Michigan
updated
9:09 a.m.
This is why I won't vote for Rick Synder or any other candidate who pushes the "I can run government like a business" meme. Via Think Progress: REPORT: CEOs At Top 50 Companies That Laid Off Most Workers Raked In Millions In Compensation The Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) released its annual report on executive compensation today - "CEO Pay and the Great Recession." "I'm afraid that thi...
Blogging For Michigan - 8:24 a.m.
While the MI GOP is issuing a series of incredibly lame and juvenile attack videos on YouTube, pieces so bad that even Republicans are complaining about them, the MDP has whipped up some very informative and classy spots that introduce their candidates to the public. Check out the video on Jocelyn Benson: Described as being "born to be Secretary of State", Benson wants to bring ...
Blogging For Michigan - 8:05 a.m.
Rob Steele, a wealthy cardiologist, is running against the "Dean of the House", Congressman John Dingell. His campaign is your typical ultra-right conservative blah-blah: cutspendingcuttaxesdemocratsareresponsibleforthedeficit...et etc. But, I have to say, Rob Steele takes the whole "vote for me, not the 'career' politician" thing to a new level. Last night on Sean Hannity's Great American Pan...
Blogging For Michigan - 7:00 a.m. - 2 clicks 
Last month, President Obama visited Michigan to tout the success of the GM/Chrysler bailout. Despite criticism, the bailouts have been an unqualified success. That success continued today with two new reports that indicate Michigan is leading the nation out of recession. The first report indicates that Michigan led the nation in job growth during July. The second shows th...
DailyKos (Michigan) - Wed 6:47 p.m. - 4 clicks
From Media Matters Following President Obama's speech on the end of combat operations in Iraq, media outlets hosted discredited Bush administration officials Karl Rove, Stephen Hadley, and Ari Fleischer to respond, despite the fact that the three were at the forefront of the campaign of misinformation used to sell the war. Rove led WH group that "promoted" view that Saddam had WM...
Motor City Liberal - Wed 6:23 p.m.
Big Ten Announces Football Division Alignments and 2011 and 2012 Conference Schedules Big Ten division winners to meet in inaugural Big Ten Football Championship Game Sept. 1, 2010 Park Ridge, Ill. - The Big Ten Conference office announced football division alignments beginning with the 2011 season as recommended by conference directors of athletics and reviewed and supported by the Big Ten ...
West Michigan Rising - Wed 6:07 p.m.
By Faiz Shakir In April 2006, ThinkProgress produced a report titled “ The Architects of War : Where Are They Now?” We wrote at the time, “a review of the key planners of the conflict reveals that they have been rewarded — not blamed — for their incompetence.” Referencing our report in July 2007, New York Times columnist Paul Krugman wrote, “To read that summary is to be awed ...
Motor City Liberal - Wed 6:07 p.m.
By Raw Story After John McCain's presidential campaign decided to withdraw from Michigan, his vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin dissented. Once the Secret Service learned of Palin's plan to drive to Michigan one morning anyway, it got a blunt response upon asking how to handle it: "Shoot out the tires." That was but one nugget of information revealed Wednesday in a lengthy Va...
Motor City Liberal - Wed 6:07 p.m. - 3 clicks
By Matt Duss A new Vanity Fair profile reveals some new information about former half-term Alaska governor Sarah Palin. Like this: Early in the 2008 campaign, when John McCain’s aides discovered that Alaska-size gaps existed in Palin’s general knowledge ( among those previously unreported: she had no idea who Margaret Thatcher was ), they from time to time would give her som...
Motor City Liberal - Wed 5:45 p.m.
By Ben Armbruster The Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) released its annual report on executive compensation today — “ CEO Pay and the Great Recession .” “I’m afraid that this year’s report will raise just about everybody’s blood pressure ,” lead author Sarah Anderson said. Indeed, the report found that “CEOs of the 50 firms that have laid off the most workers since the ons...
Motor City Liberal - Wed 5:45 p.m.
Jason Lummis was riding along Dexter-Pinckney road on Wednesday of last week when he was struck by a truck and left lying there with "internal bleeding, broken vertebrae, a shattered pelvis and a 'massive' puncture wound so bad he 'almost bled out' at the scene." Police have pieces of the mirror from the truck that struck Lummis and have narrowed it down to a 1999 to 2000 F-250 to F-550 super-du...
Blogging For Michigan - Wed 1:49 p.m.
It just amazes me that the positions of Republicans are so flimsily that they can't stand up to the least bit of scrutiny, and that is why I have been banned from two rightwing blogs and now from the Facebook page of a Congressional candidate named Rob Steele . My crime; making sense and putting up arguments they can't defend. To me, debating with people I agree with is not much of a debate, so ...
Blogging For Michigan - Wed 10:21 a.m.
Well, halle-freakin-lujah! Michigan leads U.S. in new jobs with 27,800 One month of encouraging jobs data is hardly enough to declare a rip-roaring recovery of Michigan's feeble economy -- but it's nothing to sneeze at, either. "There's no guarantee, but evidence is building that Michigan has finally turned the corner. The private sector is starting to grow again," James Hohman, a fiscal p...
Blogging For Michigan - Wed 6:44 a.m. - 4 clicks
Ben Quayle, a 33-year-old lawyer who is running for Congress in Arizona, has revealed that he used to contribute to a website about nightlife in the Arizona city of Scottsdale. Quayle’s comments are said to have included lines such as “My moral compass is so broken I can barely find the parking lot.” Third Ward Council member [...]...
A2Politico - Wed 5:08 a.m. - 2 clicks
By PAUL KRUGMAN The last time a Democrat sat in the White House, he faced a nonstop witch hunt by his political opponents. Prominent figures on the right accused Bill and Hillary Clinton of everything from drug smuggling to murder. And once Republicans took control of Congress, they subjected the Clinton administration to unrelenting harassment — at one point taking 140 hours of swor...
Motor City Liberal - Tue 9:45 p.m.
By George Zornick On his nationally syndicated radio program Sunday night , hate radio host Bill Cunningham said that he will broadcast his show from the office of Minority Leader Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) on this November’s Election Day, and was invited by Boehner himself. “I’m going to do my show that day from the portico of the Speaker of the House’s office in the U.S. Capitol...
Motor City Liberal - Tue 9:45 p.m. - 6 clicks
by Joe Strupp Glenn Beck's newly created Black Robe Regiment -- which he has said would be apolitical -- apparently has a clear political direction, according to two of its members. Dr. Richard Lee of the First Redeemer Church in Atlanta, Ga., and Dr. Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention, both said part of the group's mission is to return to...
Motor City Liberal - Tue 9:45 p.m.
By Ryan J. Stanton August 31, 2010 Howard Dean, former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, is expected to appear at a Democratic Party rally next week in Ann Arbor. The “Moving Michigan Forward” event takes place at 8 p.m. Wednesday, … Continue reading → ...
University of Michigan College Democrats - Tue 7:02 p.m. - 7 clicks
By Igor Volsky Today, the Department of Health and Human Services announced the “first round of applicants accepted into the Early Retiree Reinsurance Program,” a $5 billion program established by the new health care law to help employers and states “maintain coverage for early retirees age 55 and older who are not yet eligible for Medicare .” According to the agency, “nearly 2,00...
Motor City Liberal - Tue 7:02 p.m.
I wish I could express to you the scent outside. The sense closest to the brain. To memory. It's a watery, algae, lake smell from off the coast of Lake Michigan in the August. It's the smell of grandpa. It's the smell of years grandpa spent transforming a World War II ship into a sailing vessel with his own hands. The Bohai. It's the smell of sleeping on deck, rocked by the waves to t...
DailyKos (Michigan) - Tue 7:02 p.m. - 6 clicks
I'm happy that Todd Heywood's work of journalism from over the weekend is getting some attention from the mainstream press. Of course, it had to come second hand by way of Mark Schauer's office , and if we view the story through the inverted pyramid construction the Freep felt one of the most important facts of the story was who pays the bills at Michigan Messenger, but they at least ...
Michiganliberal - Tue 5:03 p.m. - 7 clicks
If these guys are going to show up two blocks from my house, the least I can do is go grab a couple shots, right? Right. Here is your Democratic ticket, hard at work listening to the concerns of business owners and community members in Grand Rapids... That's Cory DeMint above, owner of the Electric Cheetah restaurant on Wealthy St. in the Eastown area. He's been having trouble with o...
Blogging For Michigan - Tue 1:43 p.m. - 9 clicks
Again, the whole fake Tea Party thing served one useful purpose ... it forced the real Tea Party to admit that it's mostly just the organized grassroots crazies of the Republican Party. Now it's dead . How much did it cost, and was the money worth forcing their hand. ...
Michiganliberal - Tue 10:02 a.m.
Cross-posted at Eclectablog.com . This might seem like yet another example of teabagger fail but it's not. Not really. In this case it's more of a Dem fail, unfortunately. An effort to put "The Tea Party" on the November ballot in Michigan has failed . Not because it's a fake group trying to help Democrats at the polls by splitting far-right wing votes (which it is.) No, it's because...
DailyKos (Michigan) - Tue 9:23 a.m. - 8 clicks
For more information about College Democrats at the University of Michigan, email us or give us a call at (734) 331-0336. For press inquiries or to receive our press releases, please contact our Communications Director Joe Sandman. For more information … Continue reading → ...
University of Michigan College Democrats - Tue 5:41 a.m. - 8 clicks
Brendan Campbell | Chair Class of 2012 Double Major in Political Science and Communications Studies with a Minor in Community Action and Social Change Nina Bhattacharya | Vice-Chair Class of 2012 Major in Public Policy with a Minor in International … Continue reading → ...
University of Michigan College Democrats - Tue 5:41 a.m.
It’s proven that when students vote, Democrats win. However, election law makes registering to vote particularly difficult for students. Because of this, we encourage everyone to re-register to vote every year at their current campus address. Please click on the … Continue reading → ...
University of Michigan College Democrats - Tue 5:41 a.m.
COMMUNITY SERVICE | Dems Demanding a Difference Chairs: Kate Brierty, Rebecca Egler As the community service arm of UMCD, Dems Demanding a Difference partners with both local community organizations, as well as other student organizations, to coordinate service projects and … Continue reading → ...
University of Michigan College Democrats - Tue 5:41 a.m.
Welcome week is a great time for voter registration, recruiting new members and most of all reuniting after a long summer. Please sign up for as many shifts as you can, we’d love to see all your shining faces! Loading…...
University of Michigan College Democrats - Tue 5:41 a.m. - 2 clicks
College Democrats at the University of Michigan presents: Moving Michigan Forward with special guests Governor Howard Dean, Congressman John Dingell, Congressman Mark Schauer, and Congressman Gary Peters Wednesday, September 8 at 8 PM Rackham Auditorium General Admission Doors open at … Continue reading → ...
University of Michigan College Democrats - Tue 5:41 a.m. - 9 clicks
This might seem like yet another example of teabagger fail but it's not. Not really. In this case it's more of a Dem fail, unfortunately. An effort to put "The Tea Party" on the November ballot in Michigan has failed . Not because it's a fake group trying to help Democrats at the polls by splitting far-right wing votes (which it is.) The Michigan Court of Appeals said Monday that a group calli...
Blogging For Michigan - Tue 5:41 a.m. - 5 clicks
The hypocrisy. It burns. Republicans enjoying the fruits of job creation they have criticized, tried to obstruct, and would eliminate if they were elected. Riddle me this: If Rick Snyder is this big "jobs creator" - why in the world would he have to introduce the Republican ticket at a site for a battery plant that Granholm and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation brought to Michigan?...
Blogging For Michigan - Mon 7:07 p.m. - 10 clicks
by Eric Schroeck In the weeks leading up to his 8-28 rally, Glenn Beck repeatedly invoked Martin Luther King Jr., claiming that his rally would "reclaim the civil rights movement" and "pick up Martin Luther King's dream that has been distorted and lost." But as we have noted , if anyone has been distorting King's message, it's Beck himself. Beck has portrayed the civil rights...
Motor City Liberal - Mon 5:44 p.m.
By Dawson Bell LANSING – The Michigan Court of Appeals denied today a request by a group calling itself the Tea Party to order state elections officials to approve its candidates for the November ballot.A three-judge panel of the court said elections officials were not required to honor the request because the Tea Party -- which state Republican Party officials and many tea party...
Motor City Liberal - Mon 5:44 p.m. - 38 clicks
By David Edwards Professor says Huffington Post more fair to former Alaska governor than CNN or Time When asked about a Beck/Palin ticket, Glenn Beck said he wasn't electable and "there are far too many people that are far smarter than me to be president." According to a new poll from Vanity Fair and CBS News' 60 Minutes , the former Alaska governor might not be electable e...
Motor City Liberal - Mon 5:29 p.m.
By Ben Armbruster Yesterday on CBS’s Face the Nation, Alaska GOP U.S. Senate candidate Joe Miller suggested that both Medicare and Social Security are unconstitutional . When Bob Schieffer wondered whether Miller’s ideas — that Social Security should be privatized and that Medicare should be phased out — were too extreme, Miller shot back, citing the Constitution. “I would ...
Motor City Liberal - Mon 5:29 p.m.
By Zaid Jilani For months, conservatives have led a hateful campaign against the proposed Park 51 Islamic community center that is going to be built two blocks away from Ground Zero in New York City. High-ranking Republicans have spearheaded this campaign, with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich even going as far as to claim that Park 51 will act as a launching pad for the intr...
Motor City Liberal - Mon 5:29 p.m.
The selection of Oakland County Clerk Ruth Johnson as the Republican nominee for Michigan Secretary if State at their disorganized and chaotic convention on Saturday busts another teabagger myth. Their near take over of the convention and their uproar over placing a teabagger party on the November bal lot dispelled the myth that this was a nonpartisan, grassroots effort that was neither Republ...
Blogging For Michigan - Mon 3:08 p.m. - 10 clicks
The Detroit News favors the current judicial selective system except when it produces Democratic-backed judges . The surprise resignation of Michigan Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Weaver and the simultaneous appointment of Alton Davis by Gov. Jennifer Granholm is the result of cynical maneuvering by the justice and governor. The editorial itself is hardly notable except when viewed thro...
Michiganliberal - Mon 11:28 a.m. - 8 clicks
I was asked recently to blog about Michigan’s national political scene for the Huffington Post. For those who don’t read it, HuffPo was founded by Arianna Huffington and is a liberal/progressive news website and aggregated blog. The site gets about 1,000,000 comments per month. I came home from vacation to an email invitation to cover Michigan’s [...]...
A2Politico - Mon 5:43 a.m. - 10 clicks
I have clients who hyperventilate ten weeks before each election, calling me with the rumor that somewhere, some County Clerk has passed at least some AV ballots to the local Clerk, ready to be mailed. "WE'VE GOT TO GET OUR MAIL OUT!" they scream at me. I've never been able to convince anybody that - even if the rumor was true, and applied to the Clerks within the correct district ...
Michiganliberal - Sun 11:21 p.m.
Gov. Granholm, Sen. Stabenow, Paul Stevenson, Justice Hathaway, Justice Davis, Judge Denise Langford Morris I enjoyed the convention thoroughly, but only took pictures for part of the time. Here are a few from the Justice Caucus program, which was a great success. I may post a few more, and write about some highlights, but that must wait until tomorrow at least. Frank Houston, Just...
West Michigan Rising - Sun 10:23 p.m. - 5 clicks
Democratic Ticket Governor: Virg Bernero (Lansing) Lt. Governor: Brenda Lawrence (Southfield) Attorney General: David Leyton (Genesse County) Secretary of State: Jocelyn Benson (Detroit) University of Michigan Board of Regents: Greg Stephens and Paul Brown. MSU Board of Trustees: Colleen McNamara and Dennis Denno Wayne State Board of Governors: Brenda Moon and Ed Bruley S...
West Michigan Rising - Sun 9:29 p.m. - 6 clicks
First, the eye candy: Wow, we Democrats are good-looking! :-D We've also nominated these great Democrats for statewide office (Davis, Bauer, and McNamara are incumbents): Supreme Court: Justice Alton Davis and Judge Denise Langford Morris State Board of Education: Elizabeth Bauer and Lupe Ramos-Montigny U-M Regents: Paul Brown and Greg Stephens MSU Trustees: Colle...
Michiganliberal - Sun 11:41 a.m. - 2 clicks
Up until yesterday, I didn't see much need for Twitter. Then, I downloaded Tweetdeck, loaded up a couple of hashtags from yesterday's Republican Party convention (since they're attempt to livestream the thing mysteriously failed after the convention started really late and really loud thanks to the teabaggers), and followed it there. Oh, and by following Joe Munem's Facebook statu...
Michiganliberal - Sun 9:41 a.m.
The headline ought not suprise anyone, since Nolan Finley is less objective journalist and more partisan cheerleader, but these three paragraphs are notable. The more likely scenario is that Southfield Mayor Brenda Lawrence ended up as Virg Bernero's running mate because everyone else he asked said no. Democrats began the search for a lieutenant governor candidate with specific qualifi...
Michiganliberal - Sun 9:26 a.m. - 8 clicks
Hello from the floor at Cobo. Just got back from the march - thousands strong turned out to hear Rev. Jesse Jackson and other speakers rally the crowd to get out the vote this November. Fired up bunch of folks! More shots coming later - and will take some of your favorite Michigan Dems here at the convention as well. Anything else happening this fine day? I read that the GOP i...
Blogging For Michigan - Sat 1:05 p.m. - 9 clicks
The accusations come from the Democratic Party , so if anything happens expect a lot of hooting and hollering about Democrats using the IRS to exact revenge against opponents. IT'S JUST LIKE NIXON! WASHINGTON — Democrats are charging that commercials financed by an increasingly prominent conservative foundation with ties to the Tea Party violate the foundation’s tax-exempt st...
Michiganliberal - Sat 9:43 a.m.
Apparently, the teabaggers want to wag the Snyder . NORTON SHORES -- Norton Shores businessman Bill Cooper, who ran unsuccessfully for Congress this year, is expected to be a wild-card nominee for Michigan's lieutenant governor on the Republican ticket. The state delegates of the Tea Party of West Michigan are set to nominate Cooper for the state's second-highest executive post ...
Michiganliberal - Sat 9:43 a.m. - 8 clicks
What makes Rick Haglund such a valuable business writer to read? He appears to understand that economic development is something more than an Underpants Gnomes strategy (craft policy, ?, have growth). There is stuff that happens at the state level, and there is stuff that has to take place at the local level. For instance : Tax incentives are like mother's milk to local economic develope...
Michiganliberal - Sat 9:43 a.m. - 2 clicks
Yesterday I posted a Rec-list diary in which I (and Michigan's 8th District Democratic Party) accused Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land's office of attempting to stonewall the removal of Kande Ngalamulume (the Democratic primary winner who dropped out of the race and left the state a week after the filing deadline) from the ballot, thus preventing the Michigan Democratic Party from re...
DailyKos (Michigan) - Fri 8:24 p.m. - 8 clicks
This is the fourth article in a continuing series by the NRDC Action Fund looking at candidates' environmental stances in key races nationwide. Michigan's 7th Congressional District takes in five counties in southern Michigan plus parts of two others. Though the 7th gave birth to the Republican Party in 1854, today it's represented in the House by Democrat Mark Schauer . This fall, Sc...
Blogging For Michigan - Fri 5:04 p.m. - 7 clicks
We all knew all along that the non-partisan angle to the Tea Party movement was a bunch of hooey. I'm glad we're finally allowed to admit it in public without a lot of yelling about how people are trying to pigeonhole those people as Republican activists. Michigan tea party supporters flocked to Republican party meetings across the state this month and won several hundred delegate ...
Michiganliberal - Fri 12:44 p.m. - 6 clicks
Aaaaaand the first-place prize in the "Guess Virg Bernero's Running Mate" contest goes to our own yvette248 for her correct guess of Southfield Mayor Brenda Lawrence. Gongwer is reporting (and Twitter is, um, atwitter) that Mayor Bernero will make his announcement at 9:30AM tomorrow at the MDP convention. If you're the kind of person who doesn't trust those shady blogs and wants perspective from ...
Michiganliberal - Fri 12:44 p.m. - 8 clicks
Both Gongwer and the DNews are reporting ... Virg Bernero has chosen Southfield Mayor Brenda Lawrence as his running mate on the Democratic ticket in the governor's race, The Detroit News has learned. Lawrence's selection as Bernero's lieutenant governor will be officially announced Saturday morning before the Democratic Party's State Convention at Cobo Center. Her selection was confirmed...
Blogging For Michigan - Fri 11:06 a.m. - 12 clicks
I was actually going to headline this post, "Russ Harding is an ignorant dumbshit," because that's really the most accurate way to describe things. But, we all know the score ... when it comes to demagoguing an entire swath of people or using a vulgarity on the Internets, every Very Serious Person knows that what really coarsens us as a people is the word "shit." So, instead you got what you ...
Michiganliberal - Fri 9:23 a.m. - 3 clicks
IMPORTANT UPDATE!! The Michigan Secretary of State's office has confirmed that Kande Ngalamulume is finally OFF the MI-08 ballot!! Read the details--as well as the explanation for the delay on the part of the SoS office. In any event, it's official: Kande is now off the ballot, and the path has been cleared for Lance Enderle to replace him. Note: For the backstory on the ongoing saga ...
Michiganliberal - Fri 8:29 a.m. - 6 clicks
Update! ... Singh is out, IMs Thomas Morgan. Thomas Morgan and the Ingham County Young Democrats have sponsored this site the last three days, and hope that through this that delegates to this weekend's Democratic Party convention will support Sam Singh's candidacy for the MSU Board of Trustees . Thanks Thomas Morgan, for supporting this site, and thanks to everyone who has supporte...
Michiganliberal - Fri 8:29 a.m. - 9 clicks
I like Constance Crump’s thoughtful writing. I particularly like writers who, with a simple question, can get me all tangled up in trying to figure out the answer. I first read Crump’s blog post a few days ago. Initially, I didn’t get hooked. Who cares if Austin has music, Sundance has film, Aspen has comedy [...]...
A2Politico - Fri 7:06 a.m. - 10 clicks
For State Board of Education: Lupe Ramos-Montigny . Lupe would be the only teacher, West Michigander and Latino on the board and on the Democratic ticket. She's very bright and has been a tireless worker for the cause. For Wayne State University board: Ed Bruley . Met Ed in Iowa a few years back. He's Bonior's longtime chief of staff and currently a Macomb County Commissioner. Unfortunat...
West Michigan Rising - Fri 7:06 a.m. - 11 clicks
This is the fourth article in a continuing series by the NRDC Action Fund looking at candidates’ environmental stances in key races nationwide. ...
DailyKos (Michigan) - Fri 7:05 a.m. - 4 clicks
Note: For the backstory on the ongoing saga in Michigan's 8th Congressional District, see this diary from August 1st . Much more has happened since then, as you're about to see... PLEASE REC THIS UP! This is bigger than just the ongoing saga of MI-08; this is about the Michigan Secretary of State's office playing games with the election process! I just received the following press ...
DailyKos (Michigan) - Thu 8:43 p.m.
by Ben Dimiero/ Media Matters intern Kevin Zieber contributed to this report. Fox News' Glenn Beck has spent the past several months relentlessly promoting his upcoming "Restoring Honor" rally, scheduled to take place this Saturday. Beck claims he originally wanted to schedule the rally for September 12, but decided to change the date because he didn't want to ask people to "work o...
Motor City Liberal - Thu 7:03 p.m. - 4 clicks
By David Edwards One Fox News host may be in denial about the effects of rampant Islamophobia over the so-called "Ground Zero mosque." While reporting on the stabbing of a Muslim New York City cab driver, Alisyn Camerota maintained anti-Islamic rhetoric had nothing to do with the crime. Michael Enright was charged Wednesday with attempted murder as hate crime for allegedly sta...
Motor City Liberal - Thu 7:03 p.m. - 4 clicks
IMPORTANT UPDATE!! The Michigan Secretary of State's office has confirmed that Kande Ngalamulume is finally OFF the MI-08 ballot!! Read the details--as well as the explanation for the delay on the part of the SoS office. In any event, it's official: Kande is now off the ballot, and the path has been cleared for Lance Enderle to replace him. Note: For the backstory on the ongoing saga ...
Blogging For Michigan - Thu 7:03 p.m. - 7 clicks
By Zaid Jilani The American Future Fund (AFF) is a 501(c)(4) organization that bills itself as an institution designed to “elect candidates who reflect our values through a variety of activities aimed at influencing the outcome of the next election .” Its latest ad takes aim at Rep. Bruce Braley (D-IA) and is focused on the subject of the proposed Park 51 Islamic community cen...
Motor City Liberal - Thu 5:49 p.m. - 3 clicks
By Igor Volsky When Judge Vaughn Walker struck down Proposition 8, Fox News barely mentioned the story and its most prominent conservative commentators ignored it entirely. Yesterday, after the Atlantic’s Marc Ambinder reported that former RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman — who had orchestrated President Bush’s gay-bating 2004 re-election campaign — was coming out as gay, Fox News rema...
Motor City Liberal - Thu 5:49 p.m. - 2 clicks
By Tanya Somanader This Saturday, the polarizing Fox News pundit Glenn Beck is hosting his Restoring Honor Rally in Washington, DC. Even though conservative celebrity and “potential 2012 presidential candidate” Sarah Palin will speak and Tea Party darling Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) will attend, Beck is pitching the rally as a “non-political, non-partisan event” to “honor the ...
Motor City Liberal - Thu 5:49 p.m. - 2 clicks
Republicans are famous for falling in line, following orders, and not making waves. But once in a while, all hell breaks loose at their gatherings. Remember the 1988 presidential circus caucus? There were fistfights, lawsuits, and two different state conventions, each of which chose its own slate of delegates to the Republican National Convention. Things might not get that lively this weekend...
Blogging For Michigan - Thu 4:26 p.m. - 2 clicks
A visit to Michigan Representative Gary McDowell’s campaign web site , and a casual observer comes away with the impression that Democrat McDowell is a folksy fellow who supports K-12 education, and is concerned with trade, healthcare and the right to keep and bear arms. State Representative McDowell, who was first elected to the Michigan 107th District House seat in 2004, wants to rep...
DailyKos (Michigan) - Thu 10:41 a.m. - 10 clicks
By Robin Eckstein, Operation Free veteran. During my service in Baghdad as a truck driver for the US Army, I became accustomed to an institution that took quick and decisive action in order to deal with and respond to challenges. And today, as a veteran, I have become familiar with the slow and deliberate pace of change in Washington. Last month, I spoke at a White House energy forum whic...
West Michigan Rising - Thu 10:25 a.m. - 2 clicks
Former Republican Michigan Supreme Court Justice (and former Chief Justice) Elizabeth Weaver is announced today that she is resigning . Follow me after the jump for why this is a gift to Michigan Democrats. ...
DailyKos (Michigan) - Thu 10:24 a.m. - 12 clicks
Just moments ago, in a press conference with retiring Michigan Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth "Betty" Weaver , Governor Granholm appointed Appellate Judge Alton Thomas Davis from Grayling. Davis was appointed to his current position by Jennifer Granholm. The governor cited him as the most-experienced judge she has ever appointed and noted that he will be the second-most experienced justice on t...
Blogging For Michigan - Thu 10:24 a.m. - 7 clicks
Michigan Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Weaver, a Republican, announced her resignation today, allowing Gov. Granholm to appoint Justice Alton Thomas Davis, who will tip the Court to a Democratic majority, and be able to run this fall with the 'Justice of the Supreme Court' designation. Governor's spokeswoman Liz Boyd says Weaver is to formally tender her resignation this morning and appear wit...
West Michigan Rising - Aug 26 - 18 clicks
Michigan Supreme Court Justice Elizabeth Weaver is expected to resign her seat this afternoon during a noon presser with Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm. This resignation gives the Governor a rare opportunity to do something that most governors in the waning lame duck months in office usually don't get to do: tilt the court to their party, in her case to the Left. ...
DailyKos (Michigan) - Aug 26 - 9 clicks
Former Republican Michigan Supreme Court Justice (and former Chief Justice) Elizabeth Weaver is announcing that she is resigning . Weaver cited the discord on and politicization of the Court as a factor in her decision. She has, in the past, said that she felt that 8-year terms were too long for judges. Weaver called the present system of party nomination of justice candidates who then stan...
Blogging For Michigan - Aug 26 - 14 clicks
"Rebuild America: Jobs Justice Peace" As the final stop in a ten city bus tour of several Michigan cities, Rev. Jessie Jackson will be leading a march in downtown Detroit this Saturday August 28th at 10:30 a.m., followed by a rally at 11:30 a.m. The "Rebuild America: Jobs Justice Peace" march is being held to call on our nation's leaders to help working families across America and to commemor...
DailyKos (Michigan) - Aug 25 - 11 clicks
Mayor Dave Bing gets on board ... Detroit Mayor Dave Bing today endorsed Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero for governor. "Although there are many complex issues and problems facing most urban communities throughout this country, Detroit's challenges are even greater," Bing said in statement "It will require a unique sensitivity, an unwavering commitment and experienced leadership to help move our cit...
Blogging For Michigan - Aug 25 - 9 clicks
Oakland County Executive, Brooks Patterson, Oakland County Prosecutor, Jessica Cooper, Oakland County Sheriff, Michael Bouchard and Oakland County Clerk, Ruth Johnson participated in a joint press conference in the Oakland County Executive Offices to announce that Patterson has directed his staff to prepare a petition asking the Circuit Court to impanel a one-man grand jury to investigate whether...
Blogging For Michigan - Aug 25 - 5 clicks
Enbridge Energy Partners is the Canadian oil company who stepped up the Gulf Oil Disaster story to ironic comedy status by adding its own version of the oil volcano in the largest Fresh Water region on the planet recently, even as BP and its minions were stumbling over themselves to cover up the damage they had done. Now, they appear to be on the verge of making it an even more ridiculous...
DailyKos (Michigan) - Aug 25 - 2 clicks
I paddle my kayak regularly from Bandemer Park, the site of a Punk Week gathering that made big news in this town of ours. I wasn’t there the afternoon the Ann Arbor Police Department car responded and the officer found himself out-numbered. Of course, given the fact that there are only 5-7 officers patrolling the [...]...
A2Politico - Aug 25 - 11 clicks
Saturday will be a great day for those who love freedom and equality, and there will be at least two ways to demonstrate it. The Michigan Democratic Party is holding its nominating convention on Saturday and Sunday in Detroit's Cobo Hall, but many delegates, myself included, are going to take a break from the informative caucus meetings to join Rev. Jessie Jackson and a coalition of organizatio...
Blogging For Michigan - Aug 25 - 6 clicks
BY BRENT SNAVELY Rev. Jesse Jackson and UAW President Bob King greeted about 800 Ford workers this morning at the Dearborn Truck Plant in an effort to drum up support for a march in Detroit on Saturday. Called “Rebuild America,” the campaign’s goal is to convince Congress to provide stronger support for the creation of manufacturing and middle class jobs in America rather than on the war...
Motor City Liberal - Aug 24 - 10 clicks
From media matters research: Two recently released polls show that an increasing number of Americans believe the falsehood that President Obama is a Muslim. According to the Pew Research Center, 60 percent of people who believe this false claim cite the media as the source of that information -- and, indeed, the right-wing media have incessantly promoted this lie. ...
Motor City Liberal - Aug 24
Mark Murray At an event promoting the economic stimulus this morning, Vice President Biden fired back at House Minority Leader John Boehner's speech today. Mr. Boehner, after months of promising a look at his party's agenda for his plans for America -- their economic agenda -- he made what was billed this morning as a major economic address. And his chief proposal, when you look...
Motor City Liberal - Aug 24
By Alex Seitz-Wald Yesterday, a Maine tea party blog posted some handy advice for activists coming to Washington Saturday to attend Fox News host Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally. Among warnings about how to deal with “ African immigrants ” — do not “assume they are African Americans” and “especially do not…guess they are from a neighboring country” — the guide advised...
Motor City Liberal - Aug 24
By George Zornick This weekend, Glenn Beck will hold a rally on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial that is being billed as a “non-political event that pays tribute to America’s service personnel and other upstanding citizens who embody our nation’s founding principles of integrity, truth and honor.” The “Restoring Honor” rally will feature speeches from Beck and Sarah Palin, but ...
Motor City Liberal - Aug 24
By Ben Armbruster This Saturday in Washington, DC, Fox News host Glenn Beck’s “Restoring Honor” rally will take place at the Lincoln Memorial on the 47th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “ I Have A Dream ” speech. Beck has claimed that the rally — meant “ to recognize our First Amendment rights and honor the service members who fight to protect those freedoms” — is “going to...
Motor City Liberal - Aug 24
The following is my letter to the editors of the Detroit Free Press: Editors; For months, President Obama has been reaching out to the GOP, asking them to contribute something other than obstruction in his efforts to solve our nation's problems. After months of asking, the GOP has finally offered their only ideas: Refuse First Amendment rights to Muslims in New York City, and 14th Amendment...
Kevin of Michigan - Aug 24 - 10 clicks
At the Monday, August 23 city council meeting, Mayor Fred "Mac" Fortner stated that the council is under no obligation to respond to complaints that members of the city council violated the state's Open Meetings Act . Acting City Manager Bill Brandon, Mayor Fortner, and council members; I have joined many other Davison residents in asking for some sort of resolution in the matter of the Open...
Kevin of Michigan - Aug 24
Dan Korobkin, ACLU of Michigan staff attorney This week we celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, a heroic piece of legislation that marked a giant step toward transforming our Constitution's democratic values into political reality. Thanks to the Voting Rights Act, the vast majority of Americans have the right to cast their vote on Election Day. But this doesn't mean we can ...
ACLU of Michigan - Aug 23 - 4 clicks
Roland Leggett, ACLU of Michigan field organizer It was supposed to be an inspiring and eventful week for three students visiting Detroit for the U.S. Social Forum. They travelled from St. John’s University in New York to participate in workshops, lectures and even a massive march down Woodward Avenue. The progressive conference attracted more than 15,000 attendees from across the country ...
ACLU of Michigan - Aug 23 - 2 clicks
Jessie Rossman, ACLU of Michigan staff attorney Officers Krupinski, Lucy, Prater, Robinson, Skender and Woods knew they were choosing to put themselves on the line to protect the public when they first decided to join the Detroit Police Department. However, for the past two years they have also put themselves on the line to ensure that no other officer would be forced to choose between thei...
ACLU of Michigan - Aug 23 - 5 clicks
Jay Kaplan, ACLU of Michigan LGBT Project staff attorney There’s much reason to celebrate Judge Vaughan Walker’s decision striking down Proposition 8, the California ballot initiative that excluded same-sex couples from marriage. This is the first federal court to address the issue and, in the judge's exhaustive 136-page opinion, he is in agreement with each argument raised by LGBT s...
ACLU of Michigan - Aug 23 - 5 clicks
This piece, below my comments, comes from Salon. I thought Alyssa Battistoni’s perspective was refreshing, and her look at backdoor privatization captures exactly what is going on in Ann Arbor. Here, in Lake Woebegone-on-the-Huron, where all the men have Ph.D.s, all the woman have Ph.D.s, but are doing “research” on their books at home while raising [...]...
A2Politico - Aug 23 - 7 clicks
Imitation, as they say, is the most sincere form of flattery. Over the past few months, the off-brand blogger at Arborblahg has posted loads of entries in reaction to the original recipe content at A2Politico. Original content is hard to generate (no sarcasm intended), and so is a food fight when the other guy isn’t cooperating [...]...
A2Politico - Aug 23
The Michigan Democratic Party Nominating Convention will be held in Cobo Center, Detroit, this coming Saturday and Sunday. I will be attending the Environmental Caucus at 8, the Justice Caucus at 10, and chairing the 6th District Caucus from 1 to 2:30. Governor Jennifer Granholm will receive a special "Spirit of Millie Award" from the Justice Caucus honoring her contribution to Michigan's judic...
West Michigan Rising - Aug 22 - 5 clicks
Green Oak Township may start requiring developers to post a bond if they want the township to issue bonds to pay for infrastructure in new developments and then pay off the bonds with special assessments collected in the future. Now that these special assesment aren't being paid and townships are having trouble making payments to the county for onds, isn't it a little late to start this policy?...
Livingston County Democrats - Aug 20
“Michigan is becoming the nation’s ex,” writes former Concentrate Media Gen Y blogger Katie Rose in a kerchief waving, not-so-tearful farewell/kiss-off to Ann Arbor. Off to a better job in California, Rose pens a blog entry in which she struggles to deal with her own decision to relocate from Google in Ann Arbor to a [...]...
A2Politico - Aug 20 - 6 clicks
Is there a lot of violence in the United States today? There certainly seems to be the perception that there is, when a newspaper in a community like Livinston County asks the question, Who can citizens legally shoot? One possible answer is another question -- Who Would Jesus Shoot? ...
Livingston County Democrats - Aug 19
Here’s a recent headline from AA.com: “How many people now work at Borders’ headquarters in Ann Arbor? Borders won’t say” Sigh. When you pry, or at least try to pry into the business of other companies, it’s good to be slightly more industrious. The piece reveals little about Borders. I always chuckle, of course, when [...]...
A2Politico - Aug 18 - 4 clicks
The Democratic candidates for Livingston County Commission presented their platform, "Smart Leadership, Smart Growth," an agenda for getting Livingston County moving again, at their news conference Monday (Aug. 16, 2010). These are fresh faces, not tired old incumbents. ...
Livingston County Democrats - Aug 18
Livingston County Democrats' candidates for county commission laid out their agenda for "Smart Leadership, Smart Growth" on Monday (August 16, 2010) and now you can watch the news conference yourself! Video will be coming soon! ...
Livingston County Democrats - Aug 17
The seven Democrats for Livingston County Commission laid out an agenda for the county Monday (August 16, 2010) built around the framework of "Smart Leadership, Smart Growth." The philosophy is simple -- leadership that is transparent, inclusive, and proactive will give us growth that stresses the local economy first, has a vision for the future that addresses transportation needs, and that enha...
Livingston County Democrats - Aug 17
What is the most important race this fall in Michigan? We have the most impressive candidate in memory in Jocelyn Benson, for Secretary of State, an office which safeguards the integrity of our elections, and the agency that is the public face of state government for most citizens. Even though GOP nominee for Governor Rick Snyder has positioned himself as a 'moderate', we all know that if he wins,...
West Michigan Rising - Aug 17 - 4 clicks
David Jesse is a solid writer. His recent coverage of the Ann Arbor Public School pay frenzy has all of the facts, including a link to to the biggest problem with his piece. There is a link to a spreadsheet that shows quite clearly that there are teachers in the Ann Arbor Public School District who [...]...
A2Politico - Aug 16 - 5 clicks
The Justice Caucus of the Michigan Democratic Party has endorsed the following for the Democratic nomination to the Michigan Supreme Court: Judge Denise Langford Morris Judge Deborah Thomas Judge Shelia Johnson It is a long-standing practice of the Caucus to endorse more candidates than are to be elected, if all of the endorsees meet the criteria of the Caucus, primarily that endorsees have de...
West Michigan Rising - Aug 15 - 2 clicks
I would again like to thank everyone who supported my recent campaign for State Representative. It was a tremendous experience and I had the opportunity to get to know so many great people along the way. We finished very competitively, and that speaks volumes for the hard work and support so many of you put in. I cannot thank you enough! During the ten months campaigning in...
Sean Mullally's Blog - Aug 14
Livingston County Democrats will meet for their August convention this Saturday, Aug. 14. The convention will be held at party headquarters, 10321 Grand River Road, Suite 600, Brighton, MI 48116. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. and the convention will open at 10 a.m. The main business of the convention is to select delegates to standing committees of the Michigan Democratic Party's Aug. 28-29 ...
Livingston County Democrats - Aug 12 - 2 clicks
(Cross-posted at ML, BFM, and SSP-pb) Since early 2009, the Tea Party movement has gained an enormous amount of media attention. While claiming to be a non-partisan movement, the Tea Party is remarkably consistent with some of the core constituencies at the heart of Republican Party since the late 1960s. In particular, the themes commonly evoked by Tea Party participants (economic libertarianis...
West Michigan Rising - Aug 10
From Hamlet, Act I, scene 4. Horatio: He waxes desperate with imagination. Marcellus: Let’s follow. ‘Tis not fit thus to obey him. Horatio: Have after. To what issue will this come? Marcellus: Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. So, the Great Lakes Education Project (GLEP) postcards arrived like clockwork, close to the end of the Democratic primary race [...]...
A2Politico - Aug 10 - 3 clicks
If you had been on the Livingston County Commission for 14 years, having won election seven times, you could be expected to know a little about campaigning. You might even know that you should have a flyer that explains who you are that you could hand out to potential voters. But if you are Dave Domas, the long-term Republican incumbent from Livingston County's 3rd Commission District, that woul...
Livingston County Democrats - Aug 8
Today's Press & Argus has a front-page article on Livingston County's liability for township debt. If you haven't seen it, here are a few key points: Eight LivCo townships are in danger of defaulting on over $100 million in assessment-backed bond debt. The county commission chose to guarantee the township bonds -- they weren't legally obligated to do so. Things are bad enough he...
Livingston County Democrats - Aug 6
