Same-day service! Governor’s office wastes no time saying “no” to request from ProgressNow and Progress Michigan. Regular readers of Eclectablog know that Chris Savage has been regularly calling out Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder on his lack of transparency. You can read some of that coverage HERE, HERE and HERE. And Chris is not the only one. Gov. Snyder promised transparency […]

Anyone who thinks that the wealthy who are buying elections are doing it to help the country is in for a rude awakening. The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission is a staggering blow to democracy. But it’s certainly not the only obstacle average Americans face in the fight to maintain a fair election process. Because […]

It never ends… Republicans on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Higher Education included language in an appropriations bill they voted out of committee last week which will strip Michigan State University of a half million dollars in annual funding if they continue to offer a training program for members of a variety of building trades unions. The legislation strips the […]

A week from today on Friday, April 4th, 2014 the Ann Arbor-based group Reclaim Our American Democracy (ROAD) is holding their 2014 Michigan Election Reform Conference at Cleary University in Ann Arbor. You can have a look at the brochure for this important event HERE (pdf). Registration is only $25, $10 for students and you may purchase a boxed lunch […]

“We are on it…” This morning the Michigan Democratic Party released emails obtained through a FOIA request suggesting that Richard Baird, Governor Rick Snyder’s “Transformation Manager” who was once paid from the New Energy to Reinvent and Diversify (NERD) Fund, intervened on behalf of Governor Snyder’s cousin George Snyder to ensure he was protected from budget cuts in 2011. The […]

There are few people who deserve a valentine from Michigan governor Rick Snyder more than Dick and Betsy DeVos. From funding his campaign to paying for ramming Right to Work through by threatening/bribing Republicans in the legislature, the DeVos family has been there for Rick Snyder every step of the way. In fact, it could reasonably be said that Rick […]

Fighting back against corporate funding of bought-and-paid-for Republicans In late September of 2013, RNC Committeewoman Terri Lynn Land appeared at a Republican Women of Leelanau County Garden Party. Like Mitt Romney in 2012, Land neglected to notice that she was being recorded. Video of her appeared on Huffington Post saying that she had been talking to people at conservative Super […]

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery A Politico piece titled Koch World 2014 revealed that the Koch brothers realized that their failure in the 2012 election was due largely to a poor field organization. They learned from their mistake, according to the article, and are spending their vast resources to help shore up local field organizing. A clear example […]

Oh, the Koch brothers are spending millions to propagate lies? REALLY?! What ARE the odds???!!! A couple of weeks ago, the Koch brothers, through their astroturfing corporatist front group Americans for Prosperity, attempted to roll out their latest attack ad on Gary Peters in the state Capitol Building. They literally planned to use the resources of the Michigan state government […]

The best politicians, laws and elections money can buy Mother Jones’ Andrew Kroll has an incredible piece out this week showing the growing and pervasive influence of the DeVos family in Michigan and national politics. Although much of what he reveals in his piece has been long suspected, he brings to light details about how the passage of Michigan’s right […]

Shameless This afternoon, at the invitation of Michigan Republicans, the Koch brothers-funded corporatist front group Americans for Prosperity debuted a new attack ad aimed at Senate candidate Gary Peters. Portrayed as an anti-Affordable Care Act “issue ad”, it clearly targets only one candidate, Democrat Gary Peters and represents another example of the corrosive grip corporate “dark money” has on our […]