News from
The Michigan Democratic Party

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 8, 2009
Contact: John Tramontana
517-371-5410

Michigan Dems Call for Investigation of Underage Drinking on Mackinac Island
GOP Student Says Underage Kids Were Provided Booze by Candidates at GOP Conference

LANSING – The Michigan Democratic Party is calling for an immediate and thorough investigation of underage drinking at the GOP Leadership Conference on Mackinac Island last week. A Central Michigan University Republican college student, Vanessa Oblinger, blogged about the weekend’s events and states the students “were rewarded with open bars and free dinners” just for coming. And who was supplying these underage kids with booze? Oblinger says none other than the candidates themselves:

Let me tell you, rich politicians know how to throw a pretty damn good party and they definitely do treat the [College Republicans] pretty well- a free trip to mackinac including free fairy (sic) trips, free hotel rooms, free food, and “the drank.”…

Friday night, we were rewarded with open bars and free dinners. The X’s on the minors hands were washed off and the free drinks showered upon us.…

Saturday goes the same way…We hit the bars around 11 am. I’m not kidding. Drunk politicians swarmed the island early…[We] went back to the tourist part of the island where all the big-party-open-bars and dinners were taking place…[We] went out to eat and witnessed some of the drunkest, most ridiculous political discussions and pathetic sleeze-ball dancing of our lives. Beer and foo-foo drinks and you name it were all clutched in the hands of under-aged [College Republicans] – however, they were all incredibly careful about not getting kicked out or noticed for under-aged drinking to avoid getting the candidate who had been throwing the party into any sort of career-jeopardizing trouble.

“This wasn’t a so-called ‘policy conference’ – it was ‘Animal House on the Island’ for three days sponsored by the Michigan Republican Party and its candidates,” Michigan Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer said. “Mike Cox and Mike Bouchard are officers of the law. Bill Schuette is a former judge, and he and Mike Bishop want to become Attorney General. For them to ignore and even condone this illegal behavior is shameful and irresponsible. There must be a thorough investigation of this illegal activity on the Island.”

Check out Mark Brewer’s Press Conference on this issue.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Y4TE0sZYLk