Posted on 10/28/2006 5:58:25 AM PDT by Nowling
Michigan Republicans may be playing the ``gay card'' to counter the $5 million impact of Kalamazoo billionaire Jon Stryker's new political-action committee.
(Excerpt) Read more at mlive.com ...
Saturday, October 28, 2006
By Kathy Jessup
Michigan Republicans may be playing the ``gay card'' to counter the $5 million impact of Kalamazoo billionaire Jon Stryker's new political-action committee.
A top GOP campaign strategist on Friday said Stryker's Coalition for Progress has a ``shadow agenda'' to bolster gay and lesbian rights in Michigan, including a possible same-sex marriage initiative.
Kerry Ebersole, Coalition executive director, denied those claims, saying the group -- which she said now numbers about 4,000 supporters -- is advocating for jobs, health care, environmental concerns, education and stem-cell research. Ebersole called the claims on a new Web site paid for by the Michigan Values Leadership Fund ``personal attacks on Jon Stryker'' and said they amount to ``desperate tactics.''
Meanwhile, Bill Ballenger, one of Michigan's top political observers and editor of Inside Michigan Politics, said Stryker's Coalition for Progress ``could have more impact than anyone thinks possible,'' including prompting new state campaign-finance reforms.
``This is the state-level equivalent of MoveOn.org,'' Ballenger said, referring to the national, George Soros-funded, left-wing interest group. ``This has never really happened in Michigan history that an X-factor pumped millions into independent ads. If you're the Republicans, you're thinking of countless ways you can turn it or at least neutralize it.''
Bill Nowling, of the Lansing-based, Republican strategy group Sterling Corp., said the new Web site called ``The Stryker Story: Michigan's Social Civil War'' was created in the past several days and Web communication among a number of Michigan conservative groups already has generated ``200,000 emails that people are probably forwarding to 15 to 20 of their friends.''
Nowling said Republicans' push to link Stryker's Coalition for Progress to a possible gay-rights agenda could become an issue that will light a fire under what he called ``complacent conservatives.''
``Conservatives have been itching for an issue to get worked up over,'' Nowling said. ``I can't think of any social conservative who will have a reason to stay home now.''
``Don't be deceived,'' the Web site claims under the heading ``The Hidden Agenda.'' ``The Stryker fortune has been supporting an agenda very different than what is talked about in their negative campaign commercials.''
The site claims Jon Stryker's contributions have challenged abstinence sex education and the preservation of traditional marriage and supported gay adoption rights, homosexuality diversity courses, abortion rights and domestic-partner benefits for gay and lesbian couples. It highlights Stryker's Kalamazoo-based Arcus Foundation's support for projects ``which recognize that members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community deserve to be welcomed and celebrated.''
While this week's campaign-finance report shows the Coalition has spent most of its money on advertising challenging 10 Michigan House and Senate candidates -- all Republicans -- there are checks written to support several out-of-state, same-sex-marriage ballot issues.
None of the ads cite gender issues, instead, claiming Republicans are ``standing in the way'' on concerns like importation of Canadian trash and jobs.
Lisa Turner, Stryker's personal spokeswoman and national political consultant, said Republican attacks have ``now turned personal.''
``This Web site is not who he is,'' Turner said. ``The voters in Michigan are sophisticated and they deserve better than this. How many more days are the Republicans going to be attacking Jon Stryker and not talking about these issues?''
The fund's latest campaign-finance report shows incumbent state Sen. Tom George, R-Texas Township, recently received $3,000 from the Michigan Values Leadership Fund.
Nowling called the Coalition ``the third party in this election,'' pointing to 50,000 radio and television spots he said it has purchased in pivotal House and Senate districts.
George, who is the target of ads running locally by the Coalition for Progress, called the Web site ``unfortunate for the Stryker name.''
Lisa Turner, Stryker's personal spokeswoman and national political consultant, said Republican attacks have ``now turned personal.''
So, she's admitting the "attacks" are true about Stryker.
Unfortunate quote from her. And very telling.
Sniff Sniff...
BTTT
:>)
Here's the website mentioned in the story:
www.ProtectOurMichigan.org
You're not allowed to repost the rest of the article if it has to be excerpted.
mea culpa
No biggie...It's just part of the deal FR has with the MSM who went after them a few years ago.
well, I certainly would not want to be the source of more revenue for trial lawyers.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.