Ann Arbor Dems Who Supported Governor Rick Snyder Get Some Recognition
A2P Notes: This piece originally ran in April 2011. In the interim, much has changed, politically, in our state. The Michigan GOP and Governor Rick Snyder have waged a relentless war on unions, teachers, reproductive rights, gays, voting rights and even democracy. The contempt with which our state legislators have held the state’s electorate has elicited national media coverage that has all at once been analytical, mocking and hand-wringing. It’s important to point out that Rick Snyder came within 4 percentage points of beating Democrat Virg Bernero in Ann Arbor. Snyder raised more campaign money from Ann Arbor residents than did Bernero. In short, Ann Arbor Democrats and Independent voters who supported Rick Snyder might be doing some serious soul-searching about now, and those concerned with the political shift in our state might also take a lesson from the Occupy movements in Michigan and nation-wide and focus on accountability.
By now, people all over the state of Michigan are talking about the fact that Governor Rick Snyder ran a campaign that, in essence, was short on substance and lacking in detail. His “10 Point Plan” to “reinvent” Michigan and put Michigan “back to work,” included nothing about giving $1.8 billion in tax breaks to business while eliminating the Earned Income Tax Credit for the most vulnerable of Michigan’s families. His blowsy 10 point plan didn’t include mention of the Emergency Financial Manager legislation which, according to critics who recently filed a federal suit against the law, “will illegally change collective bargaining agreements and violate the property rights of city workers, they say, and they argue that the move also disenfranchises city voters….”
Rick Snyder ran a “feel good” campaign. He shelled out over $1,000,000 to a Hollywood advertising firm that specializes in helping Republican candidates such as George W. Bush, Christine O’Donnell, Arnold Schwarzenegger and John McCain shape campaign messages. Snyder spent millions, some might argue, misleading voters. If the group firericksnyder.org is able to gather the necessary signatures to put a recall question to the voters, Snyder might find himself out of a job. Ironically, the man who is preaching “shared sacrifice,” fiscal responsibility and discipline, is sitting on a $1.3 million dollar campaign debt including tens of thousands in unpaid bills to consultants. According to his post-election campaign finance statement, Snyder’s campaign also owes money to small, local Ann Arbor businesses including $17,500 bill for equipment rental owned to SFG LLC of Ann Arbor since June of 2009, $875 in rent owned to Waterworks Plaza Limited Partnership since November of 2010, $37.84 to Arbor Springs Water for a water cooler, mileage reimbursement payments owed to Ann Arbor campaign workers, and $500 to Westside Cleaning Service, Inc. for janitorial work done in in November of 2010. To see the complete list of debts, click here.
The Dearborn Press & Guide, a Heritage-owned paper, published an op-ed on April 6, 2011 written by Morris Goodman, a lawyer, progressive Democrat and Wayne County political activist. The title of the piece says it all: “The Good Word: did you get what you voted for?” In the piece, Goodman writes:
Moreover, do Bill Milliken’s and Bill Ford’s moderate Republican followers and Andy Dillon’s moderate Democratic followers really want, in addition to the decrease in unemployment compensation weeks: (1) the collective bargaining rights of police and firefighters almost completely taken away through the repeal on Public Act 312 and those rights of other state workers severely limited; or (2) pensions taxed like any other income; or (3) giving businesses a $1.8 billion tax break while at the same time essentially cutting the budget of $1.8 billion in “unnecessary spending we can no longer afford; or (4) cutting K-12 funding by $470 per student and lowering aid to Michigan’s universities by 15 percent or more; or (5) having Emergency Financial Managers very easily appointed with enhanced powers to override the decisions of elected officials and to void collective bargaining agreements. I do not think so….Snyder might still be a nerd, but he sure is not the non-ideological nerd his self paid $6 million advertising campaign portrayed him to be.
Democrat Mike Fried ran for Washtenaw County Commissioner in the 2010 August primary and lost to Democrat Yousef Rabhi. On his web site, after the recount, Fried wrote, “Based on the number of ballots where the only vote cast was for Rick Snyder, I can only conclude that a number of Democrats voted in the Republican primary. I wish that they had not done so, but instead, had chosen to participate in our own party’s primary.”
The defection continued on in November. Virg Bernero got a million fewer votes than did former Governor Jennifer Granholm in her last election. Snyder tried hard to get the black vote, but blacks didn’t fall for his “one tough nerd” campaign, or the fact that he had his election night party in Detroit, rather than in Ann Arbor. In Highland Park, for example, where there are no white voters, Snyder pulled in four percent of the vote. In Detroit, Snyder pulled in just five percent of the vote. On the other hand, Democrats and Independents fell for the razzle dazzle, feel-good, say-nothing campaign Snyder paid millions to Hollywood and DC consultants to design for him. Dems and Independents voted for Snyder, and in Ann Arbor they donated to his campaign.
The Liberal Independent (tip o’ the keyboard to Les, aka SEB) blogger who writes at StupidEvilBastard.com (SEB), confessed the day after the election to voting for Snyder. SEB points to a politically-naive September 2010 profile of Snyder published in The Ann as partial reason for his cross-over to the Republican party. The quotes from the pre-election profile, in retrospect, are almost as chilling as they are prescient:
On the issues, Snyder was similarly out of sync. Snyder’s top two Republican rivals, state Attorney General Mike Cox and U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, both signed a pledge not to raise taxes; Snyder refused, calling it “kind of a gimmick.” On the eve of the primary, Washington-based Americans for Tax Reform issued a press release warning conservative voters that Snyder might raise taxes.
In July, the Michigan Tea Party Alliance rented the Eaton County Fairgrounds outside Lansing for a “LiberTEA Fair.” “All of the Republican gubernatorial candidates except for one came and gave speeches,” organizer Gene Clem told me. That one was Snyder.
StupidEvilBastard goes on to write: “I was really hoping that the Republicans wouldn’t take the State Supreme Court and it’s very worrying that they have and the fact that they have a super-majority in the legislator is also bothersome, but I’m hoping Snyder’s moderate bent will keep all of that in check.”
The Ann profile refers to Snyder as an “Ann Arbor RINO.” The problem, of course, is that Rick Snyder has proven, quickly, that he is neither a moderate nor a RINO.
Snyder’s campaign got a boost from his friends in Ann Arbor, where he doesn’t live, despite claims to the contrary by sloppy reporters, and in whose public schools his daughter does not study. In fact, Snyder got more in donations from Ann Arbor, Dexter, Chelsea and Saline residents, than Bernero did, over $814,000 dollars from 1,400 donors. Then again, Bernero took Ann Arbor by only 1.5 percent of the votes cast for governor. Snyder got 58,029 of the 123,672 votes cast, and Bernero got 59,829 votes.
In Ann Arbor, these were the top 50 donors to Rick Snyder’s campaign:
| ANDERSON, GERARD M | Energy & Natural Resources | Electric Utilities | Gas & electric utilities | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| BRUST, CHERYL S | Uncoded | Uncoded | Uncoded | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| BRUST, ERIC W | Uncoded | Uncoded | Uncoded | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| CANALE, BRAD M | Government Agencies/Education/Other | Education | Schools & colleges | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| DARLING, MARTHA A | Government Agencies/Education/Other | Education | Schools & colleges | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| DUNBAR, WENDELL | Uncoded | Uncoded | Uncoded | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| FERRANTINO, JANETTE | Uncoded | Uncoded | Uncoded | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| FITZSIMMONS, JOSEPH J | Uncoded | Uncoded | Uncoded | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| FORD JR, WILLIAM C | Transportation | Automotive | Auto manufacturers | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| FORD, LISA | Uncoded | Uncoded | Uncoded | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| GLAUBERMAN, STEVE | Uncoded | Uncoded | Uncoded | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| HALLER, DEBORAH F | Uncoded | Uncoded | Uncoded | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| HAMP, CHRISTOPHER | Uncoded | Uncoded | Uncoded | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| HAMP, SHEILA | Uncoded | Uncoded | Uncoded | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| HAMP, STEVEN K | Uncoded | Uncoded | Uncoded | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| JAQUA, LISA M | Uncoded | Uncoded | Uncoded | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| JAQUA, STEPHEN J | Communications & Electronics | Printing & Publishing | Book, newspaper & periodical publishing | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| KINNEAR, THOMAS C | Uncoded | Uncoded | Uncoded | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| LAVERTY, SARAH GRACE | Uncoded | Uncoded | Uncoded | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| MARSH, MICHAEL E | Uncoded | Uncoded | Uncoded | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| MARSH, STACEY | Uncoded | Uncoded | Uncoded | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| MARTIN, SALLY | Uncoded | Uncoded | Uncoded | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| MARTIN, WILLIAM C | Government Agencies/Education/Other | Education | Schools & colleges | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| NELSON, SANFORD E | Government Agencies/Education/Other | Education | Schools & colleges | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| NEWTON, COCO | Uncoded | Uncoded | Uncoded | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| NEWTON, ROGER S | Uncoded | Uncoded | Uncoded | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| NISSON, LARRY D | Uncoded | Uncoded | Uncoded | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| NISSON, LUCIE C | Uncoded | Uncoded | Uncoded | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| NISSON, MICHAEL | Uncoded | Uncoded | Uncoded | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| POHLMAN, ROLAND | Uncoded | Uncoded | Uncoded | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| POKEMPNER, JOSHUA | Uncoded | Uncoded | Uncoded | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| PONCE DE LEON, GUI | Construction | General Contractors | Construction, unclassified | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| RINVELT, PATRICIA | Uncoded | Uncoded | Uncoded | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| ROSENBERG, JERI | Uncoded | Uncoded | Uncoded | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| SANGUNETT, VIVIAN | Uncoded | Uncoded | Uncoded | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| STRECHER, VIC | Government Agencies/Education/Other | Education | Schools & colleges | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| TERNES, JOHN R | Uncoded | Uncoded | Uncoded | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| TURNER, MATTHEW A | Finance, Insurance & Real Estate | Securities & Investment | Venture capital | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| WADHAMS, LAURIE | Uncoded | Uncoded | Uncoded | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| WADHAMS, TIMOTHY | General Business | Miscellaneous Manufacturing & Distributing | Furniture & wood products | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| WEISER, EILEEN | General Business | Business Services | Political consultants & advisers | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| WEISER, RONALD N | General Business | Business Services | Political consultants & advisers | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| WICHA, MAX | Government Agencies/Education/Other | Education | Schools & colleges | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| WOOD, PAMELA S | Uncoded | Uncoded | Uncoded | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| WOOD, WILLIAM J | Uncoded | Uncoded | Uncoded | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| ZURBUCHEN, THOMAS H | Government Agencies/Education/Other | Education | Schools & colleges | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3400 |
| PATTON, ERIN | Uncoded | Uncoded | Uncoded | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3375 |
| PATTON, SHEILA A | Uncoded | Uncoded | Uncoded | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3375 |
| PATTON, TIMOTHY J | Uncoded | Uncoded | Uncoded | ANN ARBOR, MI | 3250 |
In Ypsilanti, the single largest donor to Snyder’s campaign was the Greff family, Matt & Rene. Stalwart Dems, Rene Greff explained in an email that her support of Snyder was “a first.” While the Greffs were supporting Republican Rick Snyder’s campaign, their Ann Arbor pub hosted campaign events of Dems who ran for local and state office. In November 2010, Ann Arbor’s 53rd District Representative Jeff Irwin and newly elected state senator Rebekah Warren, celebrated their respective wins at the Greff’s Arbor Brewing Company. In December 2009, Rene Greff donated $2,000 to Snyder’s campaign. In February 2011 Rene Greff donated another $484, then in March 2011 another $500. July 2010, Matt Greff donated $1,000 for a total of $3,984 more than any other Ypsilanti donor.
On April 22, 2011, U.S. Representative John Conyers, gave an interview on the “7 Days” show in which he alleges that Snyder’s EFM law violates various aspects of the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment, and told the interviewer that he has been working with the NAACP, ACLU and is planning to take the question “directly,” said Conyers, “to the U.S. Attorney General, Eric Holder,” to investigate whether the law can be voided with a court challenge. Conyers said that he intended to speak directly to President Obama on May 2, 2011 about the EFM law.
A2Politico revealed in a number of entries in 2009 and 2010, that as the CEO of Ann Arbor SPARK, Rick Snyder conveniently had no dashboards demonstrating achievement, or mechanisms in place to track what was being done with the taxpayer money being doled out in a boondoggle dubbed “crony capitalism,” by former Obama economic advisor Dr. Lawrence Summers during a 2009 visit to Michigan. During Rick Snyder’s time as the head of SPARK, there was an overpaid CEO, and shockingly little accountability.
Conyers told the interviewer on April 22nd: “Not too long ago, when there were certain people and one certain newspaper in particular that said, ‘Why criticize Rick Snyder? He is different. Why not give him a chance?’ And now, we’ve given Rick Snyder a chance. He’s showed us exactly who he is.”
To see the names of Snyder’s Ann Arbor donors, including two Ann Arbor City Council members, a Democratic mayor, various members of city boards and commissions, local developers and business owners, download the list here. If you want to see a list of all donors, visit followthemoney.org.
Don’t forget to vote in the poll. Do you still support Rick Snyder?
[polldaddy poll=4968190]
[…] Snyder’s campaign got a boost from his friends in Ann Arbor, where he doesn’t live and in whose public schools his daughter does not study. In fact, Snyder got more in donations from Ann Arbor, Dexter, Chelsea and Saline residents, than Democrat Virg Bernero did, over $814,000 dollars from 1,400 donors. Then again, Bernero took Ann Arbor by only 1.5 percent of the votes cast for governor. Snyder got 58,029 of the 123,672 votes cast, and Bernero got 59,829 votes. […]
@RichRab Yes it does matter who supported Snyder, who has signed bills into law that have targeted the poor, teachers, education and the public sector employees. On Thursday, he cut off LGBT public sector employees from employer health care.
It does matter who voted for the fool, if the voters are singled out mayme they will think a little bit next time before ruining Michigan.
A round of applause for the blog.
Recall Snyder…..visit our recall snyder petition site at Ann
Arbor Trail and Merriman in Westland. We are there 12-6PM.
For information about other signing locations in your area
Visit http://www.firericksnyder.org
http://www.followthemoney.org/database/uniquecandidate.phtml?uc=139374&so9=a&p9=1#sorttable9
Follow the money. Being Governor is just his latest toy. Too bad he didn’t buy the Pistons instead.
Snyder is a multi-millionaire and the majority of his money came from his own bank book. He think’s his lousy incubator, SPARK, is the answer to everything. His game of cronyism is just getting going. His newly formed economic development unit is hogging all the tax credits for Ann Arbor and relocating all the companies to his home town. Snyder is a fool and an arrogant crook. He thinks he was elected Chairman of the Board instead of Governor. http://www.firericksnyder.org We need to send him and his tea bagging pals packing and teach them once and for all that this is our country, our state, our schools, and they are our employees. Fire his sorry @ss.
Moderator, you can kill my previous comment. I just looked at dates and read more. Piling on at this point is not productive.
“You mean they actually vote for the lizards?”
“Oh yes,” said Ford with a shrug, “of course.”
“But,” said Arthur, going for the big one again, “why?”
“Because if they didn’t vote for a lizard,” said Ford, “the wrong lizard might get in. Got any gin?”
The money from these tools wasn’t the big problem. The very public support from the likes of the Greffs did far more damage than the checks they wrote. It gave the lizard legitimacy for the bourgeois liberals that run A2. Rene, actions have consequences. Sadly, in this case, it means no more ABC for me.
The Governor and his Privateers are starving the Public Sector in Michigan out of existence for a reason, so that private corporations can complete their hostile takeover of all public services. They stopped being content with tax abatements, bailouts, bribes, incentives, kickbacks, and worker concessions a long time ago — they want nothing less than the automatic funneling of tax dollars directly into their private corporate bankrolls without the annoying interference of all you pesky peasants.
Mackinac Center For Public Policy • “State Needs Privatization”
• http://www.educationreport.org/15050
Lansing State Journal • “Going Private? — Snyder, Republicans Put New Focus On Merits Of Privatization”
• http://www.lansingstatejournal.com/article/20110515/NEWS04/105150528/GOING-PRIVATE-Snyder-Republicans-put-new-focus-merits-privatization
[…] GOP’s gains in what those not-in-the-know perceive as “liberal” Ann Arbor—where boot-licking Democratic City Council members supported the GOP candidate for governor, and Ann Arbor’s Democratic County Commissioner Conan Smith (son of former state legislator […]
From FACEBOOK: “Wow, real journalism, long and detailed, and ripping and sad.”—George Waldman
[…] recent poll on A2Politico that asks whether voters still support Rick Snyder shows that over 75 percent of the […]
I’m a conservative Republican who did not vote for Rick Snyder because he is not a conservative. I didn’t vote for Bernero either, but I’m glad I didn’t vote for Snyder. I voted libertarian. I’m a less government kind of guy, and Snyder is not it with his tax increases.
@teacherman
You mention that poverty more than teachers is to blame for poor education, how do you explain the success of Christo Rey schools? How do you explain how in DC schools, 91% of charter school kids are being graduated, 70% of those who applied to charter school but didn’t get in were graduated but only 54% of the rest were graduated? Michelle Rhee has some great ideas like paying top performers $150k.
The ground is shifting beneath our feet for the rest of us (I don’t know anyone that has a pension–we all have 401Ks), what’s wrong with change for everyone?
No, no no no. Quit beating up on the people who voted for this governor. One vote alone, $5000 cash doesn’t mean squat…Virg Bernero was a union man, and that’s that.
Let the recall proceed.
If those legislators have the nerve to cut school funding after the pension vote, well, God help their political careers, because those will be over.
People who serve the public have an obligation to make good decisions, not follow blindly.
Wir haben mitgemacht was a terrible thing.
Rene,
When I heard that you and your husband donated to Snyder’s campaign, I was deeply disappointed. In reading your response, and in looking into the internet footprint which documents your affiliation with Snyder, I partly understand your position, yet I’m still a bit disappointed. You’re response here suggests that you only supported Snyder because you knew he was the most moderate of the Republican candidates and because a Republican was sure to win. A simple search leads one to interviews and quotes that make it clear that you openly supported Snyder throughout the campaign.
In your long conversations with him, I wonder if the Governor ever revealed that he planned to raid the school aid fund (which currently has a surplus), cut more than a billion from school funding, and transfer this money to more tax breaks (can we just agree already that trickle down doesn’t work? If it did, would we be rolling in jobs because of the Bush tax cuts? I’m no economist…just asking questions). I wonder if he revealed to you that, even if there was a windfall, he would save the money rather than reverse potential cuts to education. I wonder if he revealed his education plan in general to you. On paper, his educational rhetoric sounds fine. But the devil is in the details. The Coleman Report has long demonstrated that poverty plays a bigger role in one’s educational outcomes than does a school or a teacher. Do the Detroit schools need reform? Of course. Do we want the best teachers and the best schools in Michigan? Of course. But the schools are not to blame for the poverty and degradation running rampant in Detroit. Schools, teachers, public servants, and public workers are not to blame for Michigan’s problems…why are we being demonized and blamed?
There are many school districts around the state doing wonderful things. These districts will suffer. These kids will suffer. These teachers will suffer. Support staff will be laid off, privatized, etc., all in the name of further lining the pockets of those at the top. Hacking up union contracts and collective bargaining rights is hardly progressive and/or moderate.
AAPS is going to be a very different place next year and in the foreseeable future if this budget is passed. Countless people are ready to give up on this community and this state because of what seems to be a dire future for the excellent public schools in the area. Quality educators and community members are thinking seriously about leaving the area and the profession because of these so called moderate policies. Count me as one of these people.
Merit pay? Ending teacher tenure? Value added testing models? Charter schools? Some of this sounds good. Again, most of it doesn’t make sense when you really research it. There are plenty of studies demonstrating problems with all of these ideas. Teachers are convinced that Snyder’s plans are a ploy to denigrate the profession, lower wages, and keep people fighting each other.
The solution is more nuanced than the Governor would like to admit. Though he may believe his policy is the solution, he really doesn’t know what he’s talking about and neither do the people currently forcing an omnibus bill through the legislature.
I am happy for all of the work you’ve done. I think bootlicker is strong and unnecessary language. I hope you continue to be involved in politics, because I do think that most of what you stand for is excellent. However, I think you might want to express a bit more buyer’s remorse here. Use the influence that you’ve purchased to express to the Governor that these policies are going to have an enormously negative effect on colleges, universities, students, teachers, support staff, and communities in general.
Again, I sense that you are hurt and feel threatened by these reports and these words. I sympathize with your defensiveness. However, since it’s public knowledge that you supported the Governor, and people across the state seem to be very much afraid of the days ahead, including many life long Republicans who I know are very concerned about his policies (including restaurant owners and beer brewers in other parts of the state), you might have a responsibility to come forward about how you feel about these policy developments specifically, rather than simply defending your donation to his campaign.
Sincerely,
A fan of ABC who is also a teacher and would like to hear more…
I could not be more outraged at Democrats “support” of Rick Snyder. It is a perfect illustration of how far “liberals” will go to undermine and destroy the Will of the People. Mr. Snyder is making BABY SMALL steps in the RIGHT direction. This election RIGHTLY belonged to the PEOPLE. Instead of a true champion for Citizen RIGHTS we get Snyder. That is small consolation when this “election” was RIGHTLY ours. The moral “CRIME” is that Snyder was elected through big moneyed liberal subterfuge. I will not enter any establishment owned by these fakers until they WAKE UP and decide to support a REAL candidate for Revolutionary change.
I would like to think that Matt and I and our businesses have proven ourselves enough over our 16 years in business that people wouldn’t throw us under the bus for one questionable decision. In all of our years of politics we have given money to exactly one republican and at the same time have given many tens of thousands of dollars to democrats both inside and outside of our own districts and even served in the Michigan delegation to the Democratic National Convention in 2004.
We hosted election night events for Rebekah Warren, Jeff Irwin, and Paul Schreiber in the last election because we endorsed, gave money, wrote letters, canvassed, and hosted events for them – just like we did for Mark Schauer, John Dingell, Christine Green, and a host of other democrats. I wonder if the haters out there who have decided they can no longer support ABC or Corner Brewery committed as much time, energy and money getting democrats elected and getting progressive ballot initiatives passed in the last election as we did.
Over the years we have received a lot of hate mail from angry right-wing customers, had our busineness picketed by the right to life, had our home picketed by anti-tax nut-jobs, and had threatening letters sent to our businesses and slipped inside of the door at our house for our very vocal public support for everything from immigrant workers’ rights, Planned Parenthood, Ypsi Campaign for Equality, Michigan Peaceworks, Small Business Owners for Equality, to the Environmental Justice Campaign, as well as for hosting partisan democratic events. I expect to be boycotted by the radical right, but I never expected to be treated so poorly by progressives. It’s good to know that there are so many perfect people out there to help balance our imperfections.
This last election cycle honestly scared the crap out of us. We have friends who worked in Mike Cox’s office and had enough inside knowledge of Bouchard and of course Hoekstra to know that if any of them were to win the governor’s seat, it would mean a complete dismantling of our state’s public safety net and a big step backward for gay rights.
We also knew that, once again, as is our way, the dems put up a completely lame candidate that couldn’t possibly win in a mid-term election where everyone knew there would be a republican sweep. We knew Rick personally because he is the uncle of a good (dem) friend of ours and he had helped us re-write our operating agreement a few years back when the brewpub was struggling to survive.
So when he contacted us to tell us he was considering running, we did our due diligence. We met with Rick and asked a lot of questions and in the end thought that helping him win the Republican primary was our best chance of avoiding disaster in the general. We didn’t even vote in the republican primary because we had too many friends running in the democratic primary. And of course, we didn’t sneak around and try to pretend that we weren’t supporting Rick. We were completely public about our choice and our reasons.
Are we thrilled with how things have turned out? No. But we made our best judgment with the information we had, and I still believe that any of the other Republicans would have been MUCH worse and trust me – a republican was going to win that election.
And I have to say I think it’s pretty unfair to call us insincere boot-lickers because of one questionable decision after 21 years of living in this community and not only supporting, but putting ourselves out there and fighting for democrats and progressive causes time and again. The reason we’re known for being a destination for progressive campaigns and causes is because over the past 16 years whenever they’ve called looking for support, we have said absolutely!
We infuse our values into our businesses by paying a living wage; purchasing local ingredients, goods, and services; putting GLBT language in our company’s non-discrimination policy and a rainbow on our door; recycling and composting, participating in the GetDowntown program And we are getting ready to undertake a green energy renovation with geo-thermal, solar-thermal, and photo-voltaic. We donate our space, our beer, our food, our time, and our energy to support organizations and non-profits that improve the quality of life in our community.
As one of our favorite staff-members liked to say “we work our asses off” to do what’s right and I think your damnation of us is small-minded. Fortunately for us, most of the people in this community know us well enough not to have judged us too harshly and continue to support us both personally and professionally (even though those closest to us still give us a lot of grief).
Rene is right. As a member of the GOP I can tell you that very few of us in Washtenaw County voted for Snyder in the primary and that most of us held our noses in the general election because we considered him to be too soft on the “right-to-life” issue. But we were left of the choice of a soft Republican, a CPA with a law degree and a record of corporate budget cutting, or frankly someone we consider to be a thug like Al Sharpon – Virg Bernero. Interestingly, the Democrat who we actually held in high esteem was – Andy Dillon, who is now the State Tres. running the Emergency Manager program.
Snyders approval ratings our low, because he’s in the middle on many issues. The conservative activists in the GOP are very unhappy with him over his support of the DRIC bridge. That’s enough to loose approval with them, even though they are actually pleased with his budget management.
The other Republican who is most unpopular in Washtenaw County is Randy Richardville, because he has been holding up right to work. He’s probably more unpopular than Snyder. But Richardville is the President of the Senate…..because he’s the one that went around and raised money for all of the other GOP Senators.
The other local GOP Rep we like to kick IS NOT Rick Olson. Olson has taken a very conservative line on most bills and where he disagrees with the most conservative activists, he will have attended a number of their meetings on the particular issue and then will lay out where he is at in a detailed memo. The one we want to tie to a tree and trunk whip (GOP – elephants – get it – trunk whip) is Mark Ouimet. Every time he shows up at a GOP event, one or more attendees start snorting “RINO….RINO allert!” It bugs the hell out of him. There is a memo circulating that lists all of the bad legislation that he has supported – legislation that picks winners and losers. But part of it is that he is just seen as sort of the rich snobby kid that thinks he knows more than everyone else and who shows up with the nice sweaters and quaffed hair. Olson doesn’t have any hair, so he doesn’t have to worry about offending people with what he does or doesn’t do with it.
Also on Ouimet, everyone in the party, knows that he gets elected because he knocks doors. Has nothing to do with the issues. He tries to massage his way to not being on a side or to have everyone thinking that he is on their side. And the way he does that is to go out every week and knock doors and pander to voters of both parties by telling them how important their vote and opinion is to him. And this has the effect that he desires, because most of the voters, especialy the ones in the middle, HAVE NEVER BOTHERED TO ACTUALLY READ A PIECE OF LEGISLATION!!!
@Les thanks for the tip. I’ve made the correction and noted it.
Not bad, but I do have one correction for you. I (author of the article at Stupid Evil Bastard) am not a Democrat blogger. I’m a Liberal Independent not registered with any party. The Democrats aren’t progressive enough for me to sign on with them officially. I only vote for them more often than not because the alternatives are even worse.
I just read Snyder’s recommendation for education. He reminds me of those “mayhem” commercials. “Hi I’m your Governor and I am mayhem. I am going to open the doors to out of district kids to max, put in lots of unregulated charters, and cut boatloads of money from your schools. Hah, never saw me coming? That’s ’cause I am mayhem, Count on it.”
@Karen, it’s actually pretty interesting to look at campaign finance reports between elections. He has already taken in an additional million in donations since his summer disclosures were filed.
Snyder made a big deal about financing his own campaign but the list of debts include millions owed to the candidate. Will subsequent campaign reports show large donations from lobbyists and business interests that will be used to repay the candidate’s loans? I hope A2Politico follows up on this.
Anyone who makes cuts to education has to be an idiot! Cut education, but give tax breaks to big businesses and the rich…that makes no sense at all. I guess he’s not as nerdy as he led folks to believe. And no one has ever made mention of how he doesn’t live in the governor’s mansion, so he’s being transported daily from his place of residence when gas is $4 a gallon. And guess who’s footing that bill for all of that mileage, security staff, etc? Hmmmmm.
Hey! Where’s the “I’m a Democrat who wasn’t stupid enough to vote for a Republican governor” option???
I told you guys so. I totally did ; )
You don’t need to go to Lansing to see the Snyder agenda in action. In a recent interview, outgoing A2 city administrator Roger Fraser said that the city had implemented many of the changes Snyder was trying to make at the state level. Snyder wants a tax break for business but is making cuts to basics like education. The city has been handing out subsidies to developers and SPARK but can’t find money for police and fire. basic services. The city even captures tax money that would otherwise go to schools and sends it off to SPARK to be spent on subsidizing the favored business of the moment.
@Ypsi We don’t shop @Walmart because the Walton family gives big time to really conservative candidates. We don’t shop @Home Depot for the same reason (company supports really far-right candidates). I’ve stopped going to Arbor Brewing Company. If the only way to show business owners that it matters whom they support, politically, is by refusing to give them money to shell out to candidates like Snyder who would try to subvert elected government, well then, I can drink a beer somewhere else.
No more beer at Corner Brewery or Ann Arbor Brewery. I met the Greffs on several occassions and they always seemed less sincere and more like posers and oppurtunists. Watch the A2 Dems continue to use them because it’s convenient for them. Freakin’ bootlickers.
People need to stop using the term EFM. The law Snyder ran through repealed the 1990 law under which Granholm appointed the EFM in Bentom Harbor. Snyder’s law elevated him to an Emergency Manager (EM) with greatly expanded powers. There are no EFMs in Michigan now.
I too didn’t vote in your poll because there was no option that described me. I never bought into Snyder’s glossy ads; I voted for Bernero.
Let’s face it Snyder and his super-slick campaign fooled a lot of Independents and Dems who were genuinely looking for a change and a different approach. WELL, we got it alright, give aways to corporations and the filthy rich, WEALTHYFARE. Now, let’s buckle down and get rid of him!
What do you expect people to do?
After Granholm sat in the office and did NOTHING but issue meaningless cheerleading-type statements?
Come on!
Granholm was either unwilling to lead or unable to lead. Either way she torched the Dems…
You know what the worst thing facing Michigan is? Status quo…
That’s why I voted for Rick. The first Republican I’ve ever voted for (with the exception of trying to get McCain the Republican nomination over Bush in the primary).
And I’m riding that train until the end to see where it goes.
From FACEBOOK: “To paraphrase Frank Zappa, you know what, I’m not a Republican, but there’s a whole of times I wish I could say I’m not a Democrat!”—Joe Tiboni
Comment from FACEBOOK: “LOVE that cartoon.”—J. McKeachie
Comment from FACEBOOK: “Why would anyone support this turkey??” —ALyssa Winner
Comment from FACEBOOK: ” I didn’t vote for him because he is a businessman and they protect business at any cost, not for the little guy. Turns out he is doing exactly that. And never said anything about what he was going to do to fix Michigan. Now we know.” —Sandra Dalton
$1.3 million in debts? Seriously? These small businesses deserve to get their money. Cheating a janitorial service out of $500 says more about Snyder’s true colors than anything else I’ve read about the man. So much for “shared sacrifice.”
Comment from FACEBOOK: “This was an atypical election. Michigan’s economy was in the tank which usually is bad for the governing party. Bonero or whatever his name was ran a poor campaign and I’m sure some of the contributors probably knew fellow Ann Arborite Snyder personally or may have even given to both candidates to keep everyone happy.” — Bob Roether
Has Ann Arbor’s U.S. Congressman weighed in on the EFM discussion? Say what you like about John Conyers, but when it comes to liberal politics, Conyers has Dingell beat hands down. I’m not sure the 14th amendment violation will hold water, but the Snyder Administration is going to spend countless hours and millions of taxpayer dollars defending the indefensible. If the Snyder Administration loses in court, he should reimburse the state for all expense spent defending this ridiculous bit of legislation that Republicans in the state legislature jammed through without giving consideration to the legal issues involved.
I just finished reading all of the SPARK posts linked to here. All I can say is GOOD GRIEF!!! The man signed an annual statement that was an outright lie for heaven’s sake. I want to thank you so much for pursuing these connections! Michigan voters were misled by this man and he needs to go. Had he run a campaign on the basis of his proposed budget he would never have gotten elected. Firericksnyder has my support.
@Lora, sorry about that. The link was correct and still is. Thanks for the heads up.
Go Conyers! I’m not at all sure President Obama will step into this hornet’s nest as he runs for re-election, but he should. The U.S. DOJ should slam the Snyder administration with a lawsuit, because for pity’s sake the only cities where this EFM b.s. was launched are in cities where there are majority black populations. Thanks for the poll. I’m another Bernero voter/supporter.
@Vivienne thanks for that comment!
On another post about Mr. Snyder here at A2P someone posted that we need bumper stickers that say “Don’t blame me I voted for Bernero.”
I suspect here in town with the absolutely draconian agenda he’s pushing one would be hard-pressed to find Dems who will admit to voting for Snyder much less donating to his campaign. The truth of the matter is that it was the cross-over vote that put Mr. Snyder in office, and right about now there are plenty of smart people who must be feeling rather foolish for having put their trust in a politician whom they thought of as moderate because that’s what he spent millions on advertising and consultants to get them to think.
Kudos to Mr. Conyers. Where, may I ask, is Mr. Dingell?
Also in the poll they don’t ask who is for a recall or who didn’t vote for him. That is ok as Rose, stated it does not matter now who voted for him who did not it is a matter the vote to recall him in NOV 2011
Remember When A² Had A Brain?
It is http://www.firericksnyder.org love how when you see it in the media it is always spelled wrong!!
I don’t care who voted for the guy,it doesn’t change things currently. It was lots of people who did,lots of people who thought they saw their values in his values, or had the illusion of that. There was no mention of raising taxes on the poor and the pensioned, the big cuts to schools when the school fund actually had money, no mention of the EFM expansive controls… and I think the other shoe is about to drop from Captain Queeg’s hand with the education speech he is going to give later this week. I think we are all going to be surprised again….
I couldn’t vote in your poll because there was no choice that represented me. I voted for Bernaro.