GOP Primary Pits Anti-Middle Class Republican Against Anti-Middle Class Republican

From Michigan Democratic Party:

Tomorrow’s Primary Election Doesn’t Matter Much — With Either Hoekstra or Durant, GOP Will Have Candidate with a Dogmatic, Out-of-the-Mainstream Ideology that Will Hurt Michigan Families

LANSING – Tomorrow’s GOP primary will finally determine whether Pete Hoekstra, an ex-Congressman who currently works at a Washington lobbying firm, or Clark Durant, a former Senate and Supreme Court candidate and currently a private school executive unlawfully collecting salary through a sham charity, has been more successful at appealing to the most out-of-the-mainstream elements of their party — and which will carry an agenda that will harm Michigan’s middle-class families into the general election.

As columnist Kyle Melinn wrote in his column last week, Hoekstra and Durant’s campaigns have been focused more on who can pander to the Tea Party the most than mounting a credible challenge to Stabenow. But starting Tuesday night, the winner will have to explain to general election voters why they support plans that would raise taxes on middle-class families, end Medicare coverage, do away with federal student loans and laws to help ensure fair pay for women. Hoekstra will also have to explain his plan to create a new government agency that would have CIA and FBI agents investigating presidential birth certificates, and Durant will need to explain his belief that public education is similar to slavery and that the income gap between the wealthy and the middle class “should be wider.”

“Clark Durant and Pete Hoekstra are two peas in the same out of touch pod,” said Mark Brewer, chair of the Michigan Democratic Party. “No matter who wins tomorrow, the Republican candidate will have an agenda that further rigs the rules for well-connected special interests, rather than fighting for middle-class families, stopping outsourcing or protecting Medicare and Social Security.  Hoekstra and Durant have both made very clear they are more concerned with a severely out-of-touch ideology rather than with doing what’s right for Michigan families.”

Of the one and only GOP debate, columnist Tim Skubick agreed on Friday that Hoekstra and Durant are “peas in a pod” and ruefully explained that in their only televised debate the candidates succeeded only in displaying how similar their agenda really is.

The phrase “middle class” was not mentioned a single time by either candidate during the course of the debate.