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Every two years, Michigan Republicans gather on Mackinac Island to hear from state and national party leaders as they gear up for the next election cycle -- an event thats proven key for some gubernatorial candidates. But candidate Garrett Soldano, the partys current fundraising leader, wont be attending.

Hes a political newcomer with grassroots clout and views the conference as being for the political elite.

Im not part of the establishment. Im part of the people, Soldano said in an interview earlier this month, citing the high price of hotels on the island as one sign of who attends the conference.

Michigan Republican Party External Affairs Director Sarah Anderson said The grassroots are a large reason we hold this eventit is an opportunity for them to hear from our policy and decision makers about the best path forward for our state and our country, as well as a great time to network, communicate, and spend tome together.

She said the party is still working on its straw poll, a survey of attendees the party typically partners with a news organization on. The straw poll usually includes questions that end up ranking primary candidates for an important office.

The non-scientific poll doesnt always predict who ultimately wins -- for example, in 2015 those polled picked Rand Paul out of the field of then-presidential candidates. But in 2009 it did pick Rick Snyder, who went on to become governor, and in 2017 it picked Bill Schuette, who got the nomination but lost to Gov. Gretchen Whtimer.

As a rule, the party doesnt get involved in primaries. But Soldano sees the party as favoring one candidate.

I think the partys actions have been crystal clear, they are pushing another typical politician. And I dont see how the party straw poll wont be rigged, Soldano said.

He didnt name names, but former Detroit Police Chief James Craig is widely considered a frontrunner in the partys primary.

Craig will attend the event, a spokesperson said. Same for candidates Michael Brown, Articia Bomer, Ryan D. Kelley, Bob Scott and Austin Chenge.

Tudor Dixon plans to attend, but a spokesperson said she would not participate in a straw poll due to concerns it would be rigged.

The only candidate who did not respond to questions about whether he planned to attend was Ralph Rebrandt.

Bomer, who recently filed a candidate committee, described herself as coming from the grassroots. But she respects the Michigan GOP, she said, and particularly party Vice-Chair Meshawn Maddock, who came from grassroots activism herself.

If Im invited somewhere for gubernatorial candidates, guess what miss, Im attending, Bomer said.

The conference takes place Sept. 24-26 on Mackinac Island. Keynote speakers include RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel; U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas; South Dakota Gov. Kristy Noem and U.S. Sen. Lindsay Graham, R- South Carolina.

More on MLive:

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Soldano skips traditional Republican conference on Mackinac, most other gov candidates to attend - MLive.com

Shawn Wroblewski| Your Turn

I entered into the Republican primary for Erie County Executive wanting to make a difference. I was tired of the old party politics and political games. I learned a lot not only about Erie County and its political system and parties. I learned about the people running and holding offices too. So, when I was being asked to run a write-in campaign, I was humbled, especially after receiving 45% of the Republican votes in the primary. Being my first time running and coming from a humble background, I could not have been happier and more thankful for the people who trusted and believed in me.

But I believe in our political system and that every voice needs to be heard. I was not the one chosen for my party. Most everyone expected me to support my fellow Republicans. However, I cannot do that in this case. I do not follow party politics. I have my own mind, values, and beliefs, as we all do in America.

More: The race for Erie County executive: Republican Wroblewski is political newcomer

So, I started to reach out to the other top candidates. I received no answer from some. Others, I had already had the opportunity to know. I reached out to Tyler Titus, who won the Democratic nomination in the Erie County Executive race. I, like most people, had a preconceived notion about meeting Tyler from the media coverage and word of mouth. I was completely wrong.

I was very surprised how similar our visions for Erie County are. While we may not agree on every issue, I believe that Tyler Titus is the best candidate in the race for Erie County Executive. Tyler has a bold vision that matches the scale of the problems Erie County faces and has the knowledge and experience with county government to manage it effectively.

I ran my campaign on a platform of enhancing public safety, supporting small businesses, and ensuring a strong recovery from the pandemic. When I spoke to Tyler, I talked about my belief that we need to invest heavily in the small businesses we have and in attracting new ones to get us through the pandemic in a better spot than we started. I talked about the need to support our local fire departments and to make sure we have a tourism industry that brings money into the county. Tyler listened and agreed. Tyler has the same views on taking care of our veterans and the needs they have, as well as defending strong family values and religious freedoms.

More: Democratic Erie County Executive candidate Tyler Titus announces victory in the municipal primary

Ive been a Republican for 27 years, but Ive always believed that we should make our decisions based on the person, not the party. I know that as a proud Republican, I will get pushback for my support of Tyler. That Im going forward with it anyway shows how important I believe this to be.

As a paramedic and volunteer firefighter, I know what it takes to keep Erie County safe. It is not the reckless showboating or arrogance my former opponent, Brenton Davis, continues to display. It is strong, stable leadership. In a moment of great division, the fact that Tyler Titus took the time to meet with a Republican shows that Tyler is not about party politics. Tyler is about what is right for the people of Erie County.

To me, politics should not be about parties or loyalty. It should be about doing whats right to create the community we deserve. I believe Tyler to be a genuine, thoughtful, competent, prepared leader one who listens first, knows what they dont know, fights for whats right, and is ready to lead. I believe Tyler has the heart, mind, and vision to serve as an effective county executive.

I know that a Titus administration will put everyday Erie County families first. We might be from opposite sides of the political aisle, but I am proud to endorse Tyler Titus for Erie County Executive in this Novembers election.

Shawn Wroblewski, of Erie, is a paramedic and holds a master's degree inhomeland security and public health from Penn State. As aRepublican candidate in the Erie County Executive primary, he garnered 8,367 votes. Davis won the nomination with 10,171 votes.

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Erie Voice: Im the Republican who ran against Brenton Davis, now, I'm supporting Tyler Titus - GoErie.com

Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie was criticized for tweeting a meme showing an image of aperson's wrist tattooed with a concentration camp identification number as a way to oppose coronavirus vaccine mandates.

The tweet was later removed by Twitter or deleted by Massie himself, but screenshots were widely shared by users on Twitter.

An intern in Massie's office later quit, stating on Twitter that the offensive tweet was a red line.

Want a daily wrap-up of all the news and commentary Salon has to offer? Subscribe to our morning newsletter, Crash Course.

The tweet seems to follow comments made by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a conspiracy theorist and fierce QAnon supporter, who has previously equated COVID-19 safety measures, like mask mandates, to the treatment of Jews during the Holocaust.

Although Greene later apologized, her remarks led to condemnation across the political spectrum, which included members of her own party. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy openly rejected the Georgia Republican's "appalling" rhetoric in May.

Many further condemned Massie on Twitter:

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GOP intern quits in protest of Republican congressman's comparison of vaccines to the Holocaust - Salon

The resettlement of Afghan allies in the U.S. is exposing an internal divide between the Republican Partys anti-immigrant wing and conservatives who want to help the refugees.

Many Republican leaders have accused President Biden of abandoning the Afghan interpreters and guides who helped the United States during two decades of war, leaving thousands of people in limbo in a country now controlled by the Taliban.

But others including former President Trump and Representative Kevin McCarthy, the minority leader have criticized Mr. Biden for opening the United States up to what they characterized as dangerous foreigners.

Well have terrorists coming across the border, Mr. McCarthy said last week on a call with a bipartisan group of House members, according to two people who were on the call, where he railed against the Biden administrations handling of the withdrawal.

The debate is pitting traditional conservatives, who are more inclined to defend those who have sacrificed for America, against the anti-immigrant wing of the party. And it is a fresh test of Mr. Trumps power to make Republican leaders fall in line behind him.

For now, the faction of Republicans that supports welcoming Afghan refugees to the United States is larger than the one warning of any potential dangers that could accompany their resettlement, according to a poll.

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Republicans are divided over how to handle Afghan evacuees. - The New York Times

Something happened last Saturday that was significant because it was unprecedented: Donald Trump spoke at a rally in the heart of Trump countryCullman, Alabama, which gave the incumbent president more than 88 percent of the vote in 2020and he was booed. The jeers were scattered but noticeable, enough so that Trump responded to them.

Trump had encouraged those in the audience to get vaccinated. I believe totally in your freedoms. I do. Youve got to do what you have to do, Trump said, but I recommend: Take the vaccines. I did itits good. Yet for a large number of Trump supporters in the audience, even though the former president hadnt embraced government or private-sector mandates, he had crossed a redline.

David A. Graham: The noisy minority

Two days later Alex Jones, the far-right radio host and conspiracy theorist Trump courted in 2016, rebuked Trump. After playing a clip of Trump declaring that the vaccines are working, Jones responded, BS. Trump, thats a lie. Youre not stupid. Jones added, Shame on you, Trump. Seriously. Hey, if you dont have the good sense to save yourself and your political career, thats okay. At least youre gonna get some good Republicans elected, and you know, we like ya. But my God. Maybe youre not that bright. Maybe Trumps actually a dumbass.

These incidents are just a few of the straws in the turbulent wind, signs that something ominous is happening to the Republican Party. The GOP base may be identifying less and less with Trump personallythat was inevitable after he left the presidencybut it is not identifying any less with the conspiracist and antidemocratic impulses that defined him over the past five years.

In fact, the opposite is happening.

Not long ago, Trump was viewed as avant-garde, outrageous, and scandalous, Americas enfant terrible. His actions were viewed as so shocking and norm-shattering that he couldnt be ignored. In todays Republican Party, however, Trump is becoming what was once unthinkableconventional, unexceptional, even something of an establishment figure.

In a right-wing movement that is home to a growing assortment of cranks and kooksMarjorie Taylor Greene and Matt Gaetz, Paul Gosar and Lauren Boebert, Mo Brooks and Madison Cawthorn, Ron Johnson and Marsha Blackburn, Mike Lindell and Michael Flynn, Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell, Cyber Ninjas and QAnon, anti-vaxxers and insurrectionistsTrump looks rather ordinary. He wants credit for the vaccines that were developed during his administration, which mark a genuine medical milestone, but in some quarters of todays Republican Party, that makes Trump suspect, too closely aligned with the hated Anthony Fauci, a dumbass.

The dark, destructive place the GOP has found itself in isnt shocking. For more than half a decade, the Republican baseMAGA worldhas been fed a constant diet of outrageous lies and conspiracy theories, not just by Trump but also by his allies in the party and the right-wing media ecosystem. Negative emotions such as fear, rage, and resentment have been constantly stirred up. Over time, transgressive behaviors became chic; owning the libs became the name of the game. What mattered was hating the right people.

The MAGA brain was rewired. The psychologist Daniel Goleman refers to amygdala hijack, an intense emotional reaction thats dramatically disproportionate to the situation. When a person has been triggered, their emotions take over, and they see the world through a distorted lens.

Republicans who assumed that the party would return to sanity after Trump left office never understood how deforming the effects of his presidency would be. For many, Trumps behaviors were initially a bug; eventually, they became a feature. Republicans ignored his corruptions and reveled in his cruelty. They entered Trumps hall of mirrors, and they rather enjoyed it.

To better understand whats happening in the GOP, think of a person with addiction who over time develops a tolerance; as a result, they need more potent and more frequent doses of the drug to get their desired high. And sometimes even that isnt enough. They might turn to a more potent drug, which offers a more intense experience and a longer-lasting high, but at the price of considerably more danger.

Chris Hayes: The Republican Party is radicalizing against democracy

What was seen as shocking in 2017 is now anodyne. The ethical lines that existed then turned out to have been drawn in sand. When you cross into territory devoid of moral axioms or epistemic standardsthe kind of world you would find in a Turgenev novelthings can get very ugly, very quickly. Even Trumpwhose derangement now includes turning a violent Capitol Hill rioter who was shot and killed by a police officer into a martyr, falsely accusing the police officer of murder, and issuing yet another barely concealed incitement to violencecan begin to look like a mainstream figure within the party. At some point in the future, the same may be said of Marjorie Taylor Greene.

All of this is not only worrisome but deeply dispiriting, especially for those of us who were loyal Republicans for our entire political life, until 2016. To watch an entire party bend and then break and stay broken, to witness it become what it once claimed to loathe, to see it move in an even more frenzied direction after Trumps presidency than during it, is painful. But not nearly as painful as staying silent or becoming complicit with those who continue to cause grave damage to conservatism, to truth, and to our republic.

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Trumpism Has Entered Its Final Form - The Atlantic