It’s kinda like whack-a-mole. Maybe whack-a-whacko? According to the latest Quinnipiac poll, 72% of the country opposes shutting down major activities of the federal government as a way to stop the Affordable Care Act from being put into place. Despite this and despite the fact that there are enough votes in the House to pass the “clean” continuing resolution to […]

Don’t feed the seagulls. Last Thursday, Democratic candidate for governor Mark Schauer ventured into the lion’s den and made a campaign appearance in conservative Howell, Michigan in Livingston County. From the reports that I’ve seen, over 100 people showed up which is remarkable because (a) we’re still 13 months out from the election and (b) there are people who would […]

Or, GOP threatens shutdown/default if we don’t increase the deficit As the Tea Party faction of the House of Representatives tries to create another completely unnecessary budget crisis that could end up wounding their brand almost as much as it would sabotage the economy, here are a few things to keep in mind: 1. The deficit is shrinking rapidly, probably […]

See ya on the radio… Last night I spoke with my pal Tony Trupiano on the First Shift radio show about the rank hypocrisy of Congressman Tim Walberg from the 7th Congressional District. Our conversation centered around my piece “Tea partier Tim Walberg has been on the public teat for 30 years and will stay there when he retires”. We […]

Got hypocrisy? Tim Walberg is a member of the “Tea Party Caucus” in Congress and has declared publicly that he “was a tea partier before there was a tea party”. When it comes to wasting taxpayer money by fighting implementation of the Affordable Care Act through obstruction and a laughable number of repeal attempts, you won’t find anyone more determined […]

Advocates for healthcare reform will stand up to the vocal super-minority. Tuesday should be an interesting day on Capitol Hill. Ahead of an Exempt America from Obamacare Rally scheduled for noon ET on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol, a group of U.S. Senate and House leaders will join Obamacare advocates at a press conference to denounce Republican and […]

Congressman Kerry Bentivolio hasn’t held a single public town hall during August recess. So constituents held one for him. Representative Kerry Bentivolio of Michigan’s 11th Congressional District may be proud of playing Santa every year, but to his constituents, he’s more like the Grinch. He doesn’t listen to constituents except those who support his extremist views. He hasn’t acted in […]

This is what happens when you vote Republican Since the beginning of this year, Eclectabloggers have written no fewer than 55 posts relating to Medicaid expansion, mostly centering on Michigan. When she came on as a contributor in April, Amy Lynn Smith instantly became a powerful voice for expansion of Medicaid in Michigan. There is no question in my mind […]

This is a victory for hard-working, low-income Michiganders, and everyone who advocated on their behalf. It would be tempting to gloat, just imagining the tears of the zealots who fought so hard to deprive nearly 500,000 Michigan residents of access to health insurance. But instead, I’ll just say THANK YOU. To every organization, citizen and legislator who took action to […]

He must be on one heck of a power trip, fueled by hot air and tea bags. Michiganders who support Medicaid expansion — and that’s a majority, by most accounts — have been waiting all day for a vote in the Senate on Medicaid expansion. As of this writing, they’re still waiting. After hours of deliberation, one vote went down […]

Or forever hold your peace. I know, I know … there’s been talk of a vote in the Michigan Senate on Medicaid expansion for months. But this time, it’s possible it could actually happen this week. Which means everyone who supports Michigan Medicaid expansion needs to tell their Senators how they feel. Tea Party groups in Michigan have been screaming […]