DeVos is Push Polling

Sorry folks, the photos are not uploading today.

Just got off the phone with a pollster who claimed to be working for a New York polling firm, when I asked who the firm was working for I got the "neutrality" bit. After a few questions it became obvious that it was a Push Poll for Dick DeVos. The wording of the questions became more and more leading, and the pollster acted like she was agreeing with me, no matter what my reply.
But by the end of the poll, I was being asked about those famous GOP issues that trump all mindful thought: god - guns - and the fertilized egg.

The questions that were the most irritating were the ones linking Granholm's job performance to issues that she has no power to change, even if she had a booming global economy and a friendly legislature to work with. I said as much.

One telling question went something like, If tomorrow you could vote for Granholm, who you don't really like, and Richard DeVos, which would you choose?

That question, after I had only stated that Granholm had the equivalent of Mt. Everest to tackle between the economic nightmare Engler set up for our state, multi-national manufacturing plants closing, and a hostile legislature, and she was having a hard time changing anything. I didn't say I don't like her. I really DO like her (and I'll vote for her.)
And after I had made quite a point of DeVos' unimpressive personal appearance and grasp of the issues on Off the Record, and the fact that even with his numerous attack ads on television and billboards, that he had not bothered to come up with a plan for Michigan's economy, even with a cooperative legislature.
He won't reveal his tax returns, he won't talk about his outsourcing of his family business' job to China, and he won't talk about how he will pay for the State budget, which by law is required to balance (unlike the national budget)... how he will pay for programs while cutting business taxes even further.
Here is a good jumping off place if you want to catch up on that shadowy figure who wants to be our governor:
What You Don't Know About Dick
and
DeVos releases summary of financial information
and I also found this from Daily Kos:
MI-Gov: GOP Candidate Dick DeVos, In His Own Words
by Dump Terry McAuliffe
Sat Apr 08, 2006
Cross-posted to MichiganLiberal.com

Earlier this week, I went to the library and borrowed a copy of Rediscovering American Values: The Foundations of Our Freedom for the 21st Century, the 1997 tome written by Amway scion Dick DeVos. [Note to non-Michiganders: DeVos is the presumptive GOP nominee for governor. He's one of the wealthiest people in America, the number-one contributor to the Republican Party, and one of the sweetest sugar daddies to wingnut causes.] I read it from cover to cover, mainly so that you won't have to.

How bad was it? Imagine being cooped up with 200 door-to-door encyclopedia salesmen inside a stifling conference room and listening to a grade-D motivational speaker talking in a monotone. The book was even worse than that.

And even though his book was highly sanitized--it was, after all, a thinly-disguised campaign biography--DeVos dropped a few hints that his political philosophy is "let them eat cake" and he resides in a faux-libertarian fantasyland.

Some quotations from Chairman Dick:

Dick, the Student Prince. "After my first few months at a local college I realized that the family business held a great deal more interest for me than biology than chemistry, so I left school and took on a full-time position at Amway." [p. 6]

"At a certain point, despite a heavy work schedule, I decided it was time to get my college degree and so, in conjunction with Northwood University, I combined independent study with weekend classes to complete my bachelor of business administration degree." [p. 6]

Cronyism, Like Greed, is Good. "Amway is first and foremost a people business. Employees were often encouraged to bring their spouses to company functions. Family members of employees were given hiring preference. Distributors were encouraged to develop their businesses as husband-and-wife teams." [pp. 5-6]

Take THAT, Ned Ludd! "I became aware of the increasing role that technology would play in the future of our expanding company. I learned that automation didn't replace people; it set them free to concentrate on tasks that were less repetitive and more intellectually stimulating and productive." [p. 7]

Choose the Right Parents and the World is Your Oyster. "My family's entrepreneurial spirit must have finally kicked in, for at the end of this tenure [vice-president of Amway International] I left Amway to launch my own independent management company, with Betsy as my partner. I went from being an executive at what had become a giant corporation to being president and hands-on manager of the day-to-day, on-the edge operations of a variety of small businesses that were struggling to get started or stay competitive" [p. 9]

"I also had the opportunity to serve as president and CEO of an NBA basketball team, the Orlando Magic, which my family purchased in 1991." [p. 10]

That's Not a Pink Slip, It's a Passport to Riches. "All of us probably know someone who has suffered the painful experience of losing a job, only to later attest that it was the best thing that ever happened, leading to greater happiness and fulfillment in some other line of work." [p. 57]

With Writing Like This, Who Needs Sominex?. "When we set goals, we are taking the first step toward doing what we want and becoming self-reliant. Doing what is right is making the commitment to achieving our goals." [p. 116] Imagine reading 296 pages of this drivel.

Whistle While You Work. If, when short-order cooks are preparing hamburgers, they can remember that what they are doing is feeding families; if while emptying bedpans, hospital orderlies recognize that they playing a role in healing people...then their work takes on greater meaning." [p. 134]

Do As I Say, Not As I Do. "Many of today's children don't experience completion of a job, or feel the surge of pride that comes with it." [p. 143] Dick, of course, failed to finish his term on the Michigan Board of Education.

A Keen Grasp of the Obvious. It's a widely held view that the primary goal of publicly owned corporations is to make a profit for shareholders." [p. 181]

SBT [Single Business Tax, which is levied on--you guessed it--businesses] Revenues: Who Needs Them? "[V]olunteerism is an American tradition that goes back to the early years of our nation. Our public institutions such as hospitals and schools were built by volunteers. Citizens did not look to the government to provide everything for them." [p. 216]

Bill and Melinda Gates, They're Not. Betsy and I have consistently put more than 10 percent of our income into a foundation that is earmarked for charitable giving. We have many causes we like to support, from think tanks to Christian evangelism to student scholarships." [p. 228]

He Wasn't Referring to George W. Bush, But... "But we cannot forget that if leaders are headed in the wrong direction, they can also lead an entire nation to ruin. Therefore, we must hold them accountable." [p. 240]

What to Do With That GM Buyout. "We also consider our Amway Sales and Marketing Plan to be one of the best (if not the best) business opportunities in the world for individuals with a willingness to work but with limited capital to invest. It has allowed for an enormous range of success--success that is only limited by one's imagination and capacity for hard work." [p. 260]

And finally...

Does This Mean He'll Run Again in 2010? "I recall that my father was always fond of saying, 'If at first you don't succeed, try, try again'." [p. 128]

From Comments:
I've been watching Granholm's rating in the polls go from double digits, to a tie. The thing that worries me here, is that DeVos is billionaire, and could set the record for self spending, and not even feel it. He's already gobbled up the airwaves for weeks, and spent six million of his own dollars, and managed to force Granholm into a tie, partly because Granholm has been stupid enough not to fire back. He could outspend Granholm two to one without ever receiving a single contribution from anyone, or any help from the national or state republican party, and still have plenty left over to send to ther candidates. Granholm's not as popular as she once was, and that means she's no longer innoculated from a strong challenge. DeVos on the other hand has finally found a way to get over those pesky reform laws, and unlimitedly fund a attack on a Democrat. But, I think the way for Granholm to solidify her labor base, and hurt DeVos, is to get out on the air with attack ads saying how DeVos, as Vice President of Amway, cut 5000 Michigan jobs and sent to China, and cut almost a hundred million dollars from their Michigan operations and also sent that to China. That would hurt is campaign pretty badly, and boost Granholm.
Carpe Diem

Granholm needs to get down and dirty... Actually, she needed to come out swinging the day after taking the oath of office. The outgoing GOP governor left her a $1B deficit. She should have called for an audit (which would have uncovered the Enron accounting), blasted the Republicans for fiscal irresponsibility, and called on the GOP-controlled legislature to plug the budget hole.
"Is incompetence an impeachable offense?"--Carl Bernstein.
by Dump Terry McAuliffe

Anybody remember...
the NBC Dateline special investigating the Amway cult?
They had a hidden camera in a sports arena during an Amway rally. Eerily similar to Leni Riefenstahl's Triumph of the Will.
I have given up trying to "deprogram* my good friend's involvement as an I.B.O. (Independent Business Owner) He has slammed the phone down on me on a couple occasions. He votes Democratic so I won't press the issue anymore. (Hell, he comps me 1L bottles of DishDrops)
Like all Amway 'droids his entire household is comprised of toiletries, cleaning products, food items, etc. from Ada, MI.
BTW, the Republican Party uses the Amway model for their campaign and party operations. (Know thy enemy)
The Amway Emeralds and Diamonds (the "uplines') are nearly 100% white and Protestant. The rallies use Jesus and the Flag to inspire and motivate, with a healthy dose of greed. (think carrot on a stick)
I count on the wise voters of Michigan do to the right thing on Election Day!
by fgentile

She's fighting Laffer acolytes
The Michigan GOP is heavily influenced by the Mackinac Center, which still believes in the gospel of supply-side economics. Problem is, the GOP has controlled the legislature for most of the last 20 years and cut taxes and rolled back business regulations, but its experiment in applied economic policy hasn't exactly worked out here.
by Dump Terry McAuliffe

From the late Herb Kerhl (who was the recently deceased State Rep in the Monroe Count area): "The Mackinac Center is not a friend to the people of Michigan."
by Mister Gloom on Sat Apr 08, 2006
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/4/8/195056/1578

And for more on Amway:
http://www.merchantsofdeception.com
http://www.merchantsofdeception.com/gopforsale.html
http://www.rickross.com/groups/amway.html