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Turmoil In The 11th District

Incumbent's blunder leaves congressional race wide open.

Bill Carroll I Contributing Writer

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

On the Democratic primary ballot is Dr.
Syed Taj, a Canton Township trustee and
Dearborn internist, who had long planned to
get into the race. But his strategy was aimed
at McCotter for the Nov. 6 election, and he
even had already printed some campaign
leaflets attacking the Republican.
Now, in the primary, he is facing Democrat
Bill Roberts of Redford, which is not in the
11th District (candidates do not have to live
in the district they represent). Roberts is an
avowed supporter of Lyndon LaRouche, 89,
of Virginia. LaRouche has served six years in
a federal prison for mail fraud and tax code
violations and has run for president eight
times.
The only candidate on the Republican
primary ballot is Kerry Bentivolio, 60, of
Milford, a gentleman farmer and former
teacher in the Fowlerville School District,
who started accelerating his campaign with
McCotter's disqualification, but has found
opposition from the Republican establish-
ment. Bentivolio, a self-described "Ronald
Reagan Republican" says one reason he
entered the primary race was to "try to push
McCotter more to the right." Now Bentivolio
is happy his is the only name on the GOP
ballot.
Former State Sen. Nancy Cassis, a Novi
Republican, was enjoying retirement when
GOP leaders urgently tapped her to run a
write-in campaign, always a difficult task, to
oppose Bentivolio.
Cassis, 68, a transplanted New Yorker with
seven children and 11 grandchildren, has
worked her way up from the political grass-
roots to make her congressional bid. She was
a Novi city councilwoman for nine years and
spent three terms in the Michigan House of
Representatives and two terms in the State
Senate before term limits interceded. She
also was a Novi school psychologist for 17
years.
In addition, another write-in candi-
date has entered the Republican race.
Drexel Morton of Canton, a pastor at All
Saints Lutheran Church in Hartland, has
announced his candidacy.
"We aren't taking sides': says Dennis
Pittman, executive director of the Oakland
County Republican Party
"We'll let the process play out. But I want
to point out that Nancy Cassis is just exer-
cising her constitutional right to run as a
write-in!"
Frank Houston, executive director of the
Oakland County Democratic Party, strikes a
similar tone in Taj vs. Roberts. But officials
indicate they favor the former.

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July 12 a 2 012

Democratic Ballot
The candidates generally express their
support of Israel as a U.S. friend and ally,
although Roberts quickly points out that
Israel should not attack Iran; "and we should
stay out of it in any case, and not interfere
with the internal struggles of any Mideast
country': he asserts.
Taj adds that Israel and its neighbors "each
have the responsibility of making some con-
cessions in the process, especially in regard
to any new settlements in
Israel:'
A native of India where
he attended medical
school, Taj, 65, came to
Michigan in 1983 via
England to join his wife's
relatives. He's semi-retired
from his Dearborn prac-
Syed Taj
tice after 40 years and is
retired as chief of medi-
cine at Dearborn's Oakwood Hospital.
To patients who bemoan his candidacy
— because "we love our doctor" — he tells
them that, if elected, he'll return home from
Washington, D.C., to keep office hours every
Saturday morning. "As a physician, I know
the importance of Medicare and health care
reform and, if elected, I'll use my experience
to make sure every American has health
care insurance': he explains. "My focus and
first obligation will be to insure we preserve
Medicare and Social Security in this country"
Taj is proud he's the only Democratic
board member in Republican-heavy Canton
Township, where he says he's "acquired a
reputation as a fiscal conservative." Now,
he wants to go to Washington to "assist
our president in general, create a better job
atmosphere, help us compete in the global
market and provide affordable education
for our children." He also wants to provide
vocational training for high school grads that
dorit plan to attend college.
A Taj campaign leaflet calls Roberts an
"imposter running as a Democrat," and cites
local publications, which say"Roberts wants
to impeach President °barna!'
Roberts, 31 and single, rails against
Obama and former President George W
Bush, and refers to both Obama and pre-
sumptive Republican presidential nominee
Mitt Romney as "disasters."
Roberts' full-time job is as an organizer for
the LaRouche movement, which he joined
in his late teens. He says he's "proud to be on
the national LaRouche slate."
Roberts wants the nation to return to
the legacy of President Franklin Delano
Roosevelt, and he says, if elected, he'll strive

to better enforce the Glass-Steagall Banking
Reform Act of 1933, which established the
Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and seeks
to limit activities between commercial banks
and securities firms."No
more bailouts of any
kind': he declared.
On foreign affairs,
Roberts adds,"the U.S.
can't just step into civil
wars around the world
and violate a country's
sovereignty on the pretext
Bill Roberts
of humanitarian interven-
tion."
In a Sept. 13, 2003, report, the Anti-
Defamation League referred to Lyndon
LaRouche as a "notorious American anti-
Semite" who has "pointed to the 'Zionist
lobby,"Jewish gangsters: and 'Christian
Zionists' as forces that have sought to control
U.S. policies towards Israel and have been
`bought by money, the so-called Zionist
money, and the mega crowd in New York:"
Ema Reuter, Roberts' campaign manager,
said,"This ADL comment is just slander
of Lyndon LaRouche. There's nothing in
LaRouche's actions or conduct that reflects
anti-Semitism."

Write-In Candidates

Cassis figures it'll cost about $500,000 to
wage her write-in campaign, mainly on TV
and radio commercials and brochures. "I feel
I've achieved considerable name recogni-
tion over the years': she said."Write-ins have
been successful in the past, such as in Alaska
and other places. It just takes a very focused
campaign."
After the McCotter "fiasco and turmoil':
she says,"I was approached by Oakland
County officials and
selected to run. I hope
to unify the party as one
competent candidate —
who, in fact, already has
represented one-third of
this district in the past."
If elected, Cassis, who
calls herself a "consistent
Nancy Cassis
conservative': says she
will work closely with
her colleagues, U.S. Reps. Mike Rogers of
Lansing and Dave Camp of Midland, to help
"create greater economic certainty, rein in
out-of-control spending, restore prosperity
and especially focus sharply on repealing
Obamacare."
She has served on the West Bloomfield-
based Jewish Family Service Mentor
Connection Advisory Board, visited Israel
Rank-And-File Appeal
and deplores "oiur wishy-washy policy" on
Bentivolio, married for 34 years, is a veteran
Iran.
of both the Vietnam and Iraq wars and says
"The U.S. can't intervene everywhere, but
he's a rank-and-file candidate. He's bat-
we also can't be isolationists and withdraw
tling lack of recognition,
from the world': she adds.
but people tell him, he
Morton, 60, a pastor for 25 years, says he's
asserts, that he should
a theologian, not a politician, but he now
be getting more respect
wants to "serve the country the same way a
from GOP party leaders.
"I'm making appearances pastor serves a congregation."
He feels he has a "sense of destiny" to go
everywhere, including all
to Washington to help seek solutions to the
the Tea Party rallies:' he
nation's problems.
points out.
Kerry
He stresses the two
If
elected,
Bentivolio
Bentivolio
major
political parties
says he'll fight for more
"need
more
cooperation
transparency in govern-
across
the
aisle
to prevent
ment and seek legislation requiring all
the
country
from
going
congressmen and senators to post on the
.'
over
a
financial
cliff'
Internet how they voted on every issue.
Morton
understands
"And we must stop this reckless over-
a write-in campaign is a
spending': he says."There's a great awaken-
tough task, but "I will rely
ing by the American public on all these
Drexel Morton
on social media and my
issues today; they want answers and action."
news media contacts to
Bentivolio doesn't favor the large amounts
of foreign aid that the U.S. is presently giving, win': he stated.
He fondly remembers a trip to Israel when
particularly to countries ruled by dictators.
"we
were warmly received by the Jewish
He proposes the U.S. withdraw the 50,000
people."
U.S. troops still stationed Germany since the
Morton said the situation in the Mideast is
end of World War II. He also believes the U.S.
"troubling"
and adds that "we must keep an
should intervene in new military actions
eye
on
Iran
at
all times." Ili
only when absolutely necessary.

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