"As a lifelong Republican activist and former State Party Chairman, I have witnessed Mike Cox fight for conservative values with the courage of his convictions," Betsy DeVos said in the statement.
We all know what "conservative values" means nowadays, and Mike Cox certainly exemplifies them. More tax cuts for the rich, with no economic plan other than the nebulous "cut spending" without identifying who or what would be cut (Dick's 2006 playbook), more nasty attacks on fellow Republicans to make them fall in line (Betsy wielded the big stick on that one), regulation and scrutiny on other people's personal lives and decisions while taking a pass on your own indiscretions, an emphasis on creating partisan wedge issues by pointing the finger at the poor and the working union folks while handing your friends those big government taxpayer-funded contracts and benefits... need we go on?
Everything that was bad about Republican rule, everything that we voted to "change" in '06 and '08, is all rolled up into one little neat ball in the form of Mike Cox. Cox will serve all those interests that Dick and Betsy and the Glenn Beck-lovin' people at the Michigan Chamber will tell him to. It would be the term in office that Dick DeVos never had, for they would be pulling the strings. And you know it. It's how they roll.
As the big money falls in line, the radical social special interests are joining in as well - with rumors that the game is fixed.
Word has spread among the gubernatorial camps that the critical Right to Life of Michigan endorsement is "wired" for Attorney General Mike Cox .
"There are indications this was wired before they (the 18-member Right to Life PAC board) even looked at their questionnaires," said John Truscott, spokesman for U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra of Holland.
Almost makes you want to root for Twitter Pete, doesn't it? He seems almost "mavericky" in his attempts at portraying himself as a moderate. John Truscott is certainly no stranger to the ways of the DeVoses, and he has to know what is coming next - an infusion of money into the Cox campaign for attack ads and other arm-twisting purposes, while Hoekstra struggles to raise money and maintain his "grassroots" image. Good luck with that.
Lessenberry nailed them all the other day:
Hoekstra, the only candidate from the western side of the state, has been leading in most polls, so Cox’s strategy seems designed to tear him down by attacking him for past votes in Congress.
That may be good politics, but it’s lousy leadership. We need to try to figure out our future, not play games about the past. Voters need to hold all these candidates to the bottom line.
Which is, simply, that state government isn’t working, mainly because we’ve gotten used to a lot of services, like education, foster care and paved roads. Trouble is, we can no longer hide the fact that the state is no longer is taking in enough money to pay for them.
Our leaders have to decide to ask us to do one of two things: Either give the state more money, which means raising taxes.
Or if they aren’t willing to do that, they need to admit what we‘re bound to get is less. Poorer schools; far more expensive colleges. Fewer police; crummier roads.
None of them want to admit that, because they think we don’t want to hear it. But we should demand the truth.
Cox should be made to put his cuts on the table. Matter of fact, all of them should. Promising more tax cuts while also promising to fund education and other quality of life issues is a flat-out lie, as some in the media are starting to point out. And like DeVos, the Cox campaign should fall apart when the details become known to the public - his math doesn't add up, and his positions on the issues serve the extreme right only. Throw in the Manoogian rumors and his questionable funneling of state money to Republican donor's special projects, and it all adds up to a really bad choice for our state.
Bottom line is: If you enjoyed the Bush years, you will love Mike Cox. Dick and Betsy will see to that. Right, John?