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</span><span style="font-size: medium;">It&rsquo;s time to talk about the &ldquo;Elephant in the room&rdquo; -- so to speak!</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: medium;">Let&rsquo;s shed some light on what&rsquo;s going on behind the scenes to stack the state convention with Brian Calley delegates.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: medium;">For those of you who don&rsquo;t know me, my name is Steve Willis and I have been the current Chairman of the Clinton County Republican Party (CCRP) for the last 4 years, but active in the party for the last 6 years.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: medium;">Whenever I speak to individuals or groups I introduce myself as a &ldquo;Christian&rdquo; first, a &ldquo;Conservative&rdquo; second, and a &ldquo;Republican&rdquo; last -- because I have no other choice.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: medium;">I am a &ldquo;TRUE CONSERVATIVE&rdquo; in all ways.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: medium;">A pro-life, anti-abortion, traditional marriage, states rights, rule of law, constitutional conservative, pro gun, secure border conservative.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: medium;">Unlike many other previous county chairs I DID NOT, AND I DO NOT, hold any aspirations for higher office. The reason I spend 40 to 60 hours per week on CCRP business is strictly altruistic. I do not receive any payment for my time and efforts and actually have spent a significant amount of money on &ldquo;party business&rdquo; over the last 6 years.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: medium;">I am writing this because I am thoroughly disgusted with the actions of monied interests and special interest groups when it comes to the precinct delegate elections that will be taking place on August 5 around the state.&nbsp;</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: medium;">This week the Michigan Advocacy Trust sent another mailing out around the state to inform the voters as to who they should be voting for in the August 5 primary. In a previous mass mailing these people were defined as the &ldquo;TRUE CONSERVATIVES&rdquo; in their precincts. This latest mailing is just another confirmation that these are the chosen ones. They need to be elected to make Clinton County better, implying that the other people on the ballot with them are in some way inferior or deficient.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: medium;">As far as the names that appear on the ballot for Watertown Township that are the &ldquo;Chosen Ones&rdquo;, they are not and have not for the most part been active in the county party in recent years or ever.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: medium;">It seems ironic an Ingham County political action group would have intimate knowledge related to a Clinton County rural precinct to be able to make such assertions. &nbsp;Additionally why is the Michigan Advocacy Fund involved in contested precinct delegate races all over the state?</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: medium;">As I stated last week in my blog on the CCRP website, who are these people who have determined that these precinct delegate candidates are the ones who should be voted for on August 5?</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: medium;">From the mailer that was sent to me today, that has been arriving in mail boxes this week (this mailer can be seen at the top of the CCRP home page&rsquo;s website) I know three of the people who are listed as the &ldquo;Annointed candidates&rdquo; that they are asking the voters to vote for. I can&rsquo;t judge how conservative they are and I wonder how the Michigan Advocacy Trust can know that either.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: medium;">Well &ndash; truth be known &ndash; I think I do know.&nbsp;</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: medium;">For the last 6 months or more there has been a concerted effort on the part of the Michigan Freedom Fund (A Dick DeVos funded group), Lieutenant Governor Calley, the State Republican Party, the Michigan Advocacy Trust, Representative Tom Leonard and his wife Jenell (who works for Calley), and who knows who else, that have been capturing data on who they think will vote for Brian Calley at the state convention in August.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: medium;">All I know is that for this election cycle Clinton County has seen a significant increase in the number of precinct delegate candidates running. As a result in six of the county&rsquo;s 33 precincts the delegate seats are contested for the first time.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: medium;">It doesn&rsquo;t take a rocket scientist to figure out the AGENDA of these special interests.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: medium;">They will say the Governor should be able to pick his running mate.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: medium;">They will say if Calley doesn&rsquo;t win it will embarrass the Governor and the Republican Party.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: medium;">The truth is, the Republican Party should already be embarrassed by their underhanded tactics and actions.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: medium;">The bottom line is that Republican Party rules allow for someone else to run for the Lieutenant Governor&rsquo;s position at the convention even though the state party has tried to circumvent the process several times in the last year.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: medium;">If the state party makes a rule they should live by it! If they want to change the process for the next election cycle do it then -- not in mid stream.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: medium;">I ask, is Brian Calley&rsquo;s selection as the Governor&rsquo;s running mate all we have to worry about at this convention &nbsp;and as a party? &nbsp;Should this issue be consuming all of the time and resources it has by all of these groups and individuals? Wouldn&rsquo;t we be better served by letting the &ldquo;people speak&rdquo; at the convention without stacking the deck ahead of time?</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: medium;">It certainly seems like we have gone down a bad road where the &ldquo;ends justify the means&rdquo; &ndash; I thought we were the party of principals not to be lumped in with the democrats!</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: medium;">Shouldn&rsquo;t we be more concerned about the destruction of our country and electing responsible people to office in Lansing and Washington?</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: medium;">The state Republican Party wants to be inclusive and have a &ldquo;Big Tent&rdquo;! But that means they want the votes of the undesirables who don&rsquo;t agree with everything they do but no participation in the party structure or decision making process.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: medium;">As far as the Lieutenant Governor&rsquo;s selection is concerned the people who are working so hard to get Calley reelected need to let the process take its course without rigging the delegate elections from groups and interests external to the county.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: medium;">I have no dog in the fight. I believe in honesty and transparency -- of which I see neither!</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: medium;">You wonder why people get disgusted with the political process -- what&rsquo;s transpiring right now is the reason.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: medium;">All I know is I can go to be bed at night knowing I have done all I can to make our state and country better. Over the last four years I have been vilified and accused of destroying the county party because of stands I have taken on issues that are contrary to the Governor&rsquo;s agenda.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: medium;">I have been attacked by lobbyists and asked to not take a position representing the county party that oppose the Governor&rsquo;s agenda.&nbsp;</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: medium;">In those instances I have not spoken for myself alone but with approval of the CCRP&rsquo;s executive committee. If any of the 80% of the precinct delegates who ran and were elected ever came to a county meeting they would know that.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: medium;">I don&rsquo;t believe the county party should be a rubber stamp for any and/or all republican politicians!</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: medium;">If proposed legislation, regardless of who it comes from is wrong we have an obligation to oppose it, not just go along to get along.</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: medium;">I ask that you consider my comments and go into the ballot booth with an open mind and do what is right!</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: medium;">If we want to succeed we all need to accept each other&rsquo;s differences and have a common focus that will make us victorious this November.&nbsp;</span></div>
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<div><span style="font-size: medium;">We can&rsquo;t afford to squander this opportunity.</span></div>
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<div><em><strong><span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size: xx-large;">God Bless America!</span></span></strong></em></div>
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