Thank You Michigan GOP! Saul Anuzis Is Out As National Committeeman

Electoral College Survives
Saul Anuzis

Bill Smith, Editor, ARRA News Service: Sometimes very important decisions are made at state GOP conventions, that have consequences for beyond their state. This weekend, Michigan Republican County Chairs and County State Committeewomen and Committeemen and others met in their state convention. They were there to do the usual rallying for the upcoming 2012 elections, selecting National delegates to the Republican National Convention in Tampa Florida.

The Detroit Free Press mentioned the efforts of a few Ron Paul supporters. They identified the Michigan convention as the typical Republican rallying supporting their majority choice for president, Mitt Romney and the usual negative responses to incumbent progressive liberal Barack Obama.

What caught my attention was Michigan opting to not renew their two incumbent National Committeeman and Committeewoman to represent them on the Republican Party Committee for the next two years and at the Republican National Convention in Florida. Ousted were Rep. Holly Hughes of Montague, MI and former Michigan State Party Chairman Saul Anuzis of Lansing, MI. They were replaced by former Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land of Byron Center, MI and state Rep. Dave Agema of Grandville, MI both also established Republicans. The usual results in most states is support for the continuance of the incumbents in these positions as long as they breathing and willing to serve. The bar is usually very low to be continued as National Committeeman and Committeewoman because the county delegates know the process and opt not to upset the system.

However, this year change happened at the Cobo Center in Detroit, MI. The usual response was expressed by the Detroit Press, due to "an era of discontent with American politics, even among political partisans." However, this statement missed the background of the discontent over the replaced individuals. Also, after the vote, Michigan GOP Chair Bob Schostak helped pacify the the media with a typical response. The Detroit Free Press quotes Schostak as follows: "he sensed Anuzis and Hughes were hurt by the delegates' desire for "change" and "fresh faces." Yes there are "fresh faces" but they are very much Republicans conservatives replacing Republicans who did not expect loosing their seat.

Out going Rep. Holly Hughes has been a Republican involved in grassroots politics since 1989. She worked numerous campaigns and has been a precinct delegate, treasurer, County Vice Chair, County Chair, District Chair and campaign county chair> Presently she serves as a MI State Representative with a conservative vitae. However, the Michigan TEA Party News considered some of her votes as favoring "Corporate Welfare" and not supporting individual liberty and local control. They stated, "It isn’t so much that Hughes is a bad legislator, but that she has a different philosophy on the proper role of government in our lives." It appears that the Michigan GOP refocused and voted GOP activist Republican Terri Lynn Land who is 53, former Michigan secretary of state 2003-11.

However, the most notable change was the the ousting of former Michigan GOP Party Chairman Saul Anuzis who had run previously for Chair of the National Republican Committee.

Anuzis was replaced by third term Republican State Representative Dave Agema for Kent and Ottawa counties. Agema is 63 and a former U.S. Air Force and American Airlines pilot. The TEA Party also addressed Rep. David Agema and his votes on issues. They said "Agema believes that the state and federal government should have a very limited influence on our lives and Hughes believes that the government should have more control."

In December 2008, Saul Anuzis caught the attention of many new media libertarians conservatives because of Anuzis willingness to promote Technology if elected National RNC Chairman. He said "Technology must be an integral and integrated part of everyday party operations. I am committed to making that happen. Technology will be front and center during my tenure as RNC chairman"

In January, 2011, Anuzis fell far short in the voting and was not elected. Instead, "Wisconsin Republican Chairman Reince Priebus on the seventh round of voting was overwhelmingly elected as the Chairman of the Republican National Committee for 2011-2012."

This was fortunate because eight months later in August, 2011, we find Saul Anuzis at the heart of the progressive agenda to encourage the Republican National Committee to support dismantling of the Electoral College. Anuzis had become a proponent of the National Popular Vote (NPV) and was behind an effort promoting the RNC national committee members to votes to support this effort. In August 2011, I addressed this issue in an article:

On Friday, August 5th, members of the Republican National Committee met in Tampa, Florida. In addition to their usual agenda items overseeing the direction of the RNC and reviewing the national activities of the National Republican Party, they were confronted by the discussion advanced by a limited number of left of center Republicans concerning the National Popular Vote initiative. To address this situation, a resolution opposing the National Popular Vote initiative was put forth to the committee. No members voted in support of the NPV agenda. All members voting, except one, voted for a resolution opposing the NPV. One member voted present. And, the chief advocate who precipitated the need for the resolution opposing the NPV discussion skipped out on the vote as detailed latter. . . .

It was disturbing to learn that a past candidate (twice defeated) for the RNC chairmanship, Saul Anuzis, was behind the effort pushing for the RNC to support NPV. "Michigan RNC member Saul Anuzis, identified himself as the leader of a small group on the national committee who supported the popular vote change." He told the The Washington Times "that he and five others on the national committee had 'expressed that support and at least 20 were open and undecided, but not willing to take any hits for something they didn’t care that much about.'" No names just innuendos were identified by Anuzis. He did not make his vote public but instead opted to leave before the resolution was voted on.

According to The Washington Times reporter Ralph Z. Hallow, Anuzis "left the Marriott Tampa Waterside ballroom before the vote on the resolution, telling people on his way out that he had a plane to catch." He later claimed in an email that, “It’s [NPV's] now on everyone’s radar and that’s good.”

Saul Anuzis has twice tried to gain the Chairmanship of the Republican National Committee. Anuzis is now on "everyone's radar and that's good." Anyone, including Saul Anuzis, who supports inane populism concept right out of the progressive playbook, has no place being the RNC Chairman.

Now Michigan Republicans have decided that their former State chairman no longer needs to be representing them as their National Committeeman. I anticipate conservative veteran Rep. Dave Agema will not be advocating to do away with the Electoral College. Thank you, Michigan!

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