Sleazy and false attack on Leyton results in death threat

We know Republicans have no shame and that there is nothing the Republicans won’t say or no one they won’t exploit to regain and keep power, and the latest illustration is the shameful attacks on Democratic Attorney General Candidate David Leyton.
They exploited Debbie McIntosh, whose son was murdered, to falsely attack Leyton, the Genesee County Prosecutor. Then McIntosh launched an anti-Semitic tirade against Leyton, who is Jewish, on the Flint Journal’s comments section. After that, you would think the Republicans would pull the TV ad - featuring McIntosh holding a photo of her son and calling Leyton a liar - and apologize to Leyton.

If you thought that then you don’t know Republicans. Instead, they blamed Leyton for the tirade against him. In fact, the reaction of Republicans was downright bizarre.

The Republican AG nominee’s mouthpiece, the former chair of the Michigan Republican Party (MRP) Rusty Hills, claimed the McIntosh family was victimized a second time even though it was the Republicans that shamelessly exploited her grief and anger.

“If David Leyton would put as much effort into fighting crime in Flint as he does to attacking the mother of a murdered child, it would be much more productive," Hills said. "As a former member of congress, Bill Schuette has always been a strong supporter of the special relationship between the Unites States of America and the State of Israel."

Unbelievable. I have no idea what Israel had to do with anything.

The current MRP mouthpiece, Jennifer Hoff, who has a history of bizarre comments, did not disappoint.

“It is sad and sleazy, but predictable, that the Leyton campaign continues to attack a victim's mother in this way," Hoff said. “Mr. Leyton should apologize to Mrs. McIntosh for such awful accusations. The Chairman of the Michigan Republican Party is Jewish."

“The Chairman of the Michigan Republican Party is Jewish?” what, exactly, does that mean?

But the story does not end there. Schuette’s dirty campaign tactics using McIntosh have resulted in a very serious death threat against Leyton. According to subscription only MIRS on Tuesday, Leyton received a call from a male-sounding voice on the voice mail at his Genesee County Prosecutor's Office using the number listed in the attack ad.

MIRS reported the man as saying: “Hey, David Leyton, I’m a Michigan resident. I think you’re a piece of (expletive) dirt. I hope you get murdered in a spectacularly horrible way that (expletive) makes your family (expletive) wish people didn’t exist. People like you. Because you’re a piece of (expletive) dirt. And If I ever (expletive) see you driving or walking, maybe I’ll (expletive) swerve your way and maybe I’ll (expletive) run you over. Because you’re a piece of (expletive) dirt. (Expletive).”

MIRS said the police know who the man is, and that he “has a criminal record, and will be handled within the jurisdiction of Oakland County.” The reason foe the threat had to be the attack ad because Leyton is the Prosecutor in Genesee County, not Oakland.

Michigan Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer is calling on Schuette and the Michigan Republican Party to pull the ad featuring McIntosh from the airwaves before tragedy strikes.

“The death threat against David Leyton is the result of the hate-filled campaign that Bill Schuette and the Republicans are running,” Brewer said. “Bill Schuette is running a false attack ad against David Leyton, which he knows to be untrue. It’s outrageous that Bill Schuette and the Republicans would continue running this dangerous ad, considering the woman in the ad, Deb McIntosh, is being motivated by her dislike of the Jewish people, gays and lesbians. Anti-Semitism and homophobia are bad enough — now there are people out there threatening to kill David Leyton, all thanks to Bill Schuette and the Michigan Republican Party.”

Somehow, I doubt that will happen.

UPDATE: When you hear the actual audio of the threat, it’s even worse. The Two Guys Named Joe played it on their Oct. 21 podcast, and it’s disgusting. Like they say, clear the kids from the room before you play it.

Somebody should tell the AG about the YMCA four blocks from his office

A great job by the Michigan Democratic Party’s uncovering of Republican Attorney General Mike Cox’s plan to build a personal gym at taxpayer expense.

MDP Chair Mark Brewer provided the media with the blueprints for the office that will go on the 7th Floor of the AG’s office in the G. Mennen Williams Building in downtown Lansing where Cox’s office is located and a receipt for the $60,000 worth of exercise equipment. Now, I give a lot of credit to Brewer and Communications Director Jason Moon for this fine piece of investigative journalism, but I wonder if one of the 22 legal secretaries who just got fired last month because of the budget crunch did not supply the material. That’s the big story; Cox’s is buying this unnecessary perk but laying people off.

“It looks like Cox was for his taxpayer-funded $60,000 personal gym before he was against it,” Brewer said. “How long is Cox going to try and cover-up his outrageous plans before he admits that he is lying? This is just another display of Cox’s arrogance at the expense of Michigan’s citizens.”

Rusty Hills, a spokesman for Cox, does a great job spinning the story, but he’s paid well for that. You may remember Hills as the former Chair of the Michigan Republican Party during the dark Engler years, so he is very good at spin.

According to the Detroit Free Press. Hills said the gym would be geared, initially at least, to the 37 gun-toting investigators on staff.
"We buy books for attorneys, we have no problem buying weights for cops," Hills said. "We want the cops on our payroll to be in better shape than the criminals they're chasing."

Here is perhaps on of the best quotes I have ever heard from a public official. Besides, Hills said, a gym is urgently needed: "Folks in state prison are lifting weights right now, as we speak."

Man, what a spin doctor.

I happen to be a big advocate of physical fitness, but why do I have to pay for a perk only they can use?

I have a friend that owns the Howell Fitness Center in Genoa Township, and he and his wife are big contributors to all kinds of community causes. Dale has worked out a deal with the Livingston County EMS that provides memberships at a big discount to all of the paramedics, and the county provides them to the paramedics for free. Dale also provides a discount to law enforcement personal.

Wouldn’t it be more cost effective and help local gyms if the AG’s office picked up a gym membership or paid a portion of it? How about the YMCA? They are an excellent non-profit organization, and Lansing has some excellent YMCA facilities. In fact there is an excellent YMCA at the corner of Ottawa and Washington Street in downtown Lansing, and it’s just a short four-block walk from the AG’s office.

The walk will do them good, and they will be in “better shape than the criminals they're chasing."