Voter Education
What Made An Endorsement Convention Necessary for the 2024 Ottawa County Primary?
—Because of the AS vs IS factor!
Opinion
10 minute read only
or 58-minute listen-and-study
It has been asked why an Endorsement Convention was necessary. "Just let the people decide!!" has been shouted from the rooftops of our critics. Well, for the record, a citizen can still vote for whomever they want. However, we have a big problem here in Ottawa County due to the Open Primary System in the state of Michigan. Michigan is in the minority of states with this type of voting system and it's causing a lot of problems. And unfortunately, there are [too] many candidates running under the Republican name who are not conservative right here in Ottawa.
The problem is so far-reaching, that we felt the Public deserved to know what the Ottawa County Republican Delegation thinks of these candidates, given that the Precinct Delegates are the most informed citizens on the topic of vetted Republicans in the County. It is, in fact, their job to be informed, since they are duly-elected representatives of their neighborhoods and precincts. Therefore, the Delegation gathered on May 16, 2024 for an endorsement convention after unanimously voting through the measure to hold one at the February Convention.
This excerpt below is one of hundreds of examples we could share with you as to the core problem of what people who call themselves "Republican" think about conservatism.
Here, you will find information about how "Moderates" view the Ottawa County Republican Party and why taking the guesswork out of who is running "as a Republican" VS who really IS a Republican is necessary. Below is a 58-minute podcast that includes an interview of Commissioner Roger Bergman who is campaigning for Josh Brugger to be his replacement on the BOC and Georgetown Township Trustee, Becky Steele, who is also playing a key role in John Teeple's campaign. This Podcast was recorded 8 months ago in November of 2023.
Also, we've put together some interesting moments for you based on the exact clip-time in the audio including our thoughts and commentary, should you rather scroll and listen to the highlights, based on the premise of AS vs IS. We find it curious that in recent days, Commissioner Bergman has found it necessary to put forward mistruths about Jon Anderson, the OCRP-Endorsed Sheriff's candidate. We believe the disclosures below help explain the answer. *It's difficult to listen and not feel that Bergman has ever been very conservative and is unhelpful on issues such as the first amendment, the second amendment, and limited government, just to name a few. This podcast, along with many other examples on record, is what makes the Delegation greatly question Bergman's 'Republican' roots.
Disclaimer: We understand neither Roger Bergman or Becky Steele are running again for office in this cycle. However, they are both actively involved campaigning for those who are. Additionally, they helped find their own replacements for their currently held offices, so we feel you should hear what they specifically think about conservatism and the Party who represents conservative values.
Why is an Endorsement Convention Necessary?
—Because of the AS vs IS factor!
Click on the picture to listen on Youtube
Listen on Apple Podcasts here
6:15—7:00 When I ran for the County Board [BOC] I knew that Ottawa County is a Republican County and that if I wanted to be elected I needed to run as a Republican.
7:44—9:20 …in 2015…the Party started to change …the Patriots came on—this further right group….then …whole thing with Trump…it changed the whole dynamics of the Republican Party…slowly what happened was…it started to swing more and more to the right…since then…two years ago…there were only two [Commissioners] that were going [to Party affiliated Events/Meetings.]
Our Thoughts: Hmmmm. If you stopped going to Party events and meetings over two years ago Commissioner, because you felt convicted by the direction of the Party, why did you run “as a Republican” in 2022? It's a fair question. You could have redeclared as an Independent, since you claim a "moderate" stance as your adherence.
9:45—11:40… The takeover of the Party—The stealing… —The stolen party—checking the Republican box…when religion, this nationalistic Christianity started to take hold…people used scripture …to weaponize their religion to justify certain things they were advocating for…
Our Thoughts: Restoring the Republican Party back to its original platform places an intentionality on our Judeo-Christian values and the Constitutional priorities of our Country’s founding. Whenever politicians are reminded that our Country was founded on Judeo-Christian principles, also known as scripture that supports freedom, and they also then accuse conservatives of “weaponizing scripture,” they usually identify as Democrats. However, when a Republican does this, they claim to be a "moderate." Of course we know that accusations don’t come from God. Our Founders were not moderates in that sense. Our Founders said, ...Put God’s name on the currency. Let our currency reflect "in God We Trust." Conservative Republicans don’t consider this to be a moderate act on the part of our Founders.
On one hand, Bergman calls himself a Christian in this podcast. On the other hand, he refers to Christians as “they” and “them.” We wonder if he means to say that he is a moderate Christian? We're not altogether certain, yet he doesn't speak in a way that suggests he's fan of Judeo-Christian values. As Ottawa County Republicans, we don’t feel there is such a thing as a moderate Christian. There are those who seek the Lord, those who know the Lord, and those who don't believe there in a "god" at all, and then there are those who pretend to know the Lord; this last option allows politicians to stay in the grey, squishy middle rather than being locked into a position on an issue. It is the easiest way to get Ottawa County's conservative votes when one isn’t really a Republican.
29:48 I am the figure head for normal People [referring to the center and the left]
29:55 Doug Zylstra and I are working hard [together] to derail some of this stuff.”
[Emphasis ours. --The “stuff,” being Protecting Childhood Innocence, the Honoring of Veterans, and resolving to be a County based on the Constitution of the United States of America]
31:50—32:02 “I served on the Board [BOC] for 10 years and we had a normal Board...”
Our Thoughts: We are wondering if “Normal” is considered the masking of schoolchildren in August of 2021 as school began, when Covid numbers were low. This is when of course Commissioner Bergman was Chairman of the BOC and claimed the Board had no authority over the, then Health Director.
These last segments focus on Georgetown Township Trustee, Becky Steele's remarks, further reiterating the need to run "as" a Republican⬇️
34:09: Host asks Becky Steele: Tell me First why you decided to run AS a Republican? Why did you choose to not be a Democrat?
35:27: Steele's Remarks: The problem there, is that the Republican Party is far right.
37:20: The Ottawa County Republican Party isn't looking for someone like me who thinks we shouldn't be censoring books in the library...
38:40: I've been pretty open about it being very hard for me to identify as a Republican anymore...
Our Thoughts: Regarding Becky Steele's remarks: we are glad she is open about the difficulty for her to identify as a Republican. It IS however curious that she claims in the beginning of the podcast that she chose to run "as" a Republican over a Democrat because of her stance on abortion and that she is Pro-Life. It is interesting that she labels the local Party at the same time as being "far right" with disdain, since the Life issue is far and away what earns us that label.
So, as she readily admits it's difficult for her to identify with the Republican Party, we also think it's great that she doesn't have to. She can run as a Democrat or an Independent. It’s okay for her to come out of the closet. If she hates our ideals and can’t identify with them, she can look for another Party whose values she can more align herself with.
The OCRP will be looking for candidates who understand that protecting children in school Districts from viewing obvious porn in the school system endangers children, and that the Censorship of appropriate library materials is an altogether different matter than child endangerment. If this makes the OCRP a radical Party, then we accept the label.
*Township Trustee races did not fall into the category for endorsements this time, yet Trustees are still important offices to be voted on by the Public in the primary and we encourage you to do your research. *However, if Becky is wondering if the Republican Precinct Delegates of Ottawa County would vote for Becky Steele to be endorsed should she run for Commissioner or a higher office, the answer is very simple. Probably not. *We value children more than we value the lie that clearing porn from a school library is the exact same issue than the issue of censorship for the sake of censorship.
Final thoughts on this podcast: *The Republican Precinct Delegates know the difference between as and is. They know who is running as a Republican vs who actually IS a Republican. For more information on who IS a Republican, see here:
THEREFORE, given all of this, if Commissioner Bergman recommends different candidates than the ones in our Primary Voter Guide as he does in the post below, what say you?
We trust that if you are an Ottawa County conservative and you value your Freedom of Speech, your Second Amendment rights, or something as simple as sending your kids and grandkids to a school environment that is free of masks [as it should be in a county run on the conservative value of limited government], you will vote oppositely than is suggested by either Roger Bergman or Becky Steele. *Things such as tyrannical mask policies and closed schools will be back in Ottawa County if Bergman/Steele preferences win.
Thank you for choosing to equip yourself with knowledge and Voter Education,
Communications Team
Newsletter Editorial Team
Information Subcommittee
July 8, 2024
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*Paid for with regulated funds by the Ottawa County Republican Committee, not authorized by any candidate or candidate committee. Mailing address: P.O. Box 514, Hudsonville, MI 49426