AUTO INDUSTRY LEADER BOB LUTZ ENDORSES CLARK DURANT FOR US SENATE
For Immediate Release Contact: Adam Raezler
Monday September, 12 2011 Tel. (313) 719 – 8200
Email: clarkdurant2012@gmail.com
Website: www.clarkdurant.com
Today, Bob Lutz is issuing a letter endorsing Clark Durant for U.S. Senate to business and civic leaders in Michigan. (See attachment) Bob Lutz is joining the campaign as General Finance Chairman, and will assist by fundraising, public speaking, press interviews and other campaign activities as time permits.
“Lutz knows that when the product line-up is stale, you’ve got to start fresh, be bold, and give people something they can be passionate about. That’s as true in politics as it is in cars. I am grateful to Bob for his support,” said Durant.
“Bob Lutz is an auto industry legend. I am honored to have his support. Bob knows the American way of innovation, private initiative and support for free enterprise will put Americans back to work.” concluded Durant.
###
If you would like more information about Clark Durant’s United States Senate campaign, or to schedule an interview with Mr. Durant, please call Adam Raezler at (313) 719-8200.
SEE FULL TEXT OF LETTER BELOW:
Dear Friends:
In the automobile business, I am known as a “car guy”. I love product. It is all about passion, excellence, and superior value. Great product makes all the difference for success.
Every great car has character. You see it in the lines, the look, and the feel…inside and out. It is in the little details. It is in the standard equipment, and the extras. It is in first impressions off the line and in the showroom…and the lasting impressions at classic auto shows years later. All cars have to run well, be available at prices that work for customers, and maintain their value over time.
In the end, you buy a product just right for you, a product you love to own, to drive, and even just to park in your driveway. So, let me tell you about a great product that is coming to the marketplace, a product that I didn’t design, but I am helping it come to market. It is well built; it is of superior value; it is well tested over many years; it is excellent in every important way, and this product this person is needed right now in Washington, given the crisis facing our country. That product this person is my friend Clark Durant. I write today to ask you to join with me in supporting Clark, a well tested model of excellence!
I have known Clark for more than twenty years. He has vision; he is a leader; he assembles the right team to execute good plans; and he has always created a great return on investment. I am asking you to join with me to host an event for Clark, and to invest in his race to represent all of us in the United States Senate.
Clark is absolutely the best candidate in the Republican primary, and he is uniquely positioned to beat Debbie Stabenow in the general; in fact, in my judgment, and that of others, he is the only Republican who can win the race for the United States Senate.
I will tell you why, but first, a word on Clark’s distinguished career, a career that will make possible his victory.
Based on his work more than forty years ago as an undergraduate at Tulane University, Clark was hired in 1971 by Dr. George Roche, the new President of Hillsdale College, to be the Director of Dr. Roche’s new initiative, the Center for Constructive Alternatives. The idea for the Center grew out of Dr. Roche’s personal experience with Clark’s work in New Orleans, even before he became President of Hillsdale College. The College’s now very influential letter of opinion, Imprimis, was initiated by Clark at Hillsdale in order to take the ideas of freedom, self government, business, politics, and culture to a wider audience, today around the world.
After Hillsdale, Clark attended the Notre Dame Law School where he taught a great books course in the undergraduate school. He returned to Detroit to practice law with his father, and for many years he represented individuals who could not afford a lawyer.
In March of 1983 Clark was recommended by U.S. Transportation Secretary Elizabeth Dole to become the Trustee of a bankrupt state owned, taxpayer subsidized Ann Arbor Railroad. It had more than $100 million in debts and claims filed against it. It could easily have been liquidated. But, after paying off every allowed claim, rehabilitating the track, and allowing unique labor agreements to take the railroad forward, Clark and his team found a way to save and create jobs, to expand service, and to eliminate the need for state subsidies and state ownership by putting the railroad into the private sector. The railroad became a taxpayer, not a tax user.
In October of 1983, President Ronald Reagan nominated Clark to serve on the board of the Legal Services Corporation, a highly controversial agency designed to provide legal services to the poor. He was confirmed with an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote in the U.S. Senate. Clark served four years as Chair of the Board. He had the rare political courage to challenge the status quo both inside and outside of the Congress…earning the enmity of all of the special interests. The President later applauded Clark’s leadership and bold steps to shift the debate.
A final word on his career. Twenty years ago Clark founded the immensely successful Cornerstone Schools in Detroit. Please go to Clark’s Facebook page at clarkdurant.com and read the Detroit Free Press article by Stephen Henderson, the editorial page editor, regarding the schools which give inner city parents a low-cost, high-performing option outside of the city’s public schools. The article credits Clark with enormous leadership in the city for education.
Clark is running against two career politicians (Hoekstra/Stabenow), both of whom have stood on the sidelines during their lengthy tenures in Washington D.C. while our economy has deteriorated. They have done nothing to halt the explosion of our federal debt. Federal spending is out of control. And, when they do act, both Pete and Debbie have voted for spending programs, increased debt ceilings, and federal budgets that only make matters worse. Greece is not just a bankrupt foreign country; it is a reality for us to know, and fear. The career politicians, both Democrats and Republicans, have failed us and put us on a path to Greece.
Clark alone can win this U.S. Senate race, because his life’s work has stretched across the usual political divisions. No other Republican or Democrat in this race will be able to reach across the divisions, as Clark can do. Clark is a problem solver for all people, and he has been one for his entire life. He is not a career politician. His life demonstrates great foresight, character, leadership, tenacity of purpose, excellence, and superior value….he’s a tremendous product.
Now is not the time for summer patriots. All of us need to get active and involved. I write this letter because I tremble for my state, and my country. Denise and I are paying for it. Please invest whatever you can, today. Host an event with me. An envelope has been provided for you to send your thoughts and contribution back to me. Donate online today at clarkdurant.com. They will send me the list. Thank you very much.
Bob Lutz
