Connerly says DeVos is scaring off money

Connerly: DeVos is scaring off money Connerly: DeVos is scaring off money Ballot measure is at issue BY CHRIS CHRISTOFF and DAWSON BELLFREE PRESS LANSING BUREAU August 26, 2006 Ward Connerly backs the MCRI. California businessman Ward Connerly said Friday that Republican gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos' opposition to a ballot proposal to end race- and gender-based affirmative action for Michigan government and schools has dried up potential contributions. Speaking at a taping of the public television program "Off the Record," Connerly said, "People don't want to get on the bad side of Dick DeVos." Republican DeVos has said he believes the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative goes too far, and has joined his Democratic opponent, Gov. Jennifer Granholm, in opposing it. Connerly said potential GOP contributors to MCRI fear being on the outs with a DeVos administration if he is elected. He said after the taping that Michigan is known to have a vindictive political climate, that those in power "don't forget who their enemies are." DeVos is opposing the ballot proposal for political gain, Connerly said, because he doesn't want to energize Granholm voters. But he suggested DeVos personally supports MCRI. Connerly campaigned in Michigan this week for the ballot proposal. Later Friday, DeVos spokesman John Truscott said Connerly "doesn't know what he is talking about." DeVos "thinks this proposal is severely flawed and he has said so," Truscott said, while denying that DeVos had warned his supporters to withhold contributions to the ballot proposal. Usually I don't give a damn when right wingers fight each other but Connerly has said something what I already knew that DeVos supports banning affirmative action and he's "siding" with Granholm only to make sure when Detroit go to the polls in huge numbers to knock down the ban most of those votes don't spill over to Granholm. Detroit listen up DeVos supports the ban I don't care if his mother, father, sister, brother and wife say he don't, DeVos supports the ban. I'm going to tell you what's going to happen if some how his father millions in fact buy his way into power, he's going to tell Ward Connerly to come back in 2008 to try again with the ban and this time around he's going to support it citing he has a change of heart while talking with the "victims"of affrimative action.