I am indescribably sad this morning. Although those of us who interacted with John Dingell on a somewhat regular basis knew this day would come, his passing has still taken my breath away. It goes without saying that John Dingell, the longest-serving member of the United States House of Representatives in American history, was a political giant. He played a […]

The Godfather of Universal Health Care puts the debate about uninsuring 24 million Americans in context [View the story “Who knew health care could be so complicated?” on Storify]

“He’s going to be amazed with what he can’t get away with. And you will too.” Institutions are all that Americans can rely on now to protect us from Trump’s sleep-starved, anti-democratic impulses. And John Dingell is an institution. That’s the thesis of my argument in USA Today that my former representative in Congress should be named to give the […]

This past weekend, former Dean of the House John Dingell and his wife Congresswoman Debbie Dingell were gracious enough to participate in our Eclectafundraiser party. It’s hard to repay such generosity to a power couple like them but I’m going to try anyway. Congresswoman Dingell is in a competition with her colleagues in Congress to see who can get the […]

Last Saturday evening, history was made when former Congressman and Dean of the House John Dingell was named “The Dean of Twitter” at the 2nd Annual Eclectablog Fundraiser Party. At the party, he was presented with a custom-made “Dean of Twitter” stole and then he read some of our favorite tweets. But, not only that. He interspersed his readings with […]

Yesterday, President Obama announced 19 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. One of the recipients is Dean of the House, Congressman John Dingell. Here is what the official announcement had to say about Congressman Dingell, known affectionately by his staff as “JDD”: John Dingell is a lifelong public servant, the longest serving Member of Congress in American history, and […]

Bobby McKenzie, one of three Democratic candidates for the 11th Congressional District seat now held by Kerry Bentivolio, received the coveted endorsement of Dean of the House John Dingell this past week. McKenzie is a former counterterrorism officer for the U.S. Department of State and will face off against Dr. Anil Kumar and former progressive radio host Nancy Skinner in […]

It’s bad enough to be a Republican but do you have to be a jackass, too? When Republicans blasted their way into the halls of Congress after the tea party wave of 2010, they found themselves among colleagues, some of whom had been there for years, even decades. John Dingell, for example, was entering his sixth decade as a member […]

John Dingell with Mark Schauer, Senator Carl Levin, and Congressman John Conyers, photo by Anne C. Savage, special to Eclectablog Here are the Congressman’s remarks this afternoon announcing his retirement at the end of his current term (as prepared for delivery): Greetings to all guests, those at the head table, distinguished guests, elected officials and friends. What a great thing […]

Lawmaker, environmentalist, single-payer healthcare advocate, statesman, friend Eclectablog (Chris Savage) and Dean of the House Congressman John Dingell Last summer John Dingell became the longest serving member of Congress, breaking a record formerly held by Senator Robert Byrd. During his 58 years in Congress, John Dingell has been a champion of nearly every single progressive cause you could name. Every […]

Visions of good government danced in their heads… Congressman John Dingell with some bald blogger. Photo by Anne C. Savage Every year, Congressman John Dingell, the Dean of the House of Representatives and someone I’m proud to call a personal friend, pens a holiday jingle. This year’s is a perfect summary of the year past and the Republican-fueled gridlock that […]