January 2019 Newsletter

In this January newsletter

Notable Announcements
A Message from the Chairwoman
MIGOP Leadership Change in February
Christmas/Hanukkah Party 2018 Success
Profile: Eugene Greenstein - Farmington Hills Activist
January is Membership Renewal Month for 2019
Democrat Senator Debbie Stabenow “Votes for Us” in Washington
Letter to the Editor: Jewish News in the news again
M.L. King Day Celebrations Held in the 14th District
Trending News Links

In this January newsletter

Notable Announcements
A Message from the Chairwoman
MIGOP Leadership Change in February
Christmas/Hanukkah Party 2018 Success
Profile: Eugene Greenstein - Farmington Hills Activist
January is Membership Renewal Month for 2019
Democrat Senator Debbie Stabenow “Votes for Us” in Washington
Letter to the Editor: Jewish News in the news again
M.L. King Day Celebrations Held in the 14th District
Trending News Links

Notable Announcements

January 1: HAPPY NEW YEAR!
January 3: Farmington Area Republicans (FAR) meeting at FH City Hall at 7 p.m. will feature Laura Cox, candidate for Michigan Republican Party chair
January 14: Lakes Area Tea Party at Uptown Grille (located at 3100 E. West Maple Road) features Pastor Phil Smith speaking about “The Democrat Plantation” and RNC National Committeeman Rob Steele
January 15: Eastside Republican Club meeting at 7 p.m. at the G.P. War Memorial features Laura Cox, candidate for Michigan Republican Party chair
January 21: M.L. King Day
January 22: 14th District Committee meeting starts with networking and order off the menu dinner at 6:00 p.m., the business meeting starting at 7 p.m. at Kerby’s Coney Island, 25050 Northwestern Highway, Southfield. GUEST SPEAKER MIGOP Candidate Gina Barr, and Committee will VOTE on RULES for the February 22, 2019 Convention. NOTE DATE CHANGE DUE TO HOLIDAY
February 7: County Conventions to elect delegates to the MRP State Convention
February 22-23: MRP State Convention (Lansing) to elect a new 25 member 14th District Republican Committee, State Committee member and District Officers

A Message from the Chairwoman

Dear 14th District Executive Committee Members, and fellow Republicans;

Let me be among the first to wish you and your family a HAPPY NEW YEAR.

The highlight of my remaining months as your Chairwoman was the Christmas/Hanukkah Party held at the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club. It was a great celebration of why we are Republicans and I am so proud to be part of this Committee.

In addition to a record crowd for the 4th annual event, Republicans brought enough donations for homeless veterans to fill TWO vans.

The blankets, sheets, pillows and comforters were taken to the VOA, Detroit shelter and will be bundled into "housewarming" packages for vets who are transitioning to independent living Plus we raised some cash donations.

This was our first attempt to create an event to benefit a worthwhile community group. It worked beyond our imagination--- not to mention that it was the right thing to do!

We chose Volunteers of America (VOA) as our community partner and, specifically, its Detroit homeless shelter for veterans.

Linda and Bob Stulberg helped us spearhead selecting the VOA as they are regular volunteers at the veteran homeless shelter.

Great suggestion Linda and Bob! Further, Terry Poplawski led a large group who donated and bought SEVERAL boxes of pillows via a Kohls sale. Thank you to Bob, Linda and Terry for your leadership and generosity.

Learn more about our Christmas - Hanukkah event in the article below.. However, we must recognize Carol Foster, Chair of the Fundraising Committee, and her whole committee.

Events of this quality don’t “just happen”. Thanks Carol and your whole team! The members of the Fundraising Committee are listed in the article below.

Last, but not least, thank you to Matt Seely who presented me with a gift at the Christmas/Hanukkah party on behalf of the 14th District Committee. It was very much a surprise and it is very much appreciated!

COUNTY CONVENTION - Thursday, February 7 at 7:00 p.m. In just weeks, we’ll gather in our COUNTY conventions to select Delegates who will vote for the Michigan Republican Party Chair and other statewide leadership positions at the MRP State Convention. All MRP leadership positions will be on the ballot at that Convention.

Some details of the State Convention follow. If you are interested in participating in this vote, then run to be on the State Convention Delegate team. Your chance to do get elected for the State Convention will be at the Thursday, February 7 County Convention. Make a difference!

STATE CONVENTION - Friday (February 23) and Saturday (February 24) in Lansing. This will be a two part convention.

Part 1 - Friday February 22 - All 14th District Delegates and guests are invited to attend a caucus meeting where State Convention Delegates will elect a new 14th District Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, six State Committee members and 15 Executive Committee members. Those 25 people will form the 14th District Executive Committee for a two year term.

PART 2- Saturday, February 23 - The Delegates elected at the county conventions will be seated at the MRP Convention to vote for our next Chair and several Vice Chairs for the Michigan Republican Party. These individuals will be responsible to raise money and lead us into the 2020 elections.

As of today, I am aware of TWO potential candidates who are planning to run to be your next 14th District Chair. If you live in and are a registered voter in the 14th District, you are eligible to run to be the Chair of the District. If you would like to discuss this further, please don’t hesitate to give me a call. I will support all candidates running for this seat.

Being Chair of the 14th District has its challenges. However, I can also say it has been extremely rewarding because of the people I have met and worked with. The trust that Delegates placed in me as Chair has been the single largest honor a person could have.

As your Chair, my single largest mission was and should always be to remain neutral and serve the interests of the Committee. You never saw me endorse any candidate without the Committee’s specific support.

As you recall, we carefully chose candidates and then wrote checks to support those candidates as a Committee for the 2018 general election. Our process was just awesome. (Thanks to Candidate Selection Committee Chair Jerry Cameron who helped us through the process.) .

Whoever is elected to succeed me will have my full support, in every way, to continue the 14th District’s successes!

As we enter 2019 many important decisions are just days away. So my New Year’s Resolution wish for you and your family is a safe, healthy and prosperous New Year and for you to help us WIN in 2020.

Stay strong in your support of our great President Donald J. Trump. Don’t let the media sway you. President Trump was elected to carry out the items promised. Let's continue to support him in his mission. 2019 will be more of the same day-after-day battle with the media and the Washington swamp. He’s need our support more now, than ever!

All the best for a wonderful 2019!

Janine Kateff

14th District Chairwoman

email - [email protected]

Like our Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mi14gop

Website - 14cd.com

twitter - https://twitter.com/

586 917 6118

MIGOP Leadership Change in February

At the December meeting, Chairman Ron Wieser convened his final MRP State Committee meeting of his two year term. His term officially ends after a new chair is elected at the February MRP Convention.

Though he would be the first to express disappointment with the November election, at State Committee he reported on several building blocks that were in place for the 2020 election. Further he highlighted the critical importance of maintaining a legislative majority in Lansing.

Speakers at the State Committee praised Wieser. The MRP staff that he assembled is considered one of the finest in the USA based on their results, especially in areas like social media programs, data development and candidate support.

Next month, all Congressional Districts will assemble in Lansing to select new leadership. That new leadership will be at the District and MRP levels. At this time, two candidates have announced their run to become our next MRP Chair:

Laura Cox (Livonia)
Gina Barr (Pontiac)

Perhaps someone else will announce after this newsletter is distributed on January 1.

Many in the 14th District will recognize Gina Barr’s name as she has been active at several levels within the District as a home grown candidate who rose up from the ranks. We wish nothing but the best for her as she seeks this leadership role! Gina will be a featured speaker at the January 22 District meeting.

Whoever is elected as MRP State Party Chair, will have the opportunity to lead and raise money to re-elect President Donald J. Trump. Based on the blue wave in the recent midterm election, we know that Michigan will be tough to keep red. This is your calling to help in whatever way you can. Be it knocking doors, making phone calls, volunteering on election day or donating money, your Party and President Trump need you. Get creative and just do it!

When you see Chairman Ron Weiser at the Convention in February tell him thanks for this leadership. Or drop him a quick email. These jobs are HARD work and he took on a tough task for us all.

Christmas/Hanukkah Party 2018 Success

Our fourth annual Christmas/Hanukkah party was a success by any measure! Record crowd of nearly 120, a fabulous venue (Grosse Pointe Yacht Club) and a chance to help our homeless veterans all while we celebrated our festive Holiday season.

Chair Carol Foster led a Fundraising Committee of 18 to pull all the details together. The Committee members were:

Janine Kateff

Bill Rauwerdink

Jay Hackleman

Carol Hackleman

Terry Poplawski

Kristina Karamo

Kelly Powell

Mayra Rodriguez

John Daniele

Robert Oestreich

Linda Stulberg

Cheryl Costantino

John Chouinard

Max Wiener

Don Perry

Monica Palmer

Rich Shetler

Paula Gallucci-Messina

Entertainment included a vocal quartet from Grosse Pointe South High School that performed seasonal music favorites and led the whole group in our National Anthem. Thank you Lisa Papas for gathering this group for our event.

THANK YOU to Young Republican Sponsors: Sue Burstein-Kahn, Max Weiner and Jerry Kosmensky who hosted a table of 10 Young Republicans who otherwise may not have attended the exquisite event.

Thank You to Bob and Linda Stulberg and Terry Poplawski for helping with the coordination for our chosen charity for 2018: Homeless Veterans at the VOA shelter in Detroit.

A library of photos taken at the event can be seen here https://www.facebook.com/pg/mi14gop/photos/?ref=page_internal. Enjoy a sample below:

Lastly, Thank You to our speaker Bruce Johnson, Senior Case Manager at VOA (our selected community partner) who spoke about their program for homeless veterans and who they interact with community groups/volunteers. His presentation laid out the important needs that VOA fills for veterans.

Profile: Eugene Greenstein - Farmington Hills Activist

Eugene Greenstein has been a Republican for a very long time.

“Probably I began seriously thinking about politics with the advent of the Great Society program in the mid sixties,” he recalls.

“My dad had a little hardware store in Cleveland's intercity,” Greenstein says. “I saw how the Aid to Dependent Children program destroyed families by chasing the father away and rewarding people to have more out-of-wedlock children.”

The Democrats were all about programs with disastrous unintended consequences, Greenstein says.

“Today the Democrat Party is on the far left and does not stand for traditional American values,” he says. “Its socialist agenda and promotion of politically correct speech will be the downfall if this great country.”

Greenstein, now 73, grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio, a Cleveland suburb. He studied electrical engineering at Case Institute of Technology and stayed to graduate with a Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University. He got an M.B.A. from Wayne State University after moving to Detroit to work for General Motors Research.

Greenstein then moved to Ford, where he ended his career as an engineering director at Visteon, the Ford spinoff. He spent over 27 years with Ford and Visteon.

Greenstein has been married to his wife, Anne, for almost 43 years. They have a son and a married daughter and three granddaughters. He lives in Farmington Hills and has been active with the Farmington Area Republicans for the about eight years.

He has been a precinct delegate for six years. He has been a member of the Oakland County Republicans 400 Club for a number of years. Eugene recently was elected to the 14th District’s Executive Committee.

“I was president of the Zionist Organization of America -Michigan Region for six years and am still active,” Greenstein says. “I have been a volunteer at the Model T Museum in Detroit, restoring the windows and the floors for the past 11 years. The building was Ford Motor Company's first plant.”

Greenstein says the best way to grow the party is to recruit more members and get them involved with 14th District events and Republican community groups like FAR, “and get active in campaigns be it knocking on doors, writing letters, making phone calls or being active on social media.”

January is Membership Renewal Month for 2019

Are you a member of the Republican 14th Congressional District? Each year we get asked “are your dues paid?”. To help you get this task crossed off your list, we are hosting a membership drive starting now and through February.

You have two options to join or to renew your 2019 membership;

Snail mail your $25 membership check mailed c/o 14th District Treasurer, 2630 Birch Harbor Lane, West Bloomfield, MI. 48324 (checks made payable to the 14th District).
Renew Online - https://mi14gop.nationbuilder.com/donation.

Your dues and other fundraising activities support Republican candidates and organizations in the 14th Congressional District.

Democrat Senator Debbie Stabenow “Votes for Us” in Washington

To help educate Michigan voters, the 14th District newsletter summarizes selected issues on which OUR current Senator actually voted. Though re-elected she is clearly out of touch with a large part of the population of Michiganders. She clearly is in touch with the Democrat “resist” movement.

Perhaps the word obstruction best describe her “work” for us? Look at her votes and decide if she is working to advance America or to advance something else!

After considering her positions, please feel free to call her office at 202-224-4822 to express your thoughts:

Senate Resolution 244 passed 64 to 34 with Stabenow voting AGAINST. This vote confirmed Michelle Bowman to serve on the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. With her confirmation voting record nearly perfect, Debbie has voted against nearly every Trump nominee. Resist!
Senate Resolution 65 passed 77 to 21 with Stabenow voting FOR. This was to table (i.e., kill) a different resolution that would disapprove the export of rocket launchers and missiles systems to Bahrain. In other words, the export is approved. So Debbie likes rockets and launchers to the Middle East.

Letter to the Editor: Jewish News in the news again

Republican activists are encouraged to keep the conservative voice in the media’s mailbox (if not in their coverage).

Again this month one of our most active GOP media watchers and commenters, activist Ed Kohl, responded to a column in the Jewish News. His letter to the editor published by Jewish News on December 20 is reproduced here:

Regarding the “What Spurred Anti-Semitism?” letter in the Nov. 22 issue: The “real influence behind the catastrophe that our country has become” is the eight years of the past administration.

That’s the administration that facilitated the Iran Agreement.

It’s the one that gave more than $150 billion in cash to the anti-Israel/Jew hating, genocidal Iranian regime.

It’s the one that bushwhacked Israel every chance it could while endorsing anti-Israel groups like Black Lives Matter and Antifa.

Then there are the media that continually stoke the fires of hate.

Women’s March leaders Tamika D Mallory’s and, yes, Linda Sarsour’s anti-Semitic rhetoric are also behind the catastrophe, assisted by NCJW’s Nancy Kaufman and HIAS boss Mark Hetfield who refuse to condemn anti-Semitism.

Bill Clinton sharing the stage with Farrakhan and Sharpton at the Franklin funeral and the abhorrent behavior of the senators from one party at the Kavanaugh hearings have contributed to what our country has become.

It is shameful that most people don’t know who Sarsour is, but there’s no avoiding Farrakhan; and both of their statures are growing with the addition of Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar to the political picture of one party.

The “glaring omission of the real influence behind the catastrophe that our country has become” is right before us and those of us “immersed in political news and opinion” absolutely know the real culprits.

It is not the current Israel-supporting president of the United States.

— Ed Kohl West Bloomfield

M.L. King Day Celebrations Held in the 14th District

Dr. M.L. King Day celebrations will be held throughout southeast Michigan on January 21, 2019. Learn more about specific events in the Metro Detroit area here https://www.metroparent.com/daily/family-fun/family-events/mlk-jr-day-events-southeast-michigan/

His most famous speech, first delivered here in Detroit and still memorable, can be heard here https://archive.org/details/MLKDream