Thursday’s Carmen Group was great fun.

This group is working out well and turning into what I envisioned; a place where coalitions can be formed and maintained to further the conservative cause.



Present were people in leadership in the Republican Party, the Tea Party, County Commissioners, Center Right Bloggers, and just general citizens interested in getting information on all sorts of topics.

This meeting has no agenda rather those who have the most to say get heard. Kind of a “free enterprise” competition of ideas.

If anyone has some idea to push they are free to do so. However speeches are shunned. I’ve started with the help of Susie Hughes a “Dump Debbie” campaign, I passed out buttons and Susie made up some flyers. My idea is to get Debbie Stabenow’s face out there to become the face conservatives love to dislike; kind of like Michigan’s version of Nancy Pelosi.

Later too I passed around a sheet for the Carmenites to hazard a guess as to who the Republicans will nominate for Pres,and Vice Pres. In 2012. Lots of names and interesting combinations popped up. Palin and Romney in either slot appeared the most times however it was nice to see Christie, DeMint, Jindal and others in the mix.

All of the above was just a small part of the talk as 3 or 4 different conversations were being carried on depending where you sat at the table.

With a city commissioner here and the wife of another plus Jim Riley an avid watcher of the commission’s goings on there were some lively and in-depth discussions.

I can only hope The new Conservative Breakfast group I just started up in Hart will evolve into such a thing.

Also myself and three others have started laying the ground work for an Oceana Tea Party. We had our first sit down at a residence in Mears. This may take awhile to get off the ground due to the fact that a lot of people in Oceana take off and go to Florida or whatever in the Winter, but we exchanged emails and Phone #s to keep in touch. Already yesterday I got a call with a prospective member, a dentist who said he and some of his staff would be interested. I’ll call them. Who knows we may start having some preliminary meetings.

If you are reading this and live in Oceana County and wish to get in on the ground floor please call me
Bob Carr
231-728-3455

Catch ups

My “Limbo” I talked about last post may be coming to an end.

Let me first catch you up.



Tuesday morning we held our first “Carmen Like” Conservative Breakfast in Oceana County. It was held at Morat’s Bakery on State Street (the main drag) in Hart. For a first meeting, it went well. There were four of us at this beginning event. See pic below.

I had hoped for more but compared to the start of the Muskegon Conservative Breakfast we had an auspicious start. I’ll be working on getting more people to attend; I already have more who have committed to coming.

Our venue will change from Morat’s to a fine Mexican Café across and just down the street called La Fiesta, downtown Hart. (231) 873-4345.

The campaign I’ve labeled “Dump Debbie” is off and running. I had made up 10 buttons (see below) at Shirts n Stuff. I’ve given out 6 already.



The point of the campaign is to start planting the seed that in the next election a US Senator from Michigan is up for election. Her name is Debbie Stabenow. The Dump Debbie idea is to get people to ask Debbie who? So far it’s working.

I was really happy when Susie Hughes showed up at our latest Musk. GOP meeting with the flyer below. Susan put a lot of work into the research and as she told me by the time she was finished she was really steaming at all the pork Ms. Stabenow was responsible for. Susan made up a bunch of copies later and we passed them out at the Muskegon Tea Party meeting last night.


Click on image to enlarge



I was asked at that meeting if I would help set up a Tea Party in Oceana County. I’m going up there this morning to meet with a couple people.

Getting back to the limbo thing, after the Conservative Breakfast I stopped at my new house and the previous owners were moving out. We talked and I’ll be getting the keys this Friday. I already changed the electrical service into my name starting then. Looks like I will start to “unlimbo”. (LOL)

Our Musk. GOP meeting was short but well attended and after we had our poll challenger wrap up. Barb VanderVeen from the state was there. We learned a lot and will be even better next time around. I am upbeat about the process. Precinct Delegates have found a true friend in Barb. Susie Hughes Chaired our meeting as the Chair was busy elsewhere.

Our Musk. Tea Party had about 30 people and we talked mainly about the election and put out some ideas about what to do now that the election is over, as I’m moving I didn’t volunteer much.

That’s it for now. As always more will follow.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

PS, I'm starting to get my Website Bottom Up Politics back up and up to date.
Here is a link to the calendar of events. http://bottomuppolitics.com/calendar2_34.html

Limbo

Life Goes On

My life in particular is caught in a state of limbo.

I’m suspended between Muskegon and Oceana Counties.

35 days ago I bought a house in Oceana Co. I gave the sellers 45 days to move out. They said they hoped they would move out sooner. They haven’t. Winter is coming on. My new house needs a lot of work inside and out. As I sit in my old house typing this I don’t know what to do next.

The internet out there is dial up or Hughes net. Hughes Net is a satellite feed, while the speed is almost compatible to my current DSL from Frontier, I will be limited to 200 – 300 megabytes daily, depending on whether I want the $60 or the $70 plan. Ouch. I have Netflix and get movies in the mail that won’t change, but Netflix offers older movies and tv shows for free on demand. I use that a lot, with Hughes net I won’t be able to do that. Bummer. As far as the limits, movies have up to 2000 megabytes each.

I’m wondering if I can still put pictures into my blogs or if I’ll have to post them 1 or 2 a day?

Maybe my next campaign will be to get high speed internet out to the boonies. High Speed without the limits.

The limbo I’m talking about is well illustrated in political terms. Last Monday I went to the Muskegon County GOP Caucus Lunch. Tues I drove up to Hart for the Oceana County GOP Business meeting. After that meeting Oceana held it’s County Convention and elected it’s new leadership. Muskegon will hold theirs later.

Here is the new Republican leadership for Oceana County

Juanita Pierman , County Chair
John Hendrixson, Co Chair
Al Docter Treasurer
Andy Sebolt Secretary

All had previously served in their positions except for one new face.
John Hendrixson was also elected to the Oceana County Road Commission. Congrats to John and all the other members.

I also brought up the idea of ringing the Salvation Army Bell for Christmas as we do in Muskegon. Juanita took charge of that.
Here are a couple pics of the meeting.
click on any pic to enlarge




Another limbo thing is Carmen’s. I went to our 126th consecutive breakfast last Thursday. Rob LaMielle from Oceana came also. He and I finally decided that at least the two of us will have our first “Carmen’s” in Oceana County in Hart at the Moratz Bakery on Main St. katty corner from the County building at 8am Tues. I don’t think this will be our permanent home but it will be a start. We are inviting others.

There are also social things which I’m turning down. One is being a chaperone for a bunch of kids on a bus that Morning Bear and our Love Community Garden is organizing to go to Fruitport’s Old Fashioned Christmas Days Dec 15th and 16th. Bill Cooper’s Dad Ron will be driving the bus. I would here like to thank Marve Engle as being the one who came up with the idea for the Old Fashioned Christmas and has had it on his property since it’s inception. Due to some nasty politics in Fruitport he was squeezed out. I hope the Supervisor of Fruitport doesn’t ruin it.

Hey a little Snark here and a little Snark there and pretty soon we’re talking politics.

I’ll miss this stuff. Where I live there is only 1 precinct in the entire township. Completely rural, a complete set of new community problems I will have to learn.




As far as Carmen’s in Muskegon (my pride and joy), our group is increasing. I counted 15 all together Thurs. Sen. Elect Goeff Hansen came very late as a few of us were walking out the door, but it was good to see him.



Goeff had just returned from Lansing that morning. Wed. was a heavy working day for him as the transition is taking place. The Freshman Senators are all getting assignments and Goeff was pleased that he got to be assistant President Pro Tempore. While not perhaps the most important of positions, it gives him a seat at the leadership table, Sen. Hansen seemed pleased with it.

As I looked through the rest of the leadership Linked below I see some familiar faces that I’ve met through Goeff recent campaign such as Mr. Meekoff and Mr. Booher to name a couple. Goeff should fit right in. Right now Sen. Elect Hansen with his wife and they are preparing for a well deserved and much needed vacation. When asked where they were going, he only said they were headed West and that no one will know where they are going.

-----link-----
http://www.senate.michigan.gov/gop/readarticle.asp?id=3477&District=99
--------------

Well done Goeff.

Mr. Hansen seemed quite tired, yet as we stood outside Carmen’s it became apparent he was excited about the prospects of getting things done. If you remember he was a member of the state house and in the minority with a Democrat Governor, and the Republicans only had a simple majority in the Senate. Today he has a leadership role in the Senate which has a Super majority and with a House of Reps controlled by the Republicans backed up by the weight of a Republican Governor.

Like I said in my previous post Wowdeedowdee.

Regards, Live Dangerously Be A Conservative

PS did I mention what my new kick will be? You know how I love political buttons. Well I coined a new one and will be getting it made at Shirts n Stuff in Cloverville. It’ll simply say “Dump Debbie”. As we get closer to 2012 more people will understand Who Debbie is. LOL.

Wowdeedowdee

Election stuff.

WOW

US House Majority,

Michigan House and Super Majority in the MI Senate

The Governor, SOS, AG, Majority in the State Supreme Court.

Only one Democrat State Senator out of the box West of Lansing and North of Saginaw.

Muskegon however retains its “Sister City to Detroit” image.

However cracks are appearing even in this urban Mecca we call Muskegon.

The cream on top of this avalanche, the unexpected upset of all time -- Alan Jager is our new Muskegon County commissioner. Wowdedowdie what a nail biter, if I remember correctly Alan won by a scant 51 votes.

Across the board Republicans gathered more votes than in the past.
Holly Hughes resurrected herself with a win after losing the same race in 2008. She has to feel pretty good about that.
Marve Engle and Bob Scolnik won easily with greater margins of victory than last time.

I would like to give a tip of the hat to John McNally who ran for the 92nd state rep seat even though he lost, and I’ll tell you why.
Mr. McNally received the highest % of votes that anyone has ever gotten out of the 92nd. Before that Bob Cutler in 2004 had 34%; Marianne Darnell-Harris in 2006 garnered 29% and Jim McCormick had only 26% two years ago in 2008.

John McNally, a strict conservative with ties to the Tea Party stepped forward when no one else would and ran to win. He started late in the cycle but once he decided to run he RAN. More correctly he walked and walked and walked up and down the precincts. He worked hard and his message resonated with more people than before in this predominately Blue district.


Here is the Muskegon County Clerks link for the 2010 Election.

http://co.muskegon.mi.us/election/allresults.stm

Here are the results from 2006 to compare.

http://www.co.muskegon.mi.us/clerk/elections/archiveresults/elections_2006g.stm

Notice for example that in the race for the 34th state senate race Goeff Hansen won Muskegon County by 1,800 votes and carried the district easily. Note also how in 2006 Gerald VanWoerkom lost Muskegon by 5,000 but hung on to still carry the district.

I helped Hansen so I’m prejudiced, but I saw all the work Goeff has put into this campaign. From 2 years ago when no one in Muskegon hardly knew his name, he and his staff led by Pete Wills ran hard and never let up. Two other contenders dropped out leaving Rep. Hansen an unopposed primary. The mark of his campaign was that they did not slow up because of that. Like all winners, the Hansen Team took that early victory and worked all the harder to keep the ground they had gained.

While I’ve had some disagreements with the campaign, the mantle of managing this victory sits squarely upon Pete Wills head. As with Goeff, Mr. Wills never quit, never stopped pushing and always kept their eyes on the goal.

But I digress.

The county clerks site is fun to roam around in, see for example how your precinct voted.

http://co.muskegon.mi.us/election/municip_viewer.asp

Simply click on the township where you live and find your precinct.

Here is a link to the State Secretary of State website, same thing but for the entire state.

http://miboecfr.nictusa.com/election/results/10GEN/

One last thing before some pictures.

Since the beginning of the Tea Party the name of Ray Franz has been on my radar. As I travelled up and down West Mi on the Tea Party circuit, I kept running into Ray at Tea Party meetings and rallies. Rep Franz had lost to Democrat Scripps in 2008 and had started running for 2010 shortly after his loss. Ray’s natural conservative tendencies were a perfect fit for the Tea Party.

What I liked about Ray compared to the other “Johnny come Lately” Tea Party candidates was that he was there as a member not so much as a politician. He has been part of the Ludington, Manistee and Benzie groups. Through the likes of Ray, the Northern West Michigan Tea Parties have pretty seamlessly merged with the Republican County Parties.

Back when winning back the Mi. State house was just a whispered dream, Ray Franz and the 101st district was usually mentioned as a bell weather as to whether we could actually do that. For me it was a natural fit. I did what I could to help his campaign. And a :-) to Jennifer his Campaign Manager both times, victory must feel sweet to her as she caught the brunt of the fallout from Ray’s previous defeat from all the second guessing arm chair pundits.

Through my five county website and through helping Senator Elect Hansen (boy that sounds nice), I became acquainted with Jon Bumstead who ran for Goeff Hansen’s current 100th State House Seat. What a victory he had. Nearly 2 to 1. Jon even won Lake County a heavily Blue county. Kudos to him, the Runnels and their foot soldiers one of whom comes to mind, Andy Sebolt who knocked on a lot of doors.

Appreciation for the work the North Counties contributed to the Hansen and Bumstead campaings is in order. Three cheers.

As some of you know, I’m moving up to Oceana County. This was not a political decision but I found the perfect house for me and my finances. However I have previously gotten to know some of the players up there and I’m hoping I can fit in. The county chair and mayor of Pentwater has taken me under her wing a little and has introduced me around. This lady has a Chicago background; gee I guess if she fit in I have a chance. Lol.

Once I move finally move in which will be around the end of November, I will get to working again on my five county web site, and start setting the stage for the 2012 elections. Wow lots to think about there, for example who will run for the US Senate against Stabenow? I imagine it will be a crowded field and fun to watch. All the township and county races will be coming up also.

Well enough for now and I apologize for not blogging more as the election took up the majority of my time.

Below are some pics from the Hansen Team Victory party in Hart.

Regards Live Dangerously Be A Conservative