Can Wes Nakagiri help fix the Michigan Republican Party?

Wes Nakagiri is running for the office of Lieutenant Governor. Last night I had the pleasure of speaking to Wes before the Rattle With Us Tea Party and listening to him speak to the mostly packed room at the Plymouth Cultural Center.  I was impressed with both his background (GMI – Mechanical Engineer, management of Engineering in a fortune 200 automotive supplier) and his stated beliefs.  Wes supports the Republican platform, principles of the Republican Party and the values of True Conservatives.  His thinking that enabling Obamacare through Medicaid Expansion was too egregious a breach of principles to accept, rang true with my sense of right and wrong. 

When someone uses the phrase “help fix” there is an implication that something is broken.  I submit that the Michigan Republican Party is indeed broken. In my relatively short time in the world of politics I have worked hard on the Clark Durant campaign, become a precinct delegate, followed by being an ardent door knocker for the Republican slate and knocking on well over a thousand doors as a volunteer for Livonia victory center, am a strong supporter of Senator Colbeck and his initiatives, served (briefly) as a member of the 11 th Congressional District Republican Committee and have been a supporter of the Rattle With Us Tea Party in Plymouth. I have attended the last two State Conventions and voted in both. 

I submit that there are at least 3 reasons to demonstrate that the Michigan Republican Party is broken:

1. The narrow victory of Bobby Schostak at the last State Convention over Todd Courser, a “more widely perceived” Tea Party candidate.
2. The narrow victory of the current 11 th Congressional District Republican Committee over the Libertarian/Tea Party forces that were led by Sara Ledford (the vote of 95 to 99 almost over threw the rules that were accepted at that Convention for the 11 th District.)  (The fact that the State Convention Parliamentarian and the Sergeant of Arms were called to this district caucus illustrates the contentious nature of the meeting!)
3. The strong negative reaction by Conservatives to Snyder’s pushing the Medicaid Expansion Bill through.

Make no mistake, the party is broken.  The question is: Can Wes Nakagiri help correct and re-unite this severely splintered party by attaining the office of Lieutenant Governor?

I was both an observer of and a participant in the “spirited discussion” following last night’s RWU Tea Party meeting.  A Tea Party Leader and a local Republican Party Leader debated the issue of whether Wes Nakagiri’s attainment of the Lieutenant Governorship would be a plus for the best interests of all persons right of political center?  (Note: Both of these individuals are friends of mine and people that I highly respect.)   I am using the term “right of political center” to include both Republicans and Tea Party persons because some of each group would like to exclude members of the opposite group.  This clearly is an issue that we need to fix before the next election cycle if we hope to win any elections.  A close examination of numbers, as evidenced by the last State Convention Election for party chairman proved how very close the support is (Republicans vs. Tea Party.)  The hard fact is that one cannot win without the other!

But why target Calley you might ask?  I do not personally know Mr. Calley but I do know that he promised to cast the tie breaking vote (if needed) in favor of Medicaid Expansion.  There are at least two possible reasons why Mr. Calley was prepared to make this decision:

1. Perhaps Mr. Calley was personally opposed to enacting Medicaid Expansion, but felt compelled to support his boss, Governor Snyder.

Or

1. Perhaps Mr. Calley actually supported Medicaid Expansion. 

The fact is; either possibility is too repugnant for me to accept.

This is, in my humble opinion, why we need to elect Wes Nakagiri as Lieutenant Governor. 

Having Mr. Nakagiri in the executive suite would:

1. Lead to a clearer      understanding by the Governor and the “Republican Establishment” of the      values of the Michigan Republican Platform.
2. Remind the Governor and      the “Republican Establishment” of the values and strength of the      grassroots Conservatives that helped elect them.

In summary, I am asking each Michigan Precinct Delegate to keep an open mind, take the time to get to know Wes Nakagiri and make the best decision possible.

Thanks and God Bless,

Bob Cushman – Precinct Delegate Northville Township