Republican gubernatorial candidate Dick Devos' media team has gone into high gear to try to discredit the latest ad from the state Democratic Party backing Gov. Jennifer Granholm.

Early this morning, the Devos campaign released a statement describing it as a "lie." A press conference followed, followed by the release of a letter going to Michigan TV stations demanding that the "inaccurate, misleading and deceptive" ad be pulled. [UPDATE THURSDAY: The Devos campaign announced that WWTV-WWUP-TV, TV9&10, had, indeed, pulled the ad.]

The Democrats' ad trots out the thoroughly discredited claim that while he was president of Amway/Alticor, he sent Michigan jobs to China. It isn't true.

Amway opened a manufacturing plant in China in 1995 to serve the Chinese market. It was essentially a plant to put out finished products using materials partially processed in Michigan and California.

Three years later, Amway cut its bloated bureaucracy in Ada.

That's been twisted to "sent jobs to China."

Expect the Democrats to continue to make this claim. Even though it isn't true, it sounds true.

Why? We all know Michigan jobs have gone to China. We all know Amway has had a trust issue for years; anybody who's ever been trapped in a room with a circle-drawing Amway/Quixtar dream peddler has learned that the hard way.

That reputation of "Amway? Hold on to your wallet!" is hurting the GOP candidate, and allowing the Big Lie from the other side to stick.

It's sticking, even though Devos is telling the truth. Alticor, which is what the company is called now, actually employs more people in Ada today than Amway did in 1995.

But who's counting?