Americans for Prosperity-Michigan

In Case You Missed It: Calley stands by ‘atomic bomb’ comment on Snyder’s budget plans

from the Detroit News    http://detnews.com/article/20110209/POLITICS02/102090397/1022/rss10

Lansing — Lt. Gov. Brian Calley did not retreat from the fallout today after his comparison of the upcoming state budget to an “atomic bomb” hitting Lansing drew a rebuke from the governor’s office.

Calley, R-Portland, made the comment Tuesday at a breakfast meeting of the Holland Area Chamber of Commerce, the Holland Sentinel reported today.

Calley also reportedly told the business leaders it would be an “all-cuts” budget released Feb. 17 in which the Michigan Department of Corrections will take the bulk of the hits. He also said Snyder’s agenda would be “no lovefest,” the newspaper reported.

Snyder is trying to close a projected $1.8 billion deficit. Snyder’s press secretary, Sara Wurfel, said Calley misspoke. “This was an extremely unfortunate choice of words,” she said.

“It certainly doesn’t take into account the very difficult decisions that are being made and the extensive efforts we are taking to help protect citizens and ensure we leave no one behind. We are doing everything we can to address the state’s fiscal crisis and trim spending in all areas of the budget, but also to help preserve critical services.” Also, “this is not an all-cuts budget,” she said.

But Calley did not retreat from his remarks in a brief telephone interview today with The Detroit News. Asked if he regretted the atomic bomb comparison, he said he’s not a person who gets hung up on semantics but there may have been better ways to describe the budget.

“Reforms are hard — very hard,” Calley said. “That’s why they never happen.” The budget will be “the likes of which the city of Lansing and all of the special interests have never seen before,” he said.

Snyder has spent the past two years telling the people of Michigan he was going to bring true structural reform to Michigan government and a true balanced budget and that’s what will happen, Calley said. Snyder is “one of the most thoughtful and intelligent people I’ve ever seen,” and the budget will be “bold, simple, fair and efficient,” he said.

Communications consultant Robert Kolt of Kolt Communications in Okemos said he expects “a war” over the budget and an end to Snyder’s honeymoon period. “I’ll bet he’s right,” Kolt said of Calley. “I think it will be an atomic bomb. People will be shocked.

“I have said often the Snyder love story is going to end soon, and it’s going to end when people see the budget.” Snyder, a millionaire Ann Arbor businessman, was elected governor Nov. 2 on his first try for elected office.