Why Is The Republican Party Honoring and Wishing Irrelevant Former Gov Milliken A Happy Birthday?

Today the Wayne County Republican Party issued a meme

wishing Former Governor William Milliken a happy birthday.  He served as Governor of Michigan under the Republican Party from 1969 to 1983. 

Milliken hasn't always been the best Republican.  As Governor many thought he was to progressive and

In 2004, Milliken endorsed Democrat John Kerry for President. In 2008, it was Republican John McCain. Although he withdrew it just a few weeks before the election.

Gary Peters (L) and Rick Snyder (R)
Ex Gov Williman Milliken's picks in 2014

And,this last election-cycle, Milliken has endorsed Democrat Gary Peters for U.S. Senate and Democrat Mark Totten for Attorney General over Terri Lynn Land and Bill Schuette respectively. 

Former Democrat Candidate For Attorney General Mark Totten with Former
Republican Governor William Milliken

When asked on Fox 2 Detroit's show "Let it Rip" about why Milliken endorsed Gary Peters and Mark Totten , former Michigan Republican Party Chairman said that Milliken was irrelevant. 

" FOX 2'S CHARLIE LANGTON: Governor Milliken, this week, endorsed Gary Peters. What’s going on with that?!

BOBBY SCHOSTAK: [Laughs] Well, what’s goin’ on with Governor Milliken? He’s not relevant any longer. It was relevant when… 

LANGTON: A fellow Republican is not relevant?! 

SCHOSTAK: He’s not relevant to this election. What’s relevant to this election is what Governor Snyder is doing, what Terri Land will do to represent… "

DemocRAT Gary Peters Thinks Michigan Voters Are Stupid

Michigan U.S. Senate candidate and current carpet bagging congressman Gary Peters must think we are stupid. It's the only explanation for this ad.

The Democratic Senate Campaign committee is attacking  Republican Senate Candidate Terri  Lynn Land for "connections" to petcoke in Detroit.

But here's the truth: while they are making these attacks, Peters is actually profiting off of petcoke! He owns stock in a company that is one of the largest petcoke producers in the world!

When he was asked about it, he called it "just a little bit of stock."

The sheer hypocrisy of attacking an opposing candidate for allegedly being involved in something that your candidate is ACTUALLY making thousands of dollars off of boggles the mind.

What's even more outrageous is that at the exact same time that Peters is profiting off of petcoke, he is also out there on the stump making self-righteous sermons about the evils of petcoke saying it's terribly, horribly dangerous to Michigan. Meanwhile, he's lining his pocket with money from petcoke.

The Lansing State Journal dismissed Peters’ attacks.

There is no evidence Land had or has anything to do with it. There is also nothing linking her with pollution in Detroit’s 48217 ZIP code.
 Peters’ hands, however, were not nearly as clean, according to the Journal. The oil company he invested in was forced to pay nearly $9 million in fines in 2013 for polluting the environment.
 Peters’ ownership of shares in Total Petrochemicals, the French company’s U.S. subsidiary, is fair game for questions. The company owns a refinery that makes pet coke in Port Arthur, Texas — a city where several articles have been written about the effects of toxins on residents. Total paid an $8.75 million fine last year for earlier violations of pollution limits.
 He still presumably stands to profit from its products, including pet coke, a substance his allies called in a recent ad targeting Land “some of the dirtiest oil waste imaginable.” Considering the emphasis Peters has put on the piles that once abutted the Detroit River, raising questions about his shares of Total S.A. is inbounds.

So in summary:

Who claims he believes petcoke is dangerous to Michiganders' lives? Gary Peters.

Who is personally profiting from petcoke? Gary Peters.