So let me get this straight. The party that claims to be about election integrity and is tightening election laws throughout the country runs a bubble ballot at their state convention for key state positions in which the names of the candidate were not on the ballot. Delegates were given instructions on what bubble represented each candidate. In addition, convention delegates were allowed to spoil ballots and cast another ballot if they were confused with the state Republican party’s instructions.
This is what happened at the Michigan Republican Party’s state convention this weekend. The irony is that the AG candidate endorsed by former President Trump, Matthew DePerno, is the one who won the runoff election with bubble ballots with no names on them. DePerno made his name by contesting the vote in Antrim County by saying the voting machines errored and skewed the results to Biden, which was not true. As conservative Detroit News columnist said this morning, “A party that claims to be about election integrity screwed up the vote in every way possible. And party leaders kept their thumbs on the scale for DePerno throughout the process.” You cannot make this stuff up.
I have always had the greatest respect for Bill Ford for his leadership and commitment to SE Michigan. He took over as CEO of FOMOCO at a time of need, when he realized the existing CEO was not the right fit for the company. He stabilized the company by focusing on leadership integrity, vendor relationships, and union support. After a few years he realized he was not the right person to lead the company into the changing future, so he went out and hired Alan Mullaly, who helped take FOMOC to a whole new level, while Bill Ford remained as chairperson of the board of directors. Prior to today’s launch of the electric truck F150 Lightening , Jordyn Grzelewski, Detroit News reporter, sat down with Bill Ford in a question and answer session. One question and answer stands out to me which defines Bill Ford and his commitment to SE Michigan.
Q. What does it mean to you to see this vehicle being built at the Rouge, given all the history attached to that site going back to your great-grandfather?
A: For me, the Rouge is very personal. I don’t like to revisit this much, but back to the days when the powerhouse blew up and I spent literally weeks with the families and then again when I decided to redo the Rouge and make it the greenest plant in the world, when most of the executives at the time wanted just to raze it. So, I personally have been deeply, deeply and emotionally involved with the Rouge for my career. And that’s why this is very personal for me — not just the product itself, but where it’s made.
Let Republican representative of Georgia, Marjorie Greene’s testimony last week at the administrative hearing about whether she can be removed from office be a lesson to those who participated in the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol. The insurrectionist will get no support from her as she is in “cover my ass” mode. She also is suffering from early onset memory loss as she denied saying what has been caught on tape and she cannot recall much of what happened that day, other than she was a victim of the insurrectionists. As Heather Cox Richardson said in her daily newsletter, “Marjorie Greene’s refusal to repeat any of her inflammatory statements under oath in court, and therefore at risk of perjury, demonstrated the degree to which right-wing leaders have gained power by lying to their supporters without accountability.”
As I predicted, baseball’s condensed spring training his having a negative impact on the players. Many players are suffering injuries that normally would occur in spring training and be resolved before the season started. With the season less than three weeks old, the Tigers injury list would make for a pretty good team. Players who are on the injured list or have missed games include, Javey Baez(ss), Casey Mize (sp), Matt Manning (sp), Kyle Funkhouser (rp), Victor Reyes (of), Jose Cisnero (rp), Robbie Grossman (of), Derek Hill (of). All of these are key players who are expected to be major contributors to the Tigers this season. The good news is that for the first time in nearly 10 years, the Tigers have capable replacements.
My good friend Dan Mausolf, a fellow basketball official and former green’s superintendent at Radrick Farms Golf Course, has notified me of a silent auction for MSU’s turf research program, which is one of the best in the world. The auction will run from now until May 8. There are many great golf courses in Michigan who have donated rounds to the auction. If you are interested in participating and playing on a course you may not normally play, this is your opportunity. I will keep this link on my blog until May 8.
https://app.galabid.com/teetimes4turf2022/items
Pray for peace and tolerance. What are you doing to stop the violence? Get vaccinated and get your booster.
Quote of the Day: This convention was angry and divided. The phrase of the day was, “This is a sh*t show.” And it was. A Republican delegate at Michigan Republican Convention this last weekend.
Orchid of the Day: Bill Ford and FOMOC for their launch of the F150 Lightning.
Onion of the Day: The New York Yankee fans this weekend for their behavior toward the Cleveland Guardian outfielders following the Yankee’s walk off win. It is a sad state of affairs when the unruly behavior of the fans disrupts and takes away from an exciting win by the Yankees. See my Video of the Day.
Questions of the Day: What were the organizers of the Michigan Republican Party convention thinking when they passed out ballots for the run-off election with no candidate’s name on the ballot? Did they not anticipate run-off elections for some of the positions? Did they think that they could keep it from the press?
Video of the Day: Bad Yankee Fans.