After getting trounced at the polls in 2012, Republicans commissioned an autopsy report to figure out why. The recommendations were straightforward: Republicans need to soften some of their positions, like immigration and LGBT rights, to bring more voters into the Republican fold. Last week, Bill O’Reilly was so concerned about the political future of the Republican party that he gave his blessing to raising the minimum wage to $10 an hour, saying “If your guys keep doing this, the next election they’ll win will be 80 years from now.”
So far, they haven’t put their words into action. In fact, the only words coming out of their mouths are either sexist, disparaging LGBT individuals, or calling their opponents domestic enemies.
And though Dave Agema makes multiple appearances on this list, he’s not the only one in the GOP spewing hateful vitriol. Here are the top 10 bigoted statements from the Michigan GOP.
1. Dave Agema has been on a roll as off late and has steadfastly refused to resign from the RNC, citing the passage of his amendment to the Republican party platform defining marriage as between one man and one woman as evidence of his grassroots support. Here’s what he had to say:
“Folks, they (gay people) want free medical because they’re dying (when they’re) between 30 and 44 years old. To me, it’s a moral issue. It’s a Biblical issue. Traditional marriage is where it should be and it’s in our platform. Those in our party who oppose traditional marriage are wrong.”
2. After recovering from his accident, L. Brooks Patterson didn’t waste anytime getting back in the swing of things, reminiscing about his bigoted prediction:
“I made a prediction a long time ago, and it’s come to pass. I said, ‘What we’re going to do is turn Detroit into an Indian reservation, where we herd all the Indians into the city, build a fence around it, and then throw in the blankets and corn.’“
3. Rep. Tom McMillin is no stranger to controversy and like his Republican counterpart Dave Agema, McMillin has a tendency to speak first and think later (or never):
“Well, I think that the thousands of people that have been in that lifestyle and come out would say that it was their choice when they were in and came out of the lifestyle. I think that the people who are caught up in the homosexual lifestyle need help. We encourage people to stop smoking. This resolution is the same sort of thing.”
4. Not content to stop there, Rep. Tom McMillin went on to claim the LGBT community were the ones being intolerant:
“We see it’s a very intolerant movement that is pushing this [LGBT rights] agenda.”
5. In response to Truscott Rossman founder Kelly Rossman-McKinney’s story naming Senator Rick Jones and House Democrats as the biggest losers of the year, Sen. Jones shot back:
“As an elected Senator I am honored to fight on behalf of my constituents for the best public policy. Unfortunately Kelly, like a ‘hooker’, works for whichever client hires her — policy be damned. She always gets worked up when I oppose her clients. Business must be tough. I find it funny that she took on a Republican partner.”
6. Former US Rep. Pete Hoekstra, who leaked sensitive national security information to the press in 2009, voted against the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay act, claiming:
“I think you know we need to create — that thing is a nuisance. It shouldn’t be the law.”
7. Expanding his ire beyond the LGBT community, Dave Agema went after Muslims on Facebook, asking:
“Have you ever seen a Muslim do anything that contributes positively to the American way of life?“
8. Apparently smitten with America’s main geo-political foe (according to Mitt Romney) and former bastion of communism, Russia, Dave Agema cited their “anti-LGBT propaganda” law as smart lawmaking:
“Read their law. Common sense in Russia.”
9. Weathering the firestorm his comments have caused, Dave Agema intimated that those holding him accountable for his words are enemies of America:
“I was prepared to die to defend our Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic, and my opinion is we have domestic enemies at this present time. We’re starting to become what I used to fight against.”
10. Last but certainly not least are comments made by Hillsdale University President Larry Arnn while testifying against adopting Common Core standards during a subcommittee hearing:
“…violated the standards for diversity because we didn’t have enough dark ones, I guess, is what they meant.”
BONUS: Taking a cue from Gov. Snyder, Pete Hoekstra ran a campaign ad during the 2012 Super Bowl calling Debbie Stabenow “Debbie Spenditnow,” replete with racist Asian stereotypes:
“Thank you, Michigan Senator Debbie Spenditnow. Debbie spend so much American money. You borrow more and more from us. Your economy get very weak. Ours get very good. We take your jobs. Thank you, Debbie Spenditnow.”
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