Grassroots Will Support a Conservative Nominee

To GOP: Stand Firm on Non-negotiable Principles

Michigan Republican Party Chairman Saul Anuzis was scheduled to address the attendees of the Conservative Political Action Conference February 7. Here are excerpts from his prepared remarks:

When conservatives get elected and get comfy in the halls of power here in our Nation's Capital, some lose their way. Some forget who sent them here and why. Some begin to believe that somehow "Washington knows best." Some commit the cardinal sin of forgetting the values and principles of the conservative grassroots who did the hard work of actually getting them elected.

Well, I'm here with a simple message-the grassroots are watching, the grassroots are listening, and the grassroots will be voting. And I can assure you of this: The grassroots will not be forgetting their values and principles when it comes time to vote.

And we will hold you accountable.

Electing the next Republican President won't be simply about moving moderates into the Republican column. It will be about moving conservatives of every stripe-or no stripe at all-to vote for our nominee.

That's what Reagan did, and that's what we can do if Republicans rebuild our party as the champion of limited government and a strong defense, lower taxes and less regulation, more freedom and maximum opportunity.

These principles are non-negotiable. There will be no surrender!

Over the past couple of days, the pundits have been debating whether the campaign for the Republican nomination is a two-man contest or a one-man show to win the hearts and minds of all Republicans and America.

As usual, the pundits miss the point.

This is a race to 50% plus one on Election Day. And give or take a few million votes, that means the winner on Novemher 4 will have to win the hearts and minds of about 65 million Americans.

My job is to help win about two and a half million votes in Michigan.

Sadly, it might be even less than that, if still more unemployed workers and families flee our state to escape the burden of higher taxes and the Democratic disaster called Gov. Jennifer Granholm.

Remember just a few years ago when Michigan's Gov. Granholm was the darling of the Democratic Party? Her supporters wanted to change the U.S. Constitution to let foreign-born citizens run for President.

You don't hear much about those ambitions anymore, but you do hear about Granholm's escaping Michigan to join a "new" Clinton Administration in Washington.

As the mother of the biggest tax hike in Michigan history, Granholm will certainly fit right in with the tax-raising plans of the Democrats. Bonded in what I have called "holy taximony," Sen. Hillary Clinton and Granholm share the belief that bigger government and higher taxes will erase Michigan's single-state recession or the highest-in-the-nation unemployment.

Yes, you heard that right, a single state recession, and the highest-in-the-nation unemployment.

So what did the Democrats in Michigan do to try and turn this dismal economic situation around? What steps did the Democrats take to create more jobs and create more opportunities so our young people won't have to leave the state in search of jobs? What steps did the Democrats take in Michigan that might be an indication of what Democrats would do in Washington if a Democrat becomes President?

They raised taxes $13 billion.

Last year, Gov. Granholm and her Democratic economic wizards in the state legislature rammed a $13 billion tax increase down the throats of Michigan's taxpayers late last year.

Virtually every Republican opposed the tax increase.

Virtually every Democrat supported it.

Virtually every Republican supported reforming government to cut wasteful and unnecessary spending.

Virtually every Democrat opposed reform.

And when Gov. Granholm threatened to shut down government, Republicans stood up to oppose such an irresponsible and unnecessary step designed to scare the people of Michigan.

So we went on the air, taking our message to the people.

Legislators felt the heat. Several Democrats even refused to cast a vote at all. Then it got ugly. State House members were actually held hostage, kept in session for seven straight days and seven nights, not able to sleep or touch base with their constituents. Rumors began to circulate that certain legislators were being "bought off" by special interests working with the governor.

And in the end, Gov. Granholm got her way, despite the fact that 70% of Michigan voters said to cut spending and reform government first.

Today, the governor is singing a different tune, saying she'll never raise taxes again, because, in her words, "it's just too hard."

And despite plans by the Democratic speaker of the House to raise the state gas tax, Granholm said: "I think raising the gas tax now is impossible, because people are hurting."

Now, with recall campaigns sprouting statewide, the governor called for a "cease fire" to foster bipartisanship in the legislature. Trouble is that the Democrats have done all the shooting, putting even more holes in Michigan's troubled economy with their partisan bickering. And the voters are figuring out that for the governor, "bipartisan" is just a code word for spend more and tax more.