Let the [Informed] Voting Begin, Part 1

Well, it’s political primary season again, and for Emmet County that means Republican primary season, because, except for Petoskey and Harbor Springs, Emmet is a red county. It also means that the witty Dr. Lou Zako and his wonderful wife Mary Jane have recommendations for the Republican voters out there. Below we present most of their voter guide, along with ERG’s comments, clarifications, and critiques (with Dr. Lou’s permission, of course). We are not endorsing any candidates but hope to guide in the decision-making process.

Here goes ... 

The Zakos: The two of us have personally met and have heard presentations made by many of the candidates, and have read campaign literature and discussed with trusted conservative friends the perceived strengths and weaknesses of each candidate. At both the county and township level, unfortunately, there is no contest, with only one candidate, who will win even if getting a handful of votes. 

ERG: Some offices, including ALL of Center Township’s spots, have NO candidates! The Official Candidate List for Emmet County shouts, “Apathy!” This attitude of indifference is reflected also in low voter turnout, uninformed residents, and very thin attendance at meetings, county-wide. Why is that? ERG encourages folks who want lower taxes, less government, and more transparency to show up, get involved, and run for office. Complaining won’t get it done! 

The Zakos: U.S. Senate ... four Republicans are running. Should Michigan elect a Republican [in November], this will be a great opportunity for the Party to once again hold a majority in the U.S. Senate. ... Of the four, former congressman Mike Rogers ... is the only one, in our opinion, who has a chance of beating Democrat Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin. Many of our conservative Republican friends hate Rogers because he has not been a 100% Trump supporter in the past. I would ask you, however, if you do not vote for him, and Slotkin becomes our next senator, will feeling good about not voting for Rogers comfort you enough when Slotkin votes for Supreme Court justices like current Justice Jackson, who cannot define what a woman is? Mike Rogers for U.S. Senate. 

ERG: And ERG would ask, “Does a former congressman [Rogers], with a lifetime score of 51 on The New American’s Freedom Index (a constitutionally-based scorecard we strongly urge everyone to become familiar with), deserve a single conservative’s vote?” We agree, he is probably the only candidate that can beat Slotkin, and we agree that that might be reason enough to fill in his oval, but if your conscience won’t let you vote for him, due to his Deep State ties, we recommend Dr. Sherry O’Donnell. 

The Zakos: U.S. House of Reps ... Incumbent Congressman, General Jack Bergman, who now has enough seniority to be on the more important committees (like the House Budget Committee, the House Armed Services Committee, and the House Veterans Affairs Committee), has a relatively unknown challenger, Josh Saul. Bergman will likely easily win the nomination and then win again in the general election. As with Rogers, many of our conservative friends do not like General Bergman, because he does not vote their views (and our views) 100% of the time. Our response to friends who demand a 100% candidate: How do you feel when you do not vote for the 85% candidate and a Democrat who votes 5% of your views wins and another Nancy Pelosi controls the House? General Jack Bergman for Congress. 

ERG: If only General Jack were an 85% guy! Unfortunately, we are stuck with a 61% lifetime score rep (Freedom Index). In the district, we could do much better. And we remind voters to not reject ‘relatively unknown’ candidates for that reason only, since Bergman was once that guy, and look how successful he was/is. Bergman and a 5% Dem are not our only choices. 

Part 2 to come ... stay tuned!

Foto: The Zakos