As Michigan Republicans try to oust Chair Kristina Karamo and one of their members is accused of decades of abuse, it becomes painfully clear the issues run deeper than we could’ve imagined
LANSING — This week, Karamo’s chaos in the GOP caught up to her as her very own party members called for a vote to remove her as Chair – but we know that the trouble with the MIGOP doesn’t end with Karamo and won’t go away if she’s removed from power, especially with MAGA Matt Hall and disgraced former Governor Rick Snyder waiting in the wings to uphold the GOP’s radical agenda.
Proving that the MIGOP is rotten to its core, this week, Republican Rep. Bob Bezotte was accused of 50 years of physical and emotional abuse by his estranged wife, raising a series of questions about his career and trustworthiness in office.
We know we sound like a broken record, but MAGA Republicans have proven over and over again that they can’t even run their own party, much less actually help Michiganders. This has left it to Michigan Democrats, who stepped up to the plate this entire year to pass crucial legislation. This continued into the past week, as the Governor signed into law legislation to protect health care workers and hold bad actors in Big Pharma accountable.
Check out more of this week’s highlights below:
On the extremist, dysfunctional side of the aisle, things continued to go downhill:
First, Karamo’s crumbling party finally moved to call a special meeting to vote on her removal – a good reminder that this GOP is completely broken, and one leadership shift won’t change a thing:
Detroit News: Michigan Republicans seek special meeting to consider unseating Chair Kristina Karamo
- A group of Michigan Republicans submitted a request Saturday afternoon calling for a special meeting of the GOP’s state committee on Dec. 27 to consider the removal of Chairwoman Kristina Karamo…
- Severe fundraising shortfalls and widening internal divisions have defined her first nine months in the job. Karamo has taken committee assignments away from some of her opponents, has criticized past donors to the party and failed to make good on a campaign promise of obtaining funding from 500,000 “likely-Republican business owners…”
Then, exactly how broke they were was once again revealed:
MLive: Michigan GOP, on ‘the brink of bankruptcy,’ broke campaign finance laws, report alleges
- “In only a matter of a few months, the party is essentially non-functional and, worse yet, the party and others associated with the party are now facing potential civil and criminal consequences for breaking laws,” the report says…
- The report is targeted squarely at Karamo’s “failed leadership,” and casts her as presiding over a series of disastrous decisions that crippled the party since being elected chair by Republican delegates in February…
- According to budget documents included in the report and provided separately to MLive, most party bank accounts are empty.
As the MIGOP tries to find stability in its leadership, its members showed just how pervasive the rot in this party is: the Detroit News released the bombshell article that outlined the five decades of abuse alleged by Rep. Bezotte’s wife in their divorce filings. As a reminder, this representative did, in fact, vote against any common sense legislation to get guns out of the hands of abusers:
Detroit News: Michigan Republican lawmaker’s wife alleges years of abuse in divorce filing
- A Republican state lawmaker and former county sheriff was accused by his longtime wife of physical and emotional abuse during their more than 50 years of marriage in divorce documents filed last week
- Shelia Bezotte, wife of state Rep. Bob Bezotte of Howell, said in her divorce filing, she “has suffered mental, emotional and physical abuse throughout the years of marriage…”
- “Plaintiff fears the defendant will stop contributing financially to the marital home as well as the bills he has been paying for years,” Shelia Bezotte’s lawyer said in a filing. “The plaintiff is unemployed; she has been a stay-at-home wife and mother for 52 years.”
Back on the side of sanity, Governor Whitmer signed laws to improve the safety of doctors, nurses, and hospital staff bravely serving their communities:
The Gander: Whitmer signs laws to protect healthcare workers in Michigan
- Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said two bipartisan bills signed into law this week will help curb violence directed at healthcare workers, better protect doctors and nurses on the job, and ultimately incentivize more Michiganders to pursue jobs in the medical field…
- The issue of violence against health workers has reportedly gotten worse in recent years and coincides with an uptick in general burnout as health care workers are leaving the industry after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Next on the agenda, Governor Whitmer finalized the repeal of legal protections for pharmaceutical companies. These protections previously prevented the companies from being sued even in the face of known wrongdoing, which has stopped thousands of Michiganders from getting justice:
Michigan Advance: Whitmer signs repeal of nation’s only immunity law that shielded drugmakers from legal liability
- “Imagine if the prescriptions you take to heal were actually harming you and there was no way to make sure that they didn’t harm anyone else,” said Whitmer. “Some of you don’t have to imagine. You’ve lived this, but not anymore. Now Michiganders will have a voice under the law to speak up, to get justice when something isn’t right. We’ve needed accountability, especially when it comes to our health…”
- With Whitmer’s signature, residents, as well as state and local governments, are now allowed to sue pharmaceutical companies and distributors for injuries caused by their products for the first time in nearly 30 years.
There was a lot that happened this week, but it only continues to prove that Michigan Democrats aren’t taking time off from serving Michiganders. Naturally, it also showed that the MIGOP is even more disastrous than we thought. We hope you all have a good weekend, we look forward to what next week brings!
Signing off,
Michigan Dems
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