Up North Progressive

Four people so far have thrown their symbolic hat into the ring to be the next chairperson of the Michigan Republican Party. Of the four, one Northern Michigan resident is among them – Joel Poynter of Lake County.

Poynter was born and raised in Roseville and worked as an engineer for Dephi. In his introduction and platform letter stating his intent to run for Michigan GOP chairman. He begins by stating:

Change. That is what is needed in the Republican Party. It has been talked about, debated, but that is as far it goes. Why do some people fear it while others embrace it?

Poynter goes on to discuss his background in automotive engineering and why that gives him the expertise to be a good state party chairman. He also discusses his membership in the Tri-Cities 9-12 organization in Bay City. If you don’t remember what a 9-12 organization is, think back to the days when Fox News first started fabricating stories about the tea party being a national movement. One of the first rally dates that became symbolic to tea baggers back then was September 12, because it was the day after September 11. Poynter laments that being two hours away means he can’t make it to all the monthly meetings the group holds. A look at their Freedomworks page shows the last meeting for this group was in December of 2011, and it was a presentation on ‘home preparation as discussed by Glenn Beck.’ Four people attended this meeting. I’m sure Joel Poynter is sorry he missed out on learning about the importance of buying overpriced gold coins and freeze-dried beef stroganoff.

But anyway, back to change, because that is something Poynter says the Republican Party has to embrace if they are going to survive. What does that change look like?

1. Enacted legislation giving the right to vote to the black population after the civil war.
2. Morality and ethical behavior.
3. Fiscal responsibility.
4. Rugged individualism.
5. Limited Government.
6. Securing property rights.
7. Self Government which includes governing the individual passions that drive us all.
8. A firm belief that we receive our rights from God not Government.

Number one happened back when the only plank in the Republican Party platform was, “slavery shall not extend to the territories.” If you really want to talk about change, then consider what the party today stands for, and how much that has changed in the last 150 years to now. In fact Poynter very recently supported Dave Agema after he posted a link to a racist article on Facebook:

“Dave didn’t say anything that really wasn’t part of the platform … But yet some at the state level really tried to crucify him. I have a problem with that. If it’s in the platform, why are you crucifying this guy?”

So according to Poynter, the Michigan GOP platform includes the belief that black people are too impulsive and can’t reason or communicate as well as white people, and also there is a cultural battle going on in the state. Yes, that is a big change from the original purpose of the Republican Party.

Two and three on the list of course deal with denying LGBT people in the state their civil rights. Common Core and Obamacare are also there because Common Core will make your kids gay and Obamacare has the word Obama in it, so that makes it bad too. Number four the way the tea party understands it is a far cry from what Herbert Hoover ever meant. Five through Eight are the usual buzzwords that tea party people hear when they attend AFP and Freedomworks-funded gatherings, so those are important to mention. The Republican party needs the true patriots in charge so they can bring them back to whatever it is the tea party thinks they have to bring the GOP back to.

Poynter in his platform talks about getting the different factions of the Michigan GOP – tea party, establishment, and religious right – to sit down together and find common ground. This of course is the change Poynter believes has to happen, and he’s just the guy to do it:

Yes, the Michigan GOP will be in good hands with Joel Poynter leading the charge into 2016 and the future of the party. He will save the party from the establishment idiots and make everyone see that the tea party way of doing things is the right way to do things before the Republican Party slides into oblivion. Possibly not the leadership the Michigan GOP needs, but definitely the leadership they deserve.