a:1:{s:15:"field_blog_body";a:1:{i:0;a:2:{s:5:"value";s:5827:"<span style="font-size: larger;">A recent mailing in Watertown and DeWitt Townships, and the city of DeWitt was seeking to get voters in certain precincts to cast their votes in the August 5 primary election for the &ldquo;True Conservatives&rdquo; that will be on the ballot to become precinct delegates.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: larger;">The mailing came from a group known as the &ldquo;Michigan Advocacy Trust&rdquo; and it lists the people who are the &ldquo;True Conservatives&rdquo;&nbsp; on the ballot people should be voting for.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: larger;">The group is listed as a &ldquo;527&rdquo; group and is defined as an &ldquo;administrative account of the 23rd Michigan State Senate Republican District Political Party Committee of Ingham County Michigan - It is a separate account maintained for paying administrative expenses of the sponsoring political party committee and other exempt functions permitted but not reportable under the Michigan Campaign Finance Act&rdquo;.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: larger;">It seems strange the &ldquo;Michigan Advocacy Trust&rdquo;&nbsp; has become involved in a local precinct delegate race in Watertown Township in Clinton County&nbsp; and that they have determined who the &ldquo;True Conservatives&rdquo; really are. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: larger;">How do they have this &ldquo;intimate knowledge&rdquo; on local potential precinct delegate candidates and have been able to &ldquo;proclaime&rdquo; these people to be the &ldquo;Anointed Ones&rdquo;. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: larger;">I also wonder where this group gets their funding to produce these printed pieces?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: larger;">As with all things political there is always an agenda and for those of you that don&rsquo;t know what it is, it all revolves around the upcoming state convention in Novi on August 23.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: larger;">At the state convention the convention delegates will select who will be running for various positions on the November general election ballot. Among those is Governor Snyder&rsquo;s running mate. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: larger;">According to Republican Party rules the convention delegates select the Governor&rsquo;s running mate on a ballot and it is just usually a rubber stamp of who the Governor has personally chosen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: larger;">However, this year a challenger has decided to run against current Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley at the convention. The rules allowed for this to happen but the State Party chose to change those rules to make it so that anyone choosing to run against Calley wouldn&rsquo;t be able meet the &ldquo;new conditions&rdquo;.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: larger;">As it turned out the challenger was able to meet these new requirements anyway.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: larger;">I believe in rules and consistency and that everything should be fair and above board. We don&rsquo;t have to all agree, but we should all demand that if you have rules you follow them.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: larger;">If the state party wants to remove the rule that the Governor&rsquo;s running mate must be his &ldquo;exclusive choice&rdquo; then change the rules for the next election cycle and not in mid-stream. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: larger;">We all know politics is a dirty business and power and control is the goal. You know the old saying, &ldquo;The ends justify the means&rdquo;.&nbsp; It&rsquo;s time for the leaders to be leaders not manipulators and schemers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: larger;">I am extremely disappointed in the antics party leaders, establishment republicans, and the deep pocket contributors have gone to and continue to go to, to maintain a stranglehold on the party.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: larger;">In the end we will all be the losers as we see our republic destroyed by individuals who may be well intentioned, but fail to see that their myopic agenda is driving the people away that they most need.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: larger;">It is imperative we all work together to make a difference and quit the targeting of people who do not hold your exact views.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: larger;">I just ask that for those of you who are proclaiming to be the &ldquo;Real Conservatives&rdquo; &ndash; look in the mirror and do some self-introspection as to what that really means and ask if you should vote for yourself?</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: larger;">Remember the famous words of Cicero:</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: larger;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><em><strong><span style="color: rgb(128, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size: larger;"> &ldquo;A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their arguments, he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to fear.&rdquo; </span><br />
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