'The establishment strikes back': Justin Amash asks supporters to join his 'rebel alliance'

The Washington Examiner ^ | December 10, 2013 | Ashe Schow

[kobald]

Popular Congressman Justin Amash, R-Mich., is fighting back against his primary challenger Brian Ellis with a Star Wars-themed campaign event titled “The Establishment Strikes Back: Join the Rebel Alliance.”

Amash, the two-term libertarian congressman who introduced the Amash Amendment to rein in the National Security Agency spy programs, will hold a “money bomb” event Dec. 16 to raise money for the congressman’s re-election campaign.

Amash’s campaign had $164,000 cash on hand at the end of July, while his opponent has the ability to self-fund and is backed by Big Business.

“The good news is that [Ellis] doesn't have grassroots support, so he'll have trouble selling voters on his distortions and lies,” Amash's campaign wrote on the Facebook page advertising the event. “The bad news is that he doesn't think he needs grassroots support to run a campaign. He thinks he can get away with just writing checks to himself.”

Ellis has the backing of well-funded Michigan donors who have signaled their intent to replace Amash with a more establishment GOP candidate.

Amash, meanwhile, was endorsed by the National Federation of Independent Business, several small-business political action committees and the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste. He also has been backed in the past by the Detroit News and the Grand Rapids Press.

Ellis claimed Amash “turned his back on our conservative principles” by voting against the Paul Ryan budget. Amash, who explains all his votes on his Facebook page, said he voted against the Ryan budget because it didn’t balance the budget until 2024, included $600 billion in new taxes and increased government spending by 3.4 percent each year.

“On Monday, December 16, let's show the Establishment that their attempts to strike back against Congress's strongest champion of liberty will be in vain and help Justin's campaign with a huge money bomb,” the Amash campaign said.

[kobald]

Ellis has the backing of well-funded Michigan donors who have signaled their intent to replace Amash with a more establishment GOP candidate.

I didn't know George Soros lived in Michigan.

[VanDeKoik]

Amash is my congressman and represents one of the most conservative parts of the nation outside of Utah. Not only that, he is actually respected by people on both sides.

This is also a district that does not defeat incumbents. In the past 50 years we only had 3 Reps. Gerald Ford (until he became Nixon’s VP), Vern Ehlers (retired), and Amash.

Ellis just wants to experience how much money he can blow in 6 months and walk away with his ass handed to him.

[Oak Grove]

Conservatives are fighting big government, socially liberal people for the control of the Republican Party.

If conservatives win that fight, we may stop America’s slide into an abyss.

If liberals win, we will start a new political party.

Be strong, and support conservative candidates.

[Old Sarge]

"The last traces of the Republic have been finally swept away..."

[immadashell]

If the RINOs spent as much time and money on beating RATs as they do blasting Conservatives there would be a perpetual Republican majority upholding the Constitution of the UNITED States.

[cripplecreek]

Sounds like the RNC is going to vote to censure RNC committeeman Dave Agema for speaking out against gay marriage.



Michigan legislative action thread

[Pollster1]

"These are not the communists you are looking for."

[cripplecreek]

From Dave Agema's facebook page:

I spoke last week at a Christmas Party in Berrien County about the need for unity in the Republican Party and the importance of supporting our national platform. A journalist was in the audience and wrote a news article that twisted my speech far out of context. Some in the GOP have decided to advance their own agendas by continuing to push these distortions. In response to the twisted articles posted from some GOP members that were not at an event, I say this: I was simply making a point about my opposition to same sex benefits and for traditional marriage. I stand by my words as I said them despite efforts by others to twist the meaning of those words. I strongly support the GOP Platform, the Michigan Constitution and the RNC Resolutions passed in support of Traditional Marriage and will not back down from those principles.

Unity in the party is what I stressed in that speech and those that don't accept the platform are causing dissention in the party, are wrong in doing so and that is exactly what is occurring now. I call upon all Republican Party members to embrace and support the Republican National Committee platform and use this document as a source of unity going into the 2014 election cycle.

[JRandomFreeper]

Amash, the two-term libertarian congressman

/johnny

[cripplecreek]

Its either that or an Upton twin.

I’ll take the “libertarian” who is a better conservative than 98% of the GOP.

[MeshugeMikey]

George Soros lives everywhere the US dollar is accepted!

[glorgau]

He must be the Representative from Alderaan.

[Paladin2]

The MI GOPe are attacking the Reindeer Wrangler too.

"But, this week, to the surprise of absolutely no one who has been paying attention, that Establishment may have gotten its wish when businessman/attorney David Trott announced he will challenge Bentivolio in a Republican primary."

[cripplecreek]

Kerry Bentivolio is one of the very best in DC and he’s a virtual unknown outside Michigan.

[max americana]

Wished i had a rep like Amash. Our rep gets a hard on and sodomized himself with a picture of his god odumbo in his office.

[P-Marlowe]

Brian Ellis is a GOPOS.

[cripplecreek]

Rabid marxist Jocelyn Benson was going to run for the Bentivolio seat but she decided against it when she heard the GOP was going after him themselves. Its like the GOP and Democrats are working together.

[jimpick]

yes they are attacking with the help of the Dems. I will be driving 180 miles to help Amish before to long. Benishek is a Bonehead follower.

I thought I should send a check to Benishek to give to Amish just to let him know who I support.

[cripplecreek]

No kidding about Benishek, he didn’t waste any time caving in to the establishment.

[exnavy]

So we can vote for full blown communists (democrat) or we can vote for communist wanna be (republican). The amazing thing to me, is the open and obvious admission of these positions by the parties concerned.

The tree of liberty, from time to time needs to be watered.