GOP's $285 million con man a donor to tea party's chairmanship candidate

The idea that the Michigan Republican Party’s $285 million con man, William Rauwerdink, is an unknown within the party, a nonfactor, has been tacitly debunked by the political committee pushing tea party favorite Norm Hughes for GOP chair.
According to the web page promoting Hughes candidacy, Rauwerdink donated an undisclosed amount to Hughes campaign late last month. Apparently Rauwerdink, when he isn’t busy hiding his past (a felon who served four years in prison for a massive corporate fraud) is keeping tabs on the race between Hughes, Ronna Romney McDaniel and Kim Shmina.

As Democrats sit back -- popcorn in hand, smirks on their faces -- and enjoy the GOP show, one liberal group has entered the fray. According to Progress Michigan, at a January 15 event Hughes said that one way to save Michigan’s K-12 education system is to deal with “ethnically challenged” students.

Progress Michigan labeled that remark “wildly offensive” as it reported that Hughes’ comment came at a “Citizens Watchdog Training” session sponsored by the conservative ideologues at Americans For Prosperity. The event featured AFP’s state chairman Scott Hagerstrom outlining the group’s plan to implement their education agenda in Michigan.

It should also be pointed out that Hughes – and possibly by extension Rauwerdink – is a well-known apologist for the MIGOP’s resident bigot, Dave Agema.