First District News-Four County Reagan Day Dinner

Antrim, Emmet, Charlevoix and Otsego Counties are hosting a Four County Reagan Day Dinner. There is a great line up of speakers. Here is the info.

January 12, 2008		2008 Four County Reagan Day Dinner Fund Raiser
Hosted By: Antrim Charlevoix Emmet and Otsego Counties Held at: Castle Farms On the evening of: Saturday January 12th 6:00pm Dinner at 7:00 pm Questions or Comments Wes Dilwoth (231) 582-6886 boats@yachtpros.com Cost is $80 per person, personal checks only, tickets will not be sold at door. Reserve by Wednesday, January 9th Checks are payable to: Charlevoix County Republicans Victory Account (CCRVA) 1233 Meaderline Rd. Charlervoix, MI 49720		Speakers to Include: U.S. Senator Sam Browback Kansas Senator Jason Allen 37th District Representative Kevin Elsenheimer 105th District Representative Tom Casperson Running for U.S. Congress to replace Bart Stupak Representative Jack Hoogendyke Running for U.S. Senate to replace Karl Levin Representative Andrew "Rocky" Raczkowski Runnning for U.S. Senate to replace Karl Levin Other national candidates have been invited

Sam Brownback to Drop Out?

Thank you to DR from Maritime Sentry for emailing this on to me.

• WASHINGTON --- Republican Sam Brownback will drop out of the 2008 presidential campaign on Friday, people close to the Kansas senator said Thursday.
  Brownback, a longshot conservative contender, had trouble raising money to compete in the race. He is expected announce his withdrawal in Topeka, Kan.
  He raised a little more than $800,000 in the third quarter of this year, his lowest quarterly amount since entering race. He has brought in more than $4 million overall and is eligible for $2 million in federal matching funds.

Mike Huckabee the Nomad

Since the upcoming debate will be taking place in Michigan, home of the automobile, I thought I would put together an automobile analogy about the candidates. First I shall start with Mike Huckabee.

Due to the fact that Mike Huckabee is pro-family and has a lot of good ideas to bring with him I believe he will enter the debate looking like a 1956 Chevy Nomad, the station wagon version of the Bel Air. The Nomad may not have been expensive or had lots of bells and whistles, nor was it sporty, but it was stable and reliable, just like Mike Huckabee.

I believe Mike Huckabee will come out of the debate looking like a 1956 Chevy Bel Air. As the old ads said, "The hot one's even hotter." Just like the 1955 Bel Air was hot, and the 1956 was hotter, Mike Huckabee has been getting hot lately with the media taking more notice of him. But he will be even hotter after the debate.

Now for Mitt Romney. Sure he has great looks and many in the media are hyping him like a Corvette. But is a Corvette really useful? Or is it just for show?
He will end up looking like an AMC Gremlin. People who think he is so great because of his money will see him for who he really is.

Fred Thompson is like an Edsel. He is overstated for all his bells and whistles. This is going to be his first debate. He has been hyped by media and many Republicans. But once the curtain comes up everyone will see that those bells and whistles are useless just as 1950's consumers did with the Edsel.

Rudy Giuliani may be citified, suave and cosmopolitan like a Lincoln Town Car, but he is too fancy to really understand the needs of the American people.

John McCain is like a Plymouth Horizon. Ya know how ya can be driving down the road and ya see one of those old Horizons and think to yourself, "There's still one of those left?". He is old and has nothing left to give, yet he is still around.

Sam Brownback is like the old FORD anagram, Found on Road Dead. He has crashed and burned. It is time for him to bow out gracefully.

Guys like Tom Tancredo and Duncan Hunter aren't too bad, I am sure they are nice guys, but they are like fuzzy dice without a car to put them in.

Oh you thought I forgot about Ron Paul? No I didn't. He is like some crazy Volkswagen that was painted by stoned hippies. Him and his crazy followers talk about sunshine, peace, love and tip-toeing through the daisies. And they are all colorful characters.

I invite all you gear heads and rockabilly cats and chicks to leave your own comment on car analogies. What cars do you compare what candidates with?

Mike Huckabee has coveted position at Mackinac Leadership Conference/Breakdown on Speaking Times

Originally posted 8/21/07 @ 8:48PM.

While the Mackinac Conference is still a month away, for Michiganders this is very exciting. The current schedule is not binding. I thought I would break it down, nonetheless. As you will see the "top tiers" are paired with "second tiers." I will try to take a neutral point of view on this. At this point I am glad Mike Huckabee is still being considered a "second tier." Don't get me wrong, I still want him to be considered "top tier. You will soon see why I think this is good.

FRIDAY
On Friday is 7:30pm-9:30pm Dinner Program with special guests Duncan Hunter and Rudy Giuliani

There will be quite a few people showing up for Rudy. With the exception of 9/11 his liberal views on gay marriage and abortion doesn't jive much with Michigan conservatives. I'm still not certain what Duncan's views are on anything. I don't think too many Michiganders do either.

Let's talk about timing. This dinner is on Friday. Not everyone in attendance shows up on Friday. Usually they wait until Saturday. Perhaps because of Rudy Giuliani being there, this may bring more people who would not show up on Friday.

SATURDAY

8:30am-10:00am Breakfast program with special guests Ron Paul and Sam Brownback

I have no other comment than, ROFLMAO! There is a lot of parties with free alcohol and drinking going on Friday night. I don't think a lot of these hung over people will be willing to wake up for these two.

10:10am-11:00am Morning Session with Newt Gingrich

This one will be good. Newt is awesome. No matter how hung over I am I will buy some Head-On and apply directly to my forehead, apply directly to my forehead, apply directly to my forehead... You get the point. This session will definitely have a good showing. The only problem I have is his affairs and multiple marriages. He does kinda have that Republican stereotype of high falutentness. But he is not pompous like Fred Thompson.

12:30pm-2:00pm Lunch program with special guests Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney

This is going to be the best one! Who is Mitt Romney to Michaiganders? He was born and raised in Michigan. His father was the governor of Michigan. My grandmother recalls him being a great governor. My mom has a fond memory of going to Lansing, Michigan's state capitol, as a Girl Scout. She met him and said he was a nice guy. Michiganders of a certain age will recall his governorship and there may be baby-boomers who remember him also.

Mitt Romney resonates with Michigan conservatives. The majority of Michigan conservatives are pro-life and pro-marriage. Mitt Romney has been married once. Michiganders like that.

IMHO, there will be a large attendance showing up for Mitt. They will leave liking Mike. Mike Huckabee is pro-life and pro-marriage. He believes the second amendment is more than just about hunting. It's about freedom and the right for good law abiding citizens to own guns. But the hunting aspect will resonate with Michigan voters. The Upper Peninsula has the best hunting in Michigan. *While most of the people who will be there are from the Lower Peninsula, many "trolls" come up to the UP for hunting.*

The timing is absolutely perfect. It is on Saturday. The day that everyone will be there. It's not too late, not too early. Plus the lunch programs are the cheapest. Everyone will be over their hangovers and will be able to listen to Mike's message with clarity.

7:00pm-9:00pm Dinner Program with special guests Fred Thompson and John McCain

These speakers could be considered Pompous and Clueless. Pompous, I mean Fred, would draw in quite a few people. I heard that in Michigan, the majority of Republicans are waiting for Fred to run. I don't think too many will show up for John.

This will be the last speaking event. People will be tired and want to go off on their own.

SUNDAY

9:30am-10:30am Non-Denominational Church Service

If only Mike Huckabee would be able to be the guest pastor everyone on that island would be supporting Mike.

*"troll" is the UP slang for people who live in the Lower Peninsula. They live below the bridge, thus they are trolls. It's all good and fun humor.

God Bless from the Upper Peninsula in Michigan!

Brownback Wants an Apology/Mike Huckabee's Statement on Campaign Supporters.

From the Houston Chronicle;

• Associated Press
  WASHINGTON — Republican presidential hopeful Sam Brownback said rival Mike Huckabee should apologize for a supporter's "prejudiced whisper campaign" against him for being Catholic.
  The supporter, a pastor in Windsor Heights, Iowa, sent an e-mail to Brownback supporters pointing out that Huckabee is an evangelical Protestant and Brownback is not. Huckabee, a former Arkansas governor, is an ordained Baptist minister.
  "I know Senator Brownback converted to Roman Catholicism in 2002," the Rev. Tim Rude, pastor of Walnut Creek Community Church, wrote in the e-mail. "Frankly, as a recovering Catholic myself, that is all I need to know about his discernment when compared to the governor's."
  In the e-mail, Rude calls Huckabee "one of us."
  Rude apologized Tuesday, saying he never meant to sound critical of Catholicism.
  Brownback, a Methodist until he converted, said through a spokesman that Huckabee should apologize.
  Huckabee spokesman Eric Woolson said Rude is not a campaign staffer and was expressing a personal opinion in what he believed was a private e-mail.
  

Mike Huckabee's Statement

• “While I’m deeply grateful that many people of faith support me because they know I represent views compatible with theirs, I know that there are many others who support me because of an effective record of achieving results. Either way, I’m grateful for the support. "
  
  “I consider Sam Brownback a Christian brother and know that he feels likewise toward me. Like Senator Brownback, several key members of my staff are Roman Catholic. As believers, we don’t have time to fight each other. We need to focus on having a servant’s spirit and bringing hope to those who have given up.”
  Read the full release here.

While Mike Huckabee, nor his staff, did any wrongdoing I think his statement was great and he handled the situation well. That is ridiculous of Brownback to expect an apology. Tim Rude was emailing on his own and had nothing to do with the Huckabee campaign. If anyone should give an apology it should be Rev. Rude.

Republican News from Michigan

I thought I would share a few things of interest regarding Republican activities in Michigan.

One is my District will be having a picnic and meeting in my town the same day as the Straw Poll. I am torn between if I want to volunteer at the Straw Poll or attend the picnic, where I can tell people about Mike Huckabee. I would be able to set up a table for Mike Huckabee and set out bumper stickers. If I can work it out just right, I would set up my display between the Romney and Brownback tables.
I have emailed a field director from the campaign to see if he could send me promotion tools. I haven't heard from him yet. I hope he's just really busy. If I do attend I can not show up empty handed. I have already talked to one of the organizers of the picnic and he knows I want to promote Mike there. He also told me there will be Ron Paul supporters there. I don't care if I look like a fool, but I do not want Mike or his campaign to look like a fool. I could just see it now, the Ron Paul guy shows up with all kindsa material and I am empty handed. Yes, there will be a Ron Paul guy there. So if I don't hear from the guy from the Huckabee campaign I may need help from my fellow bloggers. There will be about 50 people. So if just a few of you each donate a few bumper stickers me, those few added together can add up to 50. Also, I would like help writing up literature.
Hopefully, I will hear from him and not need your help. The way I see it, whether or not they are waiting on the outcome of the Straw Poll, there will be just be more people knowing about him when he does have a good outcome at the Straw Poll. These are people that I do not see very often, since the 1st District consists of the entire UP and northern Lower Peninsula. Despite what some people may say, The UP and "Up North" area is not full of hicks. Charlevois and Traverse City are included in the 1st District. And those are richy rich towns.
These are people that once they hear about what Mike Huckabee stands for giving $2,300 to them is like me buying a candy bar. Oh gosh, I hope no one from the 1st District is reading this. Why ignore them until the results from the Straw Poll are in?

I will take pics from the event and post here.

The next thing is, I get emails from Mitt Romneys Michigan HQ. I feel why take myself off the email list when I can find out what they are up to? I got one today about signing up volunteers in Michigan.

• Come join Congressmen Joe Knollenberg and Pete Hoekstra, along with Scott Romney and others for Sign Up Michigan!
  Sign Up Michigan! is a statewide effort in which Elected Officials, Grassroots Leaders and Volunteers, spend the day calling their friends, families, co-workers, and neighbors to recruit new members for Team Mitt, Governor Mitt Romney’s national grassroots team.
  Don’t miss this great opportunity to reach out to your community and help build the team! Join us Monday August 6th and bring a friend to get in on the excitement. Refreshments will be provided throughout the day.

No, I will not give the locations. There may be people reading this who is a Mitt supporter. Why Mitt Romney supporters would read my blog is beyond me. If you want to go holding Mike Huckabee banners I will give you the location in an email ;).
Here's my point. I would love it if the Huckabee campaign would do that here in Michigan. I would work for free. Whatever they wanted me to do, I would do it.

Now for the last part. I got an update about the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference. Sam Brownback and Duncan Hunter will be there, added to the original line up of Rudy McRomney.

Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference Updatehttp://www.mackinacconference.com/

RegistrationRegistration is now open for the 27th Biennial Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference. Make sure to sign up today and reserve your spot at this exciting event. You will not want to miss it!

Speakers, Please check our website for updates on our featured speakers. http://www.mackinacconference.com/

Meal TicketsBe sure to order your meal tickets and secure your seat in advance. Check out our website at http://click.emailgop.com/?ju=fe881d767761017e7c&ls=fe251679746c0174761170&m=fef8167770650c&l=fef91674776303&s=fe5e10727c6401757014&jb=ffcf14&t= to order yours today. Just a reminder for those staying at the Grand Hotel, your meal tickets are included in your hotel package.

Golf TournamentTee-times are still open for the 1st Biennial "Chairman's Cup" golf tournament. Sign up today at www.mackinacconference.com/golf.asp

Vendor TablesIf you are a vendor interested in participating in the conference please check our website for additional information on obtaining a table, www.mackinacconference.com/vendors.asp

Agenda(Please note that this agenda is tentative and subject to change)

Friday, September 21, 20073:00pm-9:00pm Conference Registration opens3:00pm-9:00pm Media Registration opens3:00pm-10:00pm Vendor Tables open3:30pm-5:30pm Welcome Reception on the Front Porch5:00pm-7:00pm Pundit's and Pollsters Panel7:30pm-9:30pm Dinner Program with Special Guest Mayor Rudy Giuliani

Saturday, September 22, 20077:00am-10:00pm Conference Registration opens7:00am-10:00pm Media Room opens7:00am-10:00pm Vendor Tables open7:30am-8:30am Congressional Q & A8:00am-12:00pm Chairman's Cup Golf Tournament8:30am-10:00am Breakfast program with Special Guest10:10am-11:00am Conference Panels11:10am-12:00pm Conference Panels12:30pm-2:00pm Lunch program with Special Guest Governor Mitt Romney12:00pm-2:00pm Chairman's Cup Golf Reception2:30pm-3:20pm Conference Panels3:30pm-4:20pm Conference Panels5:30pm-7:00pm Chairman's Reception7:00pm-9:00pm Dinner Program with Special Guest Senator John McCain

Sunday, September 23, 20079:30am-10:30am Non-Denominational Church Service

Watching the debate ADD style

I was sleeping during the debate and forgot to set my VCR. I am watching it on the Internet. Not too much excitement. The sound is horrible, so I can only pick up half of what is being said. It is hard for me to focus on anything Sam Brownback says, due to that chartreuse tie. What was he thinking? Mitt Romney reminded me of a manipulative woman, with his chin tucked towards his chest, sly smile and batting his eyelashes. I liked Tommy Thompson's intro, "I'm Thompson, Tommy, the candidate, not the actor." I like Mike's intro, "...I'm from Hope, you may have heard of it. All I can say is give us one more chance." Most of the candidates had the same answers about Iraq. Mike Huckabee seemed to make the most sense. He explained that we in the west don't understand how determined some groups in the middle east are. He said that, "It's not the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog." He says we need to realize the determination of the factions. I think that sums it up pretty well. That was from Part 1 of 4 parts CNN has on their website. I will be watching the other parts soon and blogging about them. I will write more about this soon.

God Bless from the Upper Peninsula in Michigan!