Michigan Republican gubernatorial nominee Rick Snyder chose rightwing State Rep. Brian Calley, R-Portland, as his running mate on Wednesday, but its’ unclear which one of the two will be dumb and who will be dumber.
Calley, the former banker and two-term State Representative, helped write the Michigan Business Tax (MBT) and the 22 percent surcharge passed back in 2007 that replaced the hated Single Business Tax (SBT). Ironically, Snyder had harsh words for the work of his running mate, calling the MBT a job killer, just days before he made the choice.
He told his hometown “newspaper,” Ann Arbor.com, that the creation of the 2007 tax is “like Lansing went to the video store and rented ‘Dumb and Dumber.’”
“We’ve got an environment now where we’re killing job creation through the Michigan business tax. It is absolutely awful,” he said.
The teabaggers who appear to control the GOP and are pushing it off the cliff are not happy with the moderate and unknown Snyder, so the pick of a conservative is a move to shut them up and try and get them onboard.
We know very little about Snyder and his plans and policies because he refuses to debate with the Democratic nominee, Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero, and he appears to be just trying to run the clock out to November before voters really can get to know him.
We do know that he knows absolutely nothing about state government, he’s rich and he outsourced thousands of U.S. jobs while he was in charge at Gateway Computers.
While Snyder was an official at Gateway Computers, the company outsourced nearly 20,000 American jobs to China and other parts of Asia. But Snyder took good care of himself at the same time - cashing-out tens of millions of dollars in stock options while the lives of thousands were ruined. While he served on the board of directors Snyder was sued in 2000 along with two other Gateway executives. The issue was that Snyder cashed in on 355,000 stock options worth $23.7 million at a time that executives admitted they misrepresented the company’s financial outlook.
Now, we know he will do anything and say anything to win, even compromise his alleged principals.
That’s in sharp contrast to Mayor Bernero who has led by example. He's cut his own pay, doubled his health insurance premium, and gave up his city-funded car to share in the sacrifice of Michigan's workers.
His job creation record is outstanding. The Lansing Economic Development Corp. reports that Lansing has created 5,311 jobs and saved 1,722 for a total of 7,033 jobs since Bernero became mayor in 2006. Bernero has leveraged over $500 million dollars in new job-creating investments in Lansing, and he helped launch the area's first regional public-private economic development initiative.
Calley’s selection also sets up an interesting development. He won the primary for the 33rd District Senate seat to replace term-limited Alan Cropsey, R-DeWitt, the most rightwing member of the Senate. It’s unclear how Calley’s name will come off the ballot and who will replace him.
3 comments:
Gee, imagine that. The Socialist doesn't like the Republican choice. We already know that Bernero's choice isn't going to matter. His mate will not have a name but rather a skin color.
Keep on complaining about Snyder not knowing how government works. You're just not getting it. The people aren't interested in government experts. Government people have done nothing but run this state into the ground for the past eight years. Even if you were right that he didn't know how government works, we'd rather have someone running for governor that doesn't know how government works than to have a guy that has spent his life in government and doesn't know how the free market works. Doesn't know how the private sector works.
Bernero's choice will be based on race. Snyders choice is based on diversity. He's a moderate and he's chosen a conservative. But alas, you're making a big deal out of Lt. Governor when in fact, the second in charge is usually the court jester. Much like Joe Biden is the laughing stock of the Federal Government.
First, anonymous coward, there is no such thing as a Socialist Democrat in the United States, and that is just a false, Republican smear. Where did I say I didn’t like the choice? I’m just pointing out the hypocrisy of saying the MBT is killing jobs, and then you choose the author of that alleged job killing plan as your running mate.
Who is complaining about “Snyder not knowing how government works?” I’m just pointing out a fact. I’m not sure how someone who can’t even name the Chief Justine of the Michigan Supreme Court is expecting to run something he knows nothing about. The government is not a business. You can’t fire the Legislature for not executing your plan.
I agree with you, “Government people have done nothing but run this state into the ground for the past eight years,” and that’s why we got the Bush recession, the worst since the Great Depression. The good news is Michigan’s economy expend faster than any state in the union over the last three months.
That makes no sense. If Mayor Bernero's choice is based on race then it’s based on diversity. It’s also clear that you don’t anything about state government either, anonymous coward. “Joe Biden is the laughing stock of the Federal Government?” Bullshit.
Again, anonymous coward, I’m still waiting for you to back up your outrageous lie that we were “nearly shoulder to shoulder once.”
I wished the media in this state explain why they're giving a free pass to a guy who has nothing but avoid letting people what he truly believes, what his plans are and his record of being part of the problem while painting the Dem as some wild eyed loon?
It's good to see The father of the best burger flipper in Michigan finally admitting thanks to his party and it's leader George W.Bush we suffer through the worst stretch economic wise.
Post a Comment