The registration link has had difficulties and should now be up and running. If you tried to register and could not please try again.

 If you continue to have trouble, contact Event Committee members Cheryl 313-720-4184 or Christina 248-462-8726 ASAP.

 

 

PRESIDENTIAL RECOUNT UPDATE

 

Under Michigan law, to request a recount the Jill Stein/Green Party campaign (or anyone else for that matter) was required to pay $973,250 to file to begin the process.   That amount equals $125 per precinct for each of Michigan's 7,786 precincts.   That filing fee is NOT equal to the expected actual cost to conduct the hand recount.

 

The Michigan Secretary of State (our own Ruth Johnson) has estimated that the actual cost of the recount will more likely be in the $2 to $5 million range.  The cost of conducting the election on Election Day (November 8) is estimated to be in the $10 to $12 million range.  For that election all counting was done using counting machines and the initial count was done in one day.  

 

 

 Any expense not covered by the Jill Stein/Green Party filing fee will be (no surprise) paid for by taxpayers.   Please remember that Jill Stein had about 1% of the vote cast for her and 99% cast for other candidates.  So this process is NOT a recount, but a political statement that is being funding in large part by taxpayers.

  

Here is what you can do to help:

1.  Go to migop.org/recount to sign up as a  volunteer to help monitor the recount or to donate
2. Go to migop.org/stop-the-recount to sign the petition calling on Hillary Clinton and her fellow Democrats to demand an end to this wasteful and unnecessary recount.

A Message from the Chairwoman

Dear 14th District Executive Committee Members, and fellow Republicans;

Are you still basking in the glory from this historic Republican election year?

I hope so!  You are an amazing group of folks!  So many of you called, emailed, showed up and just plain jumped in to do what ever you could to help Donald J. Trump get elected.

I have never received so many calls and emails ----- I can only hope I got back with all of you. Prayers, excitement and many activities grew as the election drew near and it paid off. After 22 years, our state isRed. We all need to give ourselves a pat on the back. YOU are the reason, along with a whole lot of fundraising and leadership, that led us to success. Amen!

When first elected as your Chairwoman, I was committed to energizing, raising funds and growing our party in the 14th District. Of the many initiatives we have undertaken together, our 2nd annual Christmas / Hanukkah party is one that I amespecially proud to claim!

Special thanks to party organizers Christina Barr and Cheryl Costantino!  They are putting together a fabulous party that promises to be fun with great food and activities.  Of course, everyone is busy this time of year with family, relatives, community events and work related parties.   But ours is different.  Please attend on December 15 at 1917 American Bistro (19416 Livernois Avenue).  Yes---it is a fundraiser for the 14th.  But more importantly it is a time for us all to gather and, at long last, CELEBRATE the election of a Republican President.  

It has been so long, let’s not let this historic event go without celebration. Details about the event and a registration link are below.  All fellow Republicans are invited to attend. We welcome and want to celebrate with you!  You can register online or mail with a check to Treasurer Chris Konja. (details at the registration link)  Either way, we would beelated for you to join us and support the successes of the 14th District, the State of Michigan and the country!     

Our November newsletter had anunfortunate oversight.  The “Shooting from Concealment” training class (and fundraiser) we had a critical volunteer who was not recognized or thanked.  Debbie Oestreich was the important volunteer not mentioned.  That is corrected HERE. Without dedicated volunteers like Debbie (and her husband Robert who chaired the whole event) nothing could be accomplished inside the 14th.  With great enthusiasm we say “Thanks Debbie”.  Sorry about the oversight last month!!                                       

The 14th District is comprised of delegates from two counties.  I try to follow the action in each!  On November 17, the Oakland County Republican Party met in convention (nearly 450 strong in attendance) and elected its Executive Committee.  Among those elected include 14th District activists Jennifer Oram, Sue  Burstein Kahn, Robert Oestrich, Regina Brim, Bill Rauwerdink and Linda Stulberg.  That Committee then met on November 28 to elect the Oakland County GOP Chair to serve for the next two years. The Committee re-electedTheresa Mungioli. Congratulations Chairwoman Mungioli.

At the last MIGOP State Convention in Grand Rapids, the 14th District had the privilege to electone Electoral College “Elector”.  That Elector becomes part of history as he/she is a member of the Electoral College and one of the 270 votes President-elect Trump needed to win to gain the Presidency.  On December 19,  the Electoral College will meet nationwide. The 16 Michigan Electors will meet in Lansing.  Our Elector, Bill Rauwerdink, has been  inundated with emails from around the country begging him to change his vote.  Be assured, that won’t happen (even if it did, Michigan law would then void Bill’s vote and the other Electors would name another Elector to vote for Trump).   It is exciting to know that our Elector, Bill, and the 15 other Electors in Michigan will now part of this very historic event.  Congratulations Bill!  Hope we’ll have some pictures for the January newsletter!

Next County Conventions:  On January 26, 2017 each of Michigan county’s delegates will meet at convention to elect delegates to attend the MIGOP Convention in Lansing on February 10-11.  At that MIGOP State Convention, important decisions will be made as to who will lead the MIGOP for the next two year cycle.  In addition to a variety of MIGOP vice chairs, delegates will elect a MIGOP Chair.  As of today, Ronna Romney McDaniel, current chair and Scott Hagerstrom, Trump’s State Director, have announced their candidacies to be MIGOP Chair. .  

I have been asked by each candidate for an endorsement.  As promised two years ago, I will not take sides during a primary. I consider this a “primary” where the delegates need to make their own selection based on their personal view of who will do the best job.   After the election, I pledge to support the elected MIGOP Chair! .  Either Ronna or Scott would be anexcellent leader as we elect a Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General and Secretary of State in 2018.

 

Next 14th CD Meeting is our Annual Christmas/Hanukkah Party:  December 15

Location - 1917 American Bistro

19416 Livernois Avenue

Detroit, Michigan 48221

JOIN US!

All Republicans are welcome to attend this celebration party!  Please join us with your ideas, energy and help us grow!

This is our last newsletter until 2017.  Can you imagine that?   From our home to yours, enjoy your Holidays with your family and friends.  What a wonderful time of year!

Have an extra egg nog for me!  See you on December 15th!

Warmest Regards,

Janine Kateff

14th District Chairwoman

email -  [email protected]

Like our Facebook-https://www.facebook.com/mi14gop

website- 14cd.com

twitter -  https://twitter.com/

586 917 6118

Notable Announcments

• December 1:  Farmington Area Republican (FAR) meeting at 7 p.m. at FH City Hall features Lena Epstein, a state co-chair for Trump’s Michigan campaign
• December 8:  Oakland County Young Republicans Christmas Party at the Community House in Birmingham from 7 p.m.  No charge to attend, but an excellent silent auction.  Cocktail attire.  Sponsorship opportunities available: call Shawn at 248-978-6120 for details.
• December 12:  Lakes Area Tea Party’s “Deplorable Christmas Party” features Scott Hagerstrom, Trump’s Michigan Director and candidate for MIGOP Chair at Uptown Grille in Commerce starting at 6:30 p.m.
• December 15:  14th District Republican Committee Christmas/Hannukah Party (a/k/a VICTORY PARTY) at 1917 American Bistro with live music, raffles and more.  Details are below and sponsors are welcome. (see below)
• January 20 - 21:  Battle Cry ‘17 features Michigan’s only Trump Inauguration Ball at Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort (details below)

Victory Party Gala hosted by the 14th District

The 14th Congressional District second annual Christmas/Hannukah Party (a/k/a VICTORY PARTY) with be held December 15 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the 1917 American Bistro located at  19416 Livernois Avenue (located near the MIGOP’s Detroit Office).   

The event will feature a spectacular buffet, live music, exciting raffle items and a toast to our 45th President Donald J. Trump.

Sponsors for this event as of the date of this newsletter include:

• Ronna Romney McDaniel, MIGOP Chair
• Scott Hagerstrom, Trump's Michigan Director and Candidate for MIGOP Chair
• Dr. Rob Steele, RNC National Committeeman
• Tom Berman, Oakland County Commissioner (District 5)
• Janine Kateff, 14th District Chairwoman
• Sue Burstein Kahn, 14th CD State Committeewoman
•  Eastside Republican Club  
• Farmington Area Republicans  
• Greater West Bloomfield Republicans  
• Wayne County 14th District Republican Committee
• Battle Cry 2017

Additional sponsors are welcome and please call Janine Kateff to 586-917-6118 for details.

Event is $35 per person and registration is required.  Please CLICK HERE to register.

Pictures from this Party will be posted to Facebook athttps://www.facebook.com/mi14gop !

One of our very own 14th Congressional District Executive Committee members won an elected local local government position in the just completed election.  The victorious candidate is:

• Carol Foster, 14th District Executive Committee member, won in her first attempt at seeking public office and now joins the West Bloomfield Library Board.   (Offer congratulations to her at 248-961-6016 or email at [email protected])

Two other Republican candidates also won their election where the jurisdiction is at least partly  in the 14th District:

• Tom Berman was elected to the Oakland County Board of Commissioners (District 5)
• Joe Green was re-elected to the Park Commission for West Bloomfield.

We also need to give hearty congratulations to the many Republican/conservative candidates who gave it their all, but came up with too few votes.   By delivering the conservative message, though they did not win, each of these candidates did extend that Republican message to voters. We can win in the battle of ideas!   We are proud of their efforts and trust that they will remain active and perhaps run again “next time.”

The pump is primed for you to run again???

The list of candidates can still be found at the 14th District website  http://www.14cd.com/candidates

Bill Rauwerdink: Profile of Executive Committee member

 

Bill Rauwerdink knows how America’s Electoral College works. It could be that many of his fellow countrymen are about to be educated on the subject.

 

In any event, Rauwerdink finds himself right in the middle of the system. Capping an involvement in Republican Party politics that began in 2000 in its current incarnation, Rauwerdink will be casting his vote for Donald Trump in Lansing December 19 as a full-fledged member of the Electoral College.

 

“Yes, I am receiving hundreds of emails and letters which ‘demand’ that I change my vote to ‘save the country,’ ” Rauwerdink said. “Clearly the writers do not know how the electoral system works.   I can't wait to vote on December 19.”

 

The Electoral College consists of 538 electors. A majority equal to 270 electoral votes is required to elect the President. A state's entitled allotment of electors equals the number of members in its U.S. Congressional delegation: one for each member in the House of Representatives, plus two for the state’s U.S. Senators.  This is the math to get to Michigan having 16 electoral votes.

 

The Electors meet in their state and vote for President and Vice President on separate ballots, according to the U.S. Electoral College website.

 

The electors sign, seal, and certify six sets of electoral votes.  The most important of these six sets is distributed  to the President of the U.S. Senate (the Vice President) for the official count of the electoral votes in January.  

In addition, two packages go to the Secretary of State in the state where the electors met — one is an archival set that becomes part of the public record of the Secretary of State's office and the other is a reserve set that is subject to the call of the President of the Senate (the Vice President) to replace missing or incomplete electoral votes.  Two other packages are sent to the U.S. Archivist — one is an archival set that becomes part of the permanent collection at the National Archives and Records Administration and the other is a reserve set that is subject to the call of the President of the Senate (still the Vice President) to replace missing or incomplete electoral votes.  A final set goes to the presiding federal judge in the district where the Electors met—this is also a reserve set that is subject to the call of the President of the Senate (yupe, still the Vice President) to replace missing or incomplete electoral votes.

 

The U.S. Congress will then meet in joint session on January 6, 2017  to actually count the electoral votes.

 

Service as an elector comes as the apex to Rauwerdink’s active involvement in the GOP, which stretches back to his years in high school and college, when he became active in student government. Then he got busy with graduate school and careers and “fell off the bandwagon,” as he says. He  got  re-engaged in 2000  during the recount involving the election of George W. Bush and then really got involved after Barack Obama’s election in 2008.

 

But his roots as a conservative reach even further back.

 

“I grew up in a rural area,” he says.  “I never knew there was a political class other than conservative.   I discovered liberals in college during the Vietnam riots.   These folks were interesting to watch!   My apartment one year was on the dividing line where the National Guard stood shoulder to shoulder to separate ‘us” from the protesters.  I needed to asked the National Guard folks to move apart so I could step through to attend class. I was a business student and the Business School never cancelled classes.”

Rauwerdink was elected precinct delegate in 2008, running at the suggestion of then-candidate and now Governor Rick Snyder.

 

“I had asked him what I could do other than writing checks,” Rauwerdink recalls. “He said become a precinct delegate. I had no idea what I was getting into.”

 

Since then he has been re-elected as precinct delegate four times, served as the 14th  District’s representative to the Michigan GOP State Committee for one term and on the 14th Executive Committee for two terms.

 

He is  producer of the 14th District’s newsletter, which he says “is fun, but it does require a significant amount of work to stay on track with interesting content.  I hope the readers continue to enjoy it!”

 

Rauwerdink, a native of Wisconsin, holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where he has served on the Dean’s Advisory Board for four terms; and an M.B.A. from Harvard.

 

He is a private equity investor.  “Basically I have a portfolio of companies that I invested in and then I help them to grow,” Rauwerdink says.

 

He lives in West Bloomfield and has an adult daughter living in Chicago.

 

Concerning the future of the party in the 14th District, Rauwerdink says that  “given the high level of Democrat voters, we need a long-term plan, as winning an election now in the 14th is very tough — but not undoable.   The path that the current leadership has, which focuses

on engagement and working together, is an excellent start.”


Battle Cry ‘17 Hosts Trump Inauguration Ball

 

Battle Cry ’17, sponsored by the Michigan Conservative Coalition, will kick off the Inauguration celebration with its own Black and White Inauguration Ball on Friday, January 20 (Trump will be sworn in at noon that day) at the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort in Mt. Pleasant, MI.

 

  The Black and White Ball will be part of MCC’s two day Battle Cry ’17 event.   After Battle Cry’s first event last year, it was immediately established as the premier gathering of political conservatives in Michigan.  Learn more and register here https://www.battlecrymichigan.com/

 

 
Andy Schlafly’s rare appearance in a public event will make Battle Cry ‘17 a once in a lifetime event.

 

Democrat Rep. Brenda Lawrence “Votes for Us” in Washington

Your Democratic 14th Congressional District U.S. Representative Brenda Lawrence has beenbusy in Washington, D.C.  Here is a recap of several of her recent and shocking votes.   Her role in supporting the Democrat Party line and not Michigan values can be seen very clearly here.   Her votes often are like this:  think of a logical idea/opinion and then vote the opposite way.   After considering her positions, please feel free to call her office at 202-225-5802.

• HB 5063 passed 241 to 174 (wild guess --- Lawrence voted AGAINST) and this law prohibits the federal government from making settlements for legal cases by donating to third parties.  It ends the practice  of the “Justice” Department mandating that third party groups it chooses would receive funds from defendants who settle federal legal cases brought against such defendants.
• HB 5620 passed 310 to 116 with Lawrence voting AGAINST.  This law makes it easier to remote or demote employees in the Department of Veterans Affairs based on performance.  Who could possibly be “for” a fair deal for vets?
• HB 5251 passed 244 to 174 with (need we even say) Lawrence voting AGAINST.  This law prohibits any federal funding to be used for the transfer or release of individuals detained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
• HB 5226 passed 250 to 171, but in a surprise move Lawrence voted AGAINST.  This law requires all federal agencies to maintain on their website a list of each pending rule it is proposing, including the effective date, status and description.  So much for “transparency”.
• HB 3590 passed 261 to 147 with Lawrence voting AGAINST the people yet again.  This law allows taxpayers to continue to deduct on their federal tax returns medical expenses that exceed 7.5% of their income.
• HB 3438 passed 244 to 180 with Lawrence yet again setting a trend by voting AGAINST.   This would delay the implementation of any regulation that would impose an annual cost on the U.S. economy in excess of $1,000,000,000 (a/k/a $1 billion) until a judicial review of the proposed regulation is completed.  If no one requests such a review then that regulation would do into effect 60 days after being published.
• HB 5931 passed 254 to 163.  Any guesses here?  Yes, Lawrence voted AGAINST.  This law prohibits the U.S. government from paying the Iranian government  to take prisoners held by the U.S.  

News Links of Interest

• Trump’s victory reduces meeting scheduling (is this bad?)  
• Greektown streets to be reconfigured to ease traffic  
• Essential tips from a world champion public speaker  
• Twenty “shocking” facts that leaders need to consider now 
• Michigan DNR to sell surplus properties  
• Do the Pew Research News IQ Quiz  
• Michigan economy expected to grow in 2017  
• Consumer confidence spikes after Trump’s election  

 

Reminder About Membership

Are you a member of the Republican 14th CD?  Now is the time of year to renew your commitment to the District!

Mail your $25 membership check to Treasurer Chris Konja, 6575 Stonebridge E., West Bloomfield, MI. 48324. Or you can become a member or renew your membership using this linkhttps://mi14gop.nationbuilder.com/donation. Your dues and our other fundraising activities support Republican candidates and organizations in the 14th Congressional District.