Grassroots Momentum Building: George Endorses Bishop, Tea Party Leader Drops Support for Schuette
State Senator and Gubernatorial candidate Dr. Tom George endorsed Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop for Attorney General; Wild Bill Hollister, Co-Chairman of the Metro Detroit Freedom Coalition, drops support of Schuette and endorses Bishop.
10 REASONS TO SUPPORT MIKE BISHOP FOR MICHIGAN ATTORNEY GENERAL
Senator Mike Bishop has been a strong, conservative leader for Michigan, standing up (along with fellow Senate Republicans) to liberal, big government policies of Jennifer Granholm and the Democrat controlled Michigan House of Representatives. Mike has stood on principle, even against leaders in his own party, as a standard bearer for the ideals of limited, Constitutional government.
These are 10 reasons why Mike Bishop should be nominated as the Republican candidate for Attorney General (in no particular order)...
The Truth About The MBT
In recent days my inbox has been filled with questions regarding the Michigan Business Tax. It seems that this campaign has evolved into a debate about the origins of the tax and how the next Attorney General will fix it. To be clear, there isn't a single thing the Attorney General does about changing tax policy in this state. I've attached an organizational chart of the attorney General's office (http://www.michigan.gov/documents/AGorg01-11-05_117507_7.pdf) to clarify that point. I could go on for hours debating my opponent on tax policy, but that would only take time away from the real issues facing the next Attorney General.
The following letter is from Patrick L. Anderson, a delegate in the 8th District. Patrick was THE person who wrote the language to repeal the SBT and one of the most knowledgeable people in the state on the subject of state tax policy and the MBT. In short, he's able to separate fact from fiction. Please take a moment to read his thoughts on the MBT attacks.
Dear Mike,
It was nice talking with you today. As we discussed, I am not happy about the negative emails and letters that are bombarding our delegates right now. I was particularly displeased with the ones blaming you for the Michigan Business Tax.
This is a topic of particular interest to me. My friend Brooks Patterson and I first started talking about repealing the job-killing, unfair Single Business Tax in 2005. Governor Granholm had repeatedly blocked efforts to lower the SBT burdens on employers in the legislature. An initiated law was a way to let the people overrule the Governor, and Brooks was ready to lead the charge. He asked me to write an initiated law to repeal the tax, to be circulated by petitions in 2006. That petition (now Act 325 of 2006) was very clear...
Bouchard Endorses Bishop for Attorney General
Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard announced today his endorsement of Senate Majority Leader Mike Bishop for Attorney General. Michigan Republicans gather on August 28th to nominate candidates for statewide office.
"Mike Bishop is a strong, conservative leader who has been the voice for Michigan taxpayers in the legislature," Bouchard said. "Michigan needs Mike Bishop's leadership as Michigan's Attorney General."
Bouchard stated that Michigan would be much worse off if Senator Bishop hadn't been the firewall against tax increases and runaway government spending.
"Mike Bishop stood firm on his conservative principles and blocked literally billions of dollars in tax increases proposed by democratic leaders in Lansing. He was even outnumbered two to one in the process. He doesn't talk the talk, he walks the walk."
AND THE TRICKS BEGIN
Detroit News: Republican delegate nominees denied
Dozens of Oakland County Republican delegate nominations -- including the parents of attorney general candidate Mike Bishop -- were denied Thursday night a seat at the state convention.
Organizers said they'll try a second time next week to approve the nominees, many of whom were from Bishop's home town of Rochester, as well as others elected from Rochester Hills, Troy and Waterford Township.
Bishop, the outgoing Senate Majority Leader, suspects supporters of his opponent in the attorney general race -- former Appeals Court Judge Bill Schuette -- may be behind the dustup. Many of the discarded delegates would likely have voted to nominate Bishop at next weekend's state party convention.
Bishop says he's prepared to file an injunction if he suspects foul play to stop the party from ousting the delegates.
"If I believe there's a blatant effort to steal the election, I will be the first in line at the Oakland County Circuit Court," Bishop said Friday, adding he's waiting for paperwork from the state GOP regarding the committee's decision.
HOEKSTRA ENDORSES BISHOP FOR AG
“Mike is a man of integrity and has served this state well. He has consistently stood up for conservative principles and has been a strong leader in both the House and the Senate,” Hoekstra said. “He will be a great Attorney General.”
Hoekstra noted that often times, Bishop is the lone Republican standing up to Governor Granholm’s tax and spend schemes.
“Mike has stood firm against the out of control spending consistently proposed by the Governor and House Democrats. It’s not easy to be the lone voice stopping their assault on taxpayers, but Mike has shown strength and great leadership in defending Republican principles,” Hoekstra continued.
RIGHT TO LIFE, AND STANDING FOR YOUR VALUES
We all have personal values, but everyone is different when it comes to how and when we solidify our deepest held beliefs. We're also different when it comes to how we express our values and with whom we share our beliefs. For some, personal values are transactional and only used when confronted with a moral dilemma and to others, values are a part of every facet of everyday life.
One of the most profound values anyone can have is the respect and gratitude for God given life. Not just our own life, but the lives of our family and friends and the world around us. And for people like me, this is best illustrated by the most precious, yet most vulnerable among us, the unborn. Human life, at the point of creation, is a breathtaking miracle of God's grace and is deserving of our utmost care and protection.
But the value of life is not shared by all in the same way. To others, life does not begin until after birth, or upon the baby's first breath, or some other random threshold. Until such time, the very same people who claim to respect life, will choose to ignore a beating heart and the life of a defenseless child.
URGENT: BE A LEADER IN YOUR AREA FOR TEAM BISHOP
Dear Friend and Fellow Republican,
This is it. The Democrats have already endorsed their nominee for Attorney General and now we must determine which Republican best matches up against their candidate. We need to get this right to ensure we retain Republican control of the Attorney General’s office.
I have been campaigning for the Republican nomination for Attorney General for over a year and it has been amazing journey meeting with so many of my long time friends at local GOP events, Lincoln Day Dinners and other gatherings in all corners of Michigan. As I write you today, our campaign continues to grow and we are stronger and more energized than ever.
It's an exciting year to be a Michigan Republican!
What a great honor it has been to serve as Senate Majority Leader at this pivotal time in our state's history. I am proud to lead a caucus that continues to fight for conservative principles like limited government, personal responsibility and the rights and personal liberty as guaranteed by our Constitution. Our caucus is purpose driven and while we bring responsible solutions to the table every day, we also have a fundamental duty to stop the never ending liberal agenda put forth by the Governor and state House of Representatives.
Over the years, I've been privileged to get to know and personally work with many of the GOP grassroots activists. In fact, it was the grassroots that secured the Senate Republican majority just two and a half years ago. At the time, I was traveling across the state working side-by-side with my fellow Republicans, putting everything I had into the campaign to retain a Republican majority. In the end, all of us learned that every vote truly does count as we were able to retain the majority by less than 1300 votes statewide. One could only imagine what this state would look like today if we lost our last remaining republican stronghold. We dodged a bullet, but proved that hard work and dedication really pays off!
Hard work and dedication are essential to every job and any important cause. With our state and our country at a crossroads, now more than ever we have a responsibility to lead with conviction. I didn't run for public office to sit back and feather my nest for my next public office, I ran to make a difference. And that's exactly what I will continue to do.
So today, I write to ask for your support in my bid to become your next Attorney General!
A lot goes into the decision to run for any public office. In this case, I made my decision because I honestly believe I'm the best candidate for the job.
I am proud to bring a unique perspective to this campaign. I've spent more of my professional career in the private sector than as a public servant. I worked through law school and after graduation I opened my own law firm. Over the years, I've established myself as tough advocate and an ethical professional. My career has even taken me to the highest court in the land where I was sworn in by Chief Justice Rehnquist to practice before the United States Supreme Court.
In my private law practice, I fought for my clients in court to protect their businesses and to protect their families. When MDOT came in and tried to take land away from the citizens of Almont, I represented the people and stopped the taking; when one of my client's had their identity stolen and was without any hope in straightening out his life, I came in and fought to clear his name and cleanse his credit history; as a local prosecutor, when people violated the law, whether it was drunk driving or domestic abuse, I was there to prosecute them and ensure justice.
Since being elected to public office, my top priority continues to be the protection of the people and the pursuit of justice. Among other legislative work, I have authored legislation to empower families to protect themselves from predatory internet solicitations and one of the most devastating crimes in the digital age, identity theft.
Although I'm proud of my resume, you should also know that I have experience winning on the convention floor. You may have been there in 1996 when I was honored by our party with the Republican nomination for the University of Michigan Board of Regents. I fought hard for the nomination and those that were there will recall that I ultimately had to stand up to my own party to ensure we nominated a candidate with strong conservative principles. I won the nomination, but was told by the party bosses that I would never hold public office just because I stood up for what was right. To this day, I'm proud to have stood firm and insist that the party stay true to its core principles and I look forward to doing it again.
