrats gave 6,505 votes to Gore, 3,277 to Marietta Robinson, 3,451 to Edward Thomas and 3,571 to Thomas Fitzgerald.  We really got our vote out on the non-partisan ballot.  In Iosco, Probate Judge John D. Hamilton received 8,491 of the 13,529 votes cast.

If you want to see the difference between "activist" judges and those who follow strict construction rules (as our Supreme Court Justices do) take a look at the Florida Supreme Court.  In making its ruling on the issue of certifying the vote in Florida, it not only ignored the statute which was in effect, wrote a new one, and then directed the Florida Secretary of State to follow its new creation, thereby taking over the legislative and executive branches in one fell swoop.

We had some disappointing losses locally, but do control the County Commission which will redistrict the County.  We thank all of the candidates for running, win or lose.  Without those people who are willing to go out there and make the effort, we have no chance to maintain the Republic.  And to all of those wonderful people who worked in our headquarters in both Oscoda and Tawas and contributed their time and munchies, we could not get by without you.  For a look at the headquarters, go to our Campaign Activities webpage.

If you haven't seen this map, you need to.  This is a breakdown, county by county of the Presidential race.  Bush is gray, Gore is in black.  This is why Rep. Patrick Kennedy stated that Democrats had written off the rural areas.  They can't win there.

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OCTOBER 2000

GEORGE BUSH'S TAX CUTS

To see the effect of George Bush's proposed tax cuts on your family's tax burden, find your income on the bottom of the chart.  Draw a vertical line through your income.  Where the line crosses the graph, you will see the percentage by which your taxes will be cut.

While the cuts benefit all income categories, the largest cuts go to the lowest income earners.

As a result, 6 million filers will no longer pay income taxes.

For more information, go to www.bush2000.com and click on "Tax." You can calculate the tax difference on line at www.georgebush.com/TaxCalculator.asp. 

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DECEMBER 1999

BLUEGRASS HISTORY

In August, 1999, Republicans took control of the Kentucky Senate for the first time in state history, thanks to two party switchers, the Associated Press reported on August 23.  The recent defections took Republicans to a 20-18 majority.  As recently as 9 years ago, the Democrats held 30 of the 38 seats.  The Democrats still hold the House with 65 out of 100 seats.  The two senators, Don Leeper and Dan Seum (who switched in July) both said they felt more comfortable with GOP philosophy and politics.  As of the time of the switch, the GOP had not made any decision on the ouster of the Senate President who has been working well with the Republicans.

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MARCH 1999

THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING

The Republicans' favorite candidate, Geoffrey Fieger, has announced that he will challenge Sen. Spencer Abraham for his U.S. Senate seat in 2000. According to the Bay City Times, Fieger claims:

"I'm going to win the primary because there is a new Democratic constituency out there and I am not going to let (the party leaders) do to me again what they did in the gubernatorial election."

Fieger is apparently considering running as a Democrat first and then as an independent if he fails to get the Democratic nomination in the primary.

There is also discussion about former Gov. James Blanchard mounting a challenge to Sen. Abraham.

According to the Detroit Free Press, Sen. Carl Levin thinks Fieger started out on the wrong foot by saying he would run as an independent if Democratic Party bosses snub him, as they did when he ran for governor last fall.

Fieger told the Free Press that he can't take any steps to formalize his candidacy until next year because he is negotiating to syndicate his radio show and is negotiating for a TV show.

Bill Ballenger, editor of Inside Politics, questions whether Fieger is serious. "With this guy, I tend to think he's maneuvering," he said. He may simply be testing the waters, Ballenger said. "He drops a bombshell and then waits to see what people will say."

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DECEMBER 1998

ELECTION RESULTS

As we all know, the Republicans had fantastic election results statewide. We recaptured the house, 58-52, added to our senate numbers, and took control of the Supreme Court.

Thanks to all of our candidates who ran whether successful or not for conducting good races and doing the hard work its takes to put yourself up for election. Thanks, also, to all of those who helped staff the headquarters, baked cookies, provided other refreshments and showed up for the election night party.

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OCTOBER 1998

THE FIEGER FACTOR

Roll Call Magazine reported that Mr. Fieger has a very unfavorable response even among Democrats. For reasons known only to themselves, many Democrats refuse to state whether or not they endorse Mr. Fieger.

The Augusta Chronicle after noting some of Mr. Fieger's most outrageous statements said:

If a Republican made abusive comments like these, there'd be no end to national outrage from Democrats, Big Media pundits -- even other Republicans. But when a Democrat venomously insults the religious population, the silence is deafening.

Is Fieger their idea of a "family values" candidate?

According to the Chronicle, noting that U.S. Sen Carl Levin, U.S. Reps. John Dingell, John Conyers, Debbie Stabenow and David Bonier all threw their backing to the "nasty-mouthed candidate" bragging "the ticket is united from top to bottom."

John Ellis, writing in the Boston Globe, said that the worst is yet to come for Clinton and the Democrats, noting the Democrats welcomed him into their midst at a Caucus meeting just before the Congress recessed in August. He said: "The lawmakers would have been better advised to throw him out of the room and demand his resignation. Clinton is to the Democratic Party what the Titanic was to its passengers. He's taking everybody down with him."

With reference to the problems caused by Clinton's relationship with "that woman" and the problems caused by lying about it, Ellis stated: "Any Democratic congressman who thinks he or she can go before his or her constituents in the fall with arguments this lame is delusional" -- he was referring to the arguments Clinton apologists use to dismiss the seriousness of lying under oath.

Observing that the real threat to the Democratic Party is at the state level, that after the 1998 elections Republicans will likely control every single state that matters in national politics and will oversee the state governance of more than 83% of the nation's population.

The Sacramento Bee reported that the Clinton scandals could well affect both the governor's and senate races this year. Sen. Barbara Boxer has been one of Clinton's staunchest supporters throughout the months of stonewalling. This may have something to do with the fact her daughter is married to Hillary Clinton's brother. Boxer has made ferreting out improper sexual conduct a cause and loudly protested the cases of Clarence Thomas and former Sen. Bob Packwood. She finally, and hypocritcally, criticized Clinton's behavior -- an indication that Democrats are very afraid that the president's escapades could be their political undoing.

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SEPTEMBER 1998

AUGUST PRIMARY RESULTS

In the August 4th primary, Governor Engler was renominated for his third term over Dr. Gary Artenian. The unofficial results showed 478,401 votes for Engler to 56,471 for Artenian. Congratulations to both gentlemen for a fine race. Governor Engler will be challenged by Goeffrey Fieger who won the Democrat primary. He was approximately 5,000 votes down without the Wayne County results, but when they were reported, he beat Larry Owen and Doug Ross with unofficial totals of 286,606 (Feiger), 262,617 (Owen), and 149,335 (Ross).

In the race to fill the State House seat for the 103rd District of Michigan, Don Birgel received 2,531 votes to Mike Kennedy's 1,266, and Steve Steinhauser's 1018. All of the gentlemen attended a unity party the night of August 4th. We congratulate them all on a race well run. Birgel will be challenged by Dale Sheltrown who beat his primary opponent, James Balten, Jr. 4,009 to 1,874.

In other local races, Nancy Neal and Jean Davidson tied for Baldwin Township Clerk at 129. If a recount is requested and the count remains the same, the candidate will be chosen by a flip of a coin, draw of straws or cut of the cards. Thomas Meyer edged out Walter Garlacz 144 to 121.

In the primary contest between Larry Erickson, Jr. and Art Gainer for County Commissioner, Erickson edged out Gainer 261 to 201.

Iosco County had 6 proposals on the ballot. Proposal A for a Pegged Operating Millage was defeated, Proposal B for Senior Citizen's programs was adopted, Proposal C for EMS Upgrade was adopted, Proposal D for EMS Operating Millage was defeated, Proposal E for the Medical Care Facility was adopted and Proposal G for the District Library was defeated.

The Grant Township road millage increase was defeated.

The Plainfield Township fire department levy was defeated.

Alabaster's Proposal A for curbside composting lost and Proposal B for road improvements was adopted.

ELECTION POSTSCRIPTS

Mr. Fieger is apparently considered quite quotable. . .

From the Bay City Times, August 7, 1998:

After having been exposed for having voted in the wrong precinct, Fieger stated "If anyone wants to claim I voted in the wrong place, they can go to hell,. . . What difference does it make? I suppose you should not tear off the tags on pillows and mattresses, too."

According to state elections director, Chris Thomas, it does make a difference. People who vote where they no longer live could be charged with a felony punishable by up to five years in jail and $1,000 in fines.

From the New York Times, August 8, 1998:

Fieger on religion -- "Mr. Fieger has called Adam Cardinal Maida, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Detroit, a 'nut,' compared the Council of Orthodox Rabbis of Greater Detroit to Nazis, described the Pope with mocking vulgarities and said he would rather take advice from 'Joe the wino,' and regarded Jesus as 'just some goofball that got nailed to the cross.' "

Fieger on Governor Engler -- "He has repeatedly described Gov. John Engler, a Republican , as 'the product of miscegenation between barnyard aninals and human beings, ' and said of the Governor's children that 'unless they have corkscrew tails, those kids are not his.' "

From the Detroit News, August 8, 1998:

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Asked after Tuesday's election how he felt about running against someone with Geoffrey Fieger's record, Gov. John Engler said, "I wouldn't even call that a record. I might just call it a pattern of behavior."

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SEPTEMBER 1998

GOP IS THE PARTY OF WOMEN
AND OTHER INTERESTING NEWS

According to the Washington Times (July 30, 1998), New York Republicans claim that they are the party of women and have the numbers to prove it. Dems say it can't be true. A survey by the state GOP claimed an "astounding" 2,345 female Republicans to a mere 1,113 female Dems holding office in the state. The Dems (who are never very good with numbers) are going to do their own count.

According to the Conservative News Service, New York State GOP Chair says Geraldine Ferraro is now on a "slippery slope towards political oblivian" since her campaign manager left in early July saying: "It would be best if I move on and left the Ferraro campaign." In recent weeks Ferraro called her Democrat rivals, Rep. Charles Schumer and Mark Green, "liars" and criticized Sen. Al D'Amato's breast cancer legislation, putting herself at odds with women's groups. Recent polls show D'Amato leading all three challengers.

The San Antonio Express-News reports that at the Texas State Democrat Convention held the weekend of July 25th, attorney general candidate Jim Mattox said if Democrats lose all major statewide races in November, the party could become "irrelevant for the next 20 years".

The Democrat leader of the Florida House of Representatives intends to leave office seven months after she succeeded a black lawmaker in a move which racially divided the state party. While Rep. Anne Mackenzie state she has decided to devote more time to her family and other parts of her life, Republicans see her announcement as a sign of continuing disarray among the Dems.

The Green parties are growing and influencing more and more elections. After having been significant factors in three major races in New Mexico since 1994, resulting in the election of three Republicans, they may prove to be a factor in other states as well. The Greens who ran in the special elections in New Mexico previously are expected to run again in November and pull double digit support.

The New York Times reports that the Greens, who typically draw from Democrats, may be a factor in the California Governor's race and that New York will field two competing Green parties. Greens are strongest and pull the most support among college-aged voters.

Green candidates have earned automatic ballot access in 9 states: Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont and Wisconsin -- which means they do not have to petition to get candidates on the ballot.

While Democrats anguish over the Greens strong showing, the alternative press in New Mexico increasingly endorse Greens. A recent editorial in the Santa Fe Reporter, a free newspaper with a strong readership among the young, said: "Perhaps it is time for the Democrats to consider the idea that the Greens are not siphoning votes away, they are winning votes away."

The Democrats are gaining on their huge debt after raising more than $24 million in the first half of 1998, but the GOP raised over $32 million in the same time frame.

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AUGUST 1998

NEW MEXICO WIN FOR GOP --
THERE AND ELSEWHERE
DEMS PROBLEMS GROW

On June 23, the voters of New Mexico's 1st District elected Heather Wilson to replace Steve Schiff (who died in office) by a 45% to 39% margin over Phil Maloof, a wealthy Democrat and state Senator. The Green Party candidate, Bob Anderson took 16%. Democrats had depicted the race as a leading indicator of voter sentiment nationwide before the election. While Dems say they will rebound in November when the same three candidates square off again, others question that statement. While Maloof spent $1.5 million (which he lent his campaign) for the primary and says he will spend as much as it takes to win in November, the Democrat state Party chair said that about half of Anderson's support came from Democrats who were disenchanted by the Democrats' message, or lack thereof.

Meanwhile, the Green Party candidate, Anderson has called on Maloof to drop out of the running in November and unite behind Anderson. Democrats said Maloof has no plans to quit the race. Democrats in New Mexico have now blamed the Green Party for their losses in three races, two congressional special elections and the gubernatorial election in 1994.

In Florida, the problems get worse. The racial rift between white and black Democrats has become so bad that Sen. Bob Graham and Rep. Alcee Hastings have asked President Clinton and/or Al Gore to mediate the differences. This problem all stems from an incident in the state House of Representatives in which the white Democrats removed a black from a top leadership post, asserting that he was ineffective.

In Texas, Dems are concerned they may lose all state offices this year. George W. Bush has such a commanding lead in the polls that with any coattails he could bring all state offices and both houses of the legislature into the GOP camp. The retiring Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock and more than 100 other elected Democrat officials have endorsed Bush over his opponent Garry Mauro. According to the Washington Post, veteran liberal Democrat Jim Mattox, who is running for state atttorney general, called on Democrats to put aside their differences this fall or face a bleak future. If the party is not united during the next four months, he said, "We will lose these statewide elections andwe will be irrelevant for the next 20 years."

More Democrats would rather switch than fight.

In North Carolina, GOP Chairman, Jim Nicholson, welcomed Pitt County Sheriff Billy Vandiford of North Carolina as the 7th high ranking Democrat from that state to switch. He declared that the Democrat Party is "falling apart."

The very next day, June 25th, Nicholson welcomed America's first Puerto Rican Congressman, former U.S. Rep. and Deputy New York City Mayor, Herman Badillo, into the Republican Party. On switching he said that "for some time now, I have seen a lack of leadership, and an adherence to failing status quo policies in the Democratic Party. . . . The Republican Party in New York has become an instrument of progress and change."

The count is 370 and growing.

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JULY 1998

FLORIDA SWITCHERS STILL HAPPY
BUT DEMS PROBLEMS GROW

Of the more than 35 Florida Democrats who switched from the Democrat to the Republican party, none have regrets. While 6 have retired from office, none have been defeated at the polls. Most were conservative Democrats who found that there was no room for them in the Democrat party.

Typical is State Sen. W. D. Childers who switched in 1995 after having served 24 years in the Florida Senate as a Democrat. The dean of the Senate stated: "I recommend it for everyone. It purges the conscience. It's good for the soul."

Meanwhile, the remaining Democrats are in a funk over the upcoming gubernatorial race in which Jeb Bush leads the lieutenant governor, Buddy MacKay, by 15% in early polls. His weak showing has brought in 2 challengers for the primary, both of whom show within the 5% margin of error in the polls.

At the annual Democrat Party banquet, one of the challengers, Rick Dantzler stated: "We're like passengers on the Titanic after we've hit the iceberg. Everybody is drinking up; the band is playing. And we're sinking."

In New Hampshire, the Dems searched for weeks to find a candidate who would take on Rep. John E. Sununu in his bid for re-election. As Sununu filed his re-election papers in a state office, Wayne Burton sent a fax announcing his withdrawal from the race. He said, "I thought I had a decent grasp on the time requirements the campaign would place on me. Especially in the area of fund raising, I vastly underestimated how much of an effort the campaign would be."

In Maine, the Dems are worried that they will fare so poorly in Novermber's elections that their candidate for governor will fail to attract even 5 percent of the vote which means losing their status as a "qualified party" and the right to hold a primary. The main reason is that Gov. Angus S. King, Jr. (a former Democrat and now independent) is so well regarded that he routinely chalks up favorability ratings of more than 80%. The state Democrat party convention drew a crowd of less than 500 people to hear Dick Gephardt speak. The son of the last independent governor, Jim Longly, a Republican of the same name and former Congressman is considered to have the best chance to challenge King this year.

The Federal Election Commission reported that the Republicans collected nearly $64 million more that the Democrats in the first 15 months of the 1997-98 election cycle. Republicans reported cash on hand of $14.8 million and debts of $8 million, while the Dems reported cash on hand of $6.7 million and debts of $11.7 million. 92% of Republican contributions came from individuals compared to 76% for Dems.

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JUNE 1998

DEMS GET CAUGHT

In 1995 the Michigan GOP filed a complaint alleging the illegal use of campaign funds by the Michigan Democratic State Central Committee. The Federal Election Commission found that the Dems illegally paid a campaign vendor and then manipulated their public reports to conceal their offense and fined them $35,000 for violation of election laws.

"While Mark Brewer may be the most litigious person in politics today, he certainly is not the most lawful," said Michigan GOP Chairman Betsy DeVos. "This finally proves what we have known all along: Michigan Democrats, like their national counterparts, spend a lot of time pointing fingers and hurling baseless accusations simply to deflect attention from their illegal activities. . . . Mark Brewer and the Michigan Democrats have taken a page out of the accounting manual of Dan Rostenkowski. As with Dan Rostenkowski, it is unlikely that there is just a little shoddy book-keeping going on at Democrat headquarters. By engaging in this type of activity, Michigan Democrats are sure to lose a substantial measure of credibility among the voting public."

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MAY 1998

APRIL ELECTIONS

On April 7, the GOP elected its own widow, Mary Bono, to replace her deceased husband, Sonny. Unlike the Capps case, Mary Bono did not have to undergo another election because she won with 64% of the vote in a six-way contest. Her nearest rival, Democrat Ralph Waite ("Pa" of the Waltons TV show) took only 28.7%.

In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, state Rep. Mary Lazich was elected to fill a vacant senate seat giving the party control of the state legislature for the first time since 1993.

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APRIL 1998

MARCH ELECTIONS

While the media made much of the election of Lois Capps (widow of Walter Capps, D-CA) to fill her husband's seat, virtually nothing was said about other special elections around the country which are also of interest.

In Florida, Republicans increased our majority in the state senate to 24 to 16 when State Rep. John Laurent was elected to a previous democratic seat by a 53% to 37% margin. This result dims the Dems hopes of recapturing the Florida Senate.

Republican J. D. Alexander was elected to fill the seat vacated by Laurent by a 63% to 38% landslide.

In New Hampshire, Republicans swept two special elections for the state House of Representatives with Joan Tate winning 81% to 19% and Frank Davis winning by 65% to 35%.

In Alabama, while RNC Chairman, Jim Nicholson, was recently attending a two day prayer and reconciliation commemorating the 33rd anniversary of "Bloody Sunday" -- the civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery -- state Rep. Tim Parker, a two-term Democrat quit his party, calling it "ineffective", The Washington Times reported.

Last month veteran Alabama state Rep. Ron Johnson also signed up with the GOP after 20 years as a Dem.

Since Clinton-Gore were elected 363 elected Democrats have joined the GOP. According to RNC spokesman, Tim Fitzpatrick, "It's a historical trend, the likes of which we have not seen in decades.

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FEBRUARY 1998

SPECIAL ELECTION RESULTS

On January 13, 1998 a special election was held to fill vacancies in the Virginia House of Delegates created by the November election results. While the Senate went into Republican hands in November, the House of Delegates had been in Democratic control for over 100 year. In the election, the Republicans retained two of the three seats which were up and captured the last seat. The 100 member house now has 50 Democrats, 49 Republicans and 1 independent (who usually votes with the Republicans).

The Speaker's position was to be filled on the 15th which was the day before the election results were certified. At first, the Democrats voted to ignore the results of the election and take advantage of their majority which would last for one more day. Later in the evening, however, they thought better of this tactic and voted to share leadership with the Republicans.

This was another historic election result which was ignored by the main-stream media.

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DECEMBER 1997

RECENT ELECTION RESULTS

Not only did Republicans sweep the November elections in Virginia (governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general for the first time in history), re-elect Governor Christy Todd Whitman in New Jersey, re-elect a Republican Mayor in New York City for the first time since Fiorello La Guardia, win two special elections for open congressional seats, but in December they made election history in Washington, DC. For the very first time in history a Republican was elected to the City Council in a special election to fill an at-large seat. When a Republican is elected in Washington, DC in a city-wide election, a sea change has taken place!

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