The Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference often lures a who’s who of GOP power players to Michigan. Wealthy donors shake hands with presidential candidates, who give rousing speeches to packed audiences in hopes of winning the conference’s straw poll.
The event is typically a money-maker for its sponsor – the Michigan Republican Party – helping to fund get-out-the-vote efforts and support campaigns to get Republicans elected throughout the state.
But this year’s conference was decidedly different.
The only presidential candidate to show up was Vivek Ramaswamy, who was mostly polling in the single digits. The line-up of speakers included failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake; Zuby, a British rapper who occasionally appears on Fox News; and, conservative provocateur Dinesh D’Souza, who ultimately did not show up.
The biggest draw was actor Jim Caviezel, a promoter of QAnon conspiracy theories, who had a hit movie this summer but is perhaps best known for playing Jesus in “The Passion of the Christ” movie 20 years ago. He was paid a $110,000 fee to attend and give a 25-minute speech.
The event, simply put, was “a disaster,” said Warren Carpenter, an active party member and former district chair.
I just listened to the This American Life podcast episode about this.
I enjoyed the schadenfreude, particularly listening to different people talk about how the new leader must be a deep-state plant put in place by the Democrats to destroy the GOP in Michigan. No, you dipshits, you voted for her to be your leader. You wanted someone who fully bought into Trump’s lies about the last election, and (big shock) the person you chose is a complete moron.
There were also two Muslim dudes complaining that despite being elected to leadership positions in the Michigan GOP (they ran unopposed), they were cut out of involvement and planning. They claim it is because they are Muslim. The leader says it’s not true, but they have screenshots of communications with her that back up their story. Got real “sheep desperately trying to support the wolf party” vibes from them.
We need more GOP organizations like this. Once the GOP has completely self-destructed, we can go to work on the Democrats, and maybe end up with a government that actually cares about people instead of billionaires.
I don’t think it will ever happen, but it’s still nice to see the GOP unwittingly destroying themselves.
They’re currently favored to win the WH and Senate. They already control the House and SCOTUS.
Self destruction has been predicted since Obama won in 2008, but they’re doing pretty well.
I’m listening to it now lmao
The idiots can be summed up in one line from one of the GOP members talking about their frustration:
“What I believe isn’t fact. I don’t know what I believe anymore.”