Every once in awhile something emerges from the political ether that really shows the true colors of the Michigan Republican Party and they willingness to do ANYTHING to win, something GOP mouth pieces like Nolan Finley (from the fused at the hip Detroit News / Mackinac Center / Heritage Foundation / Hillsdale College political noise machine) say Democrats do all the time.
Oh, yeah? Sinners heal thy self.
When I got home on Friday there was a message on an answering machine that purported to be from Michelle Engler, Michigan’s former First Lady. After identifying herself, the speaker went on to say all the ads about Bob Young’s language are lies. Further, they were put out by the Democrats in conjunction with the KKK. Wow!
Wow indeed, but the story gets better...
Starting apparently in both Western Michigan and SE Michigan a Michigan GOP Robo Call defending Robert Young, current GOP incumbent on the Michigan Supreme Court seeking reelection emerged.
Why Story gets better...
As it turns out this description of the Michelle Engler KKK Robo Call comes from Dr. David Schock, who is a faculty member to Hope College in Holland, MI, one place where the Robo Calls are being spread, is a specialist in Broadcast and Investigative Journalism, and who has actually produced a documentary on the history of the KKK in Michigan back in 2004, entitled "The Klan in Michigan".
Yet another twist...
So how in the heck did the Michigan GOP come up with this KKK association thing? A little more digging and with the help of poor Dr. Schock, and we see what happened.
The documentary that Dr. Schock did was in in collaboration with Fred Johnson (D), candidate for MI-07 currently running for Congress in failed candidate to MI-Gov, Pete Hoekstra’s (R), old district in West Michigan.
More on the documentary:
David Schock and Fred Johnson, former and current Hope College professors, explored organized racism in their 2004 documentary, "The Klan in Michigan, Part I: Reconstruction," which showed Klan activity documented in Michigan as early as 1868.
But, what to do about it...?
Well, the shocked Dr. Schock was not happy about any of all this and is also ‘wondering’ why more about Robert Johnson’s colorful past, as well as this robo call aren’t being covered, as he puts it:
I’ve wondered, too, that while many newspapers have followed the story of the racial and sexual language the Justice used, others have not. Heck, the Chicago Trib picked up the AP stories as did the Freep, The Detroit News and countless small papers, but the story has appeared nowhere (as far as I’ve been able to check) on the west side of the state (where I live). The Grand Rapids Press, for example, certainly knew about it. I sent the blog postings to the editorial page editor suggesting he might want to at least investigate the matter....
So let’s do the Math...
Even if you are a Republican a self proclaimed "a conservative mostly Republican" and you just happen to befriend a Democrat, or a have a productive professional association with a co-worker that runs as a Democrat for Congress, YOU ARE A TARGET for the Michigan Republican Party, and will be subject to ANYTHING they want to do to you and your friends.
Watch your back Rick Snyder and any other Republican with one or more Democrat friends, you are in a nest of vipers.
Note: Just had to put this one out there for the historical record, seeing as it is very likely that we will see, Michelle’s hubby, former Republican Governor John Engler on some future ballot of the Michigan Supreme Court.
Wonder which one of Engler’s friends were in the KKK? Oh, just dare you John, to run for anything back in Michigan, and we will see... this we "solemnly and unconditionally pledge"....