Cross-posted at Blogging For Michigan
Yesterday in Convention, Michigan Republicans elected Ron Weiser as Chair of the MI GOP. Weiser replaces Saul Anuzis, who was a boatload of fun for progressive bloggers everywhere.
Weiser's first election year as MI GOP Chair will be a big one. He'll be trying to knock off John Cherry for Gov (yes I predict LGJC will be our party's nominee), maintain the obstructionist GOP majority in the Senate, and re-take the House from the Dems. They've already targeted Schauer and Peters as well. According to Saul,
"Traditionally we run best statewide in nonpresidential election years," ... "The state Senate will be a major battleground."
From our own convention in Detroit, Chair Mark Brewer welcomed Weiser with a press release:
"Ron Weiser claims he is the candidate of ‘change,’ but he is not," said Brewer. "Through his fundraising for George Bush, Dick DeVos, Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham, Eric Cantor and others, Weiser has shown himself to be a supporter of the failed GOP policies which have decimated Michigan economically, sent our jobs to Communist China and would let our auto companies fail."
"Weiser needs to explain his support for Republicans such as Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham, Saxby Chambliss and Eric Cantor, all of whom stabbed Michigan’s autoworkers in the back by leading GOP efforts to block assistance for Michigan’s auto companies in December," continued Brewer. "Who is on the side of Michigan’s auto industry? Not Ron Weiser."
According to FEC records, Weiser has made contributions to McConnell, Graham and Cantor. On December 5, 2008 in an email to supporters, Weiser praised Saxby Chambliss’ run-off victory on December 4th, even though Chambliss said (in November of 2008) he opposed assistance for the auto industry and voted against it (on 12/12/08). Weiser: "We witnessed an impressive victory in Georgia earlier this week as Republicans successfully re-elected U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss."
So a hearty MI progressive blogosphere congratulations to Ron Weiser. We here in Michigan look forward to cleaning your clock at the polls. :-)
More about Ron Weiser at his site, and in this Michigan Daily article.