"By now many of you have heard that Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof instructed the Senate Business Office to relieve me of my committee assignments and take direct control of my Senate office.
The only precedent for such action to the best of my knowledge has been in response to former Sen. Virgil Smith shooting up his ex-wife’s car in a fit of rage.
What was my offense?
...When I met with the majority leader to ascertain the rationale for his decision, the top two reasons he cited were my vocal opposition to Medicaid expansion (i.e. Section 2001 of Obamacare) and Common Core education standards.
Mind you, my position is consistent with the position of the Republican Party’s platform.
Looking out for the best interests of our citizens instead of the special interests in Lansing.
...In other words, I was doing my job.
Like many of you, I opposed Proposal 1 and the subsequent gas tax increase.
Like many of you, I oppose economic policies that pick winners and losers.
Meekhof appears to view opposition as “insubordination.” In fact, he openly accused me of “insubordination” on the Senate floor.
In response to his accusation, I simply said, “I do not work for you. I work for the citizens of Michigan.”
I was relieved of my committee assignments shortly thereafter.
You see, the only rule that I have violated during my tenure in the Senate is the unwritten rule that I am supposed to serve the Senate majority leader and ignore the best interests of my constituents along with the broader interests of the citizens of Michigan.
President Trump coined a term for an environment governed by such unwritten rules — the swamp.
I didn’t run for office to serve the Senate majority leader.
I ran to serve the citizens of Michigan.
That is exactly what I will continue to do.
Make no mistake, if I’m elected as your next governor, I won’t take any orders from the swamp — I’ll drain it.
Sen. Patrick Colbeck is a candidate for governor of Michigan.
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