Just before the August 2022 primary elections, six Republican Ottawa County Commissioners including Matt Fenske, Roger Bergman, Al Dannenberg, Greg DeJong, Randy Meppelink, and Phil Kuyers, were censured by the Ottawa County Republican Party (OCRP) for encouraging Democrats to vote in the Republican primary elections. A few months later, Ottawa County Commissioner Jacob Bonnema was censured by the OCRP for behavior unbecoming of a public servant and violating Republican values.
Establishment financial support has led to elected officials who answer to those who fund their campaigns, and not those who vote for them during elections. However, during the August 2022 elections, the Ottawa Impact political action committee endorsed several individuals for elected office that had previously not engaged in politics. With a few exceptions, the majority of Ottawa Impact endorsed candidates embraced the Republican Party principles, making them true Republicans as compared to establishment or Republican in Name Only (RINO) candidates.
When references are made to divisions within the Republican party, this is what people are talking about: establishment Republicans, Democrats masquerading as Republicans (aka RINOs), and true constitutional Republicans (aka patriots). Establishment Republicans look to those in higher-level government or party offices for guidance on making decisions, whereas patriot Republicans tend to be more willing to go against the status quo and make decisions they believe are in the best interest of the voters regardless of the recommendations of the leaders. In general, it is those who have been involved in politics for a number of years and risen through the ranks that become establishment.
There has been an abundance of recent events that point to this division. The coup happening within the Michigan GOP is an example of this divide, as is the controversy with the Ottawa County Health Department. Ottawa Impact is continuously under attack by the main stream media because the media is aligned with the establishment who does not want to relinquish their power. Ottawa Impact and their patriot followers have been framed by the media as an extremist organization. The public is continuously being exposed to all manners of propaganda, and people who are not paying close attention are confused.
Fortunately, the OCRP recently passed two resolutions that will make it easier for the public to discern which candidates believe in the party’s platform. One resolution will enable the OCRP to endorse candidates in the primaries, and the other will enable the OCRP to hold elected officials accountable to the Republican Party Platform. In the past, the OCRP has not endorsed candidates in the primaries, but blindly endorsed the winners of primary races. Although in some instances they have censured candidates as referenced in the beginning of this article, those candidates still appeared in party literature.
When Democrats vote in Republican primary elections, and the public cannot tell which candidates adhere to the Republican Party values, RINOs are more likely to win elections. Anyone can sign-up to run as a Republican. On a recent podcast from Vote Common Good West Michigan, titled What happened to my local Republican Party?, Ottawa County Commissioner Roger Bergman and Georgetown Township Board Trustee Becky Steele were interviewed. Both admitted to being establishment Republicans. The interview is very eye-opening, and I encourage you to listen to it in its entirety. Here are a few excerpts.
Steele (13:50) “My struggles over the last seven years with the Republican Party, and they have grown increasingly, [] how hard it is for me to put the word Republican with my own face and name anymore, because it feels like you can’t be a Republican and also be a scientist.”
Steele continues, mocking patriots. “You can’t be a Republican and also be a public school teacher because we just know that all public school teachers are teaching critical race theory to all of our students. I say that super sarcastically. [] My struggle with the Republican Party is on a platform and philosophical direction, kind of mindset, is that they want you to stay in the lane of white, Christian, nationalism in the name of patriotism.”
Again, Steele is oblivious to the idea that patriot Republicans expect elected officials to critically think and not blindly follow the recommendations of experts who may have ulterior motives. Time has proven that those who resisted the overbearing government response to COVID were correct, but some people just love being told what to do. Steele continues, “When those things are at odds with what the scientific community is saying, or when those things are at odds through the pandemic with what the medical community is saying, or when those things are at odds with what our experts in fields like diversity are saying, then we’re supposed to put our head in the sand and not listen to any of those experts, and just stick with the party narrative, and that’s really challenging for me.”
(20:47) A few minutes later Steele is more direct in her detest for patriots. “Moderates like you and me, don’t want to associate themselves with the name Republican anymore.”
(21:05) Roger Bergman also confessed to not being a patriot Republican, but identified as establishment. “I still had to run as a Republican, because otherwise I wouldn’t have made it. I still made it as a Republican because, in my situation, I had a lot of people. I’m well known. There were a lot of people that crossed over, that were D’s and Independents, and voted for me.”
New groups are continuously emerging that are endorsing what appear to be establishment Republicans. One such group is Conservative Ottawa.
They are supported by some individuals that believe in the Republican Party Platform, but others who do not, making it increasingly difficult to determine where their loyalties lie. Looking at their letter, much of it sounds good. Paying attention to key words and phrases can help determine allegiances. For example, in this letter they ridicule “election deniers” and refer to a “volatile political environment.” Their rhetoric continuously raises the issues that evoke a sense of fear. Their event invitation warns voters of;
county’s bond rating affecting school bonds and critical infrastructure
numerous lawsuits
low employee morale
county’s ability to attract new business
Propaganda uses emotion, repetition, and spin. News is based on facts and truth.
Below is a picture from the Conservative Ottawa event referenced in the invitation. The event was held at the end of January 2024. During the event, Commissioner Roger Bergman, as well as others running for office, stressed the need to appeal to Democrat voters.
From left to right;
Kurt VanKoevering - leader of conservative Ottawa
Jordan Jortisma – candidate for Ottawa County Commissioner District 2
Jacob Bonnema– current commissioner and candidate for Ottawa County Commissioner District 4
Jim Barry – half-brother of Bill Huizenga and candidate for Ottawa County Commissioner District 1
Eric DeBoer – candidate for Ottawa County Sheriff
Chris VanderSys – candidate for Ottawa County Commissioner District 1
Sarah Matwiejczyk – candidate for Prosecuting Attorney
Phil Kuyers – former commissioner and candidate for Ottawa County Commissioner District 9
Josh Brugger – candidate for Ottawa County Commissioner District 10
It is important for local residents to learn to read between the lines and see candidates for what they are. Fancy rhetoric is designed to hide agendas and truth from the average citizen. Here are some questions to ask yourself that should help you determine where candidates really stand.
Can this candidate do no wrong according to the media?
Who has this candidate aligned themselves with? Who are they working with?
Is this candidate talking about local issues within their purview or national issues?
Is this candidate’s campaign based on what they can do for residents, or threats of what the opposition believes?
Which buzz words is the candidate using? Stakeholders? Good governance? All humans?
Who is donating to this candidate? Small or big money donors? Local or external donors?
Does this candidate have an abundance of money to spend on advertising?
Is this candidate using fear to obtain votes?
Remember, if you want to be served by patriotic Republicans who stand for the US Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the intent articulated by our country’s founding fathers, and the Republican Party Platform, looking for an endorsement from the OCRP is a good starting point.