Out of the frying pan and into the fire

On June 18th, Sterling Corporation employee and Jeff Timmer resigned from the Board of State Canvassers, leaving only one Republican on the elections board and a Democratic majority. While some feared that the remaining Republican, Norm Shinkle, would resign as well, leaving the group without a quorum and unable to approve a number of ballot initiatives pending for the November election, Governor Rick Snyder acted quickly and last week appointed Colleen Pero to the Board.

Described in glowing terms on the official announcement, Pero sounds like an innocuous and innocent choice. The truth is, however, quite the opposite. Colleen Pero has deep connections to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), the Heritage Foundation, the Federalist Society and a host of other far-right, pro-business lobby groups.

Going off of the rails on the crazy train…

It’s hard to believe that it’s been over two years since the Affordable Care Act, our beloved Obamacare, was signed into law. After all, the sky is still up, right?

Today’s Supreme Court ruling upholding the constitutionality of Obamacare is exactly what happens when the right challenges the constitutionality of a law that was supported, endorsed, and championed by a president who is a constitutional scholar: they get their asses handed to them. The result has been predictable, even if the SCOTUS ruling was not.

Much more after the jump.

Not just the past — the past WEEK

It hasn’t been a good week or two for Mitt Romney. His past, which he seems to think nobody will look at, think about, or care about, is beginning to catch up with him.

Between his record as a failed job-creator as a governor and a successful jobs-destroyer as a businessman as well as a rare glimpse at just who he will be beholden to if he is elected, Mitt Romney has a severe and awesome image problem to overcome.

One I doubt that he will.

Much, much more after the jump.

I know it’s hard to believe but Romney voters are out there. The key thing is to not argue with them. Arguing often makes people defend a position they don’t actually have. So I suggest you just say this: Well, things are much better off now than they were when Bush left them. 27 months of creating jobs. We’re out […]

You’re kidding me, right?

Troy Tea Party mayor Janice Daniels (R-Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs) is facing a recall challenge. What has flown under the radar is that, on June 18th, she challenged the petition signatures gathered for her recall based on — wait for it — FONT SIZE!

Her challenge was both comical and, thankfully, an epic failure.

Details after the jump.

The conservative plot against America It’s a scene that will go down in American history. On the night of President Obama’s inauguration—in the midst of the worst economic crisis since the Hoover Administration—leaders of an extremist sect of the GOP met with one goal: destroying the Obama presidency. Messaging guru Frank Luntz, journalist Fred Barnes and philanderer/historian Newt Gingrich were […]

I am trying to break your heart On either Thursday, June 21 or Monday, June 25, the Supreme Court will issue its decision on the Affordable Care Act, which I’ve grown to enjoy calling ObamaCare. National treasure Jonathan Cohn describes likely scenarios for how the Court will rule, and the prospects are grim. Likely, some—if not all—of the bill will […]

Vagina POWER!

l-r: Rep. Rashida H. Tlaib, Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer, Rep. Lisa Brown, Eve Ensler, and Rep. Stacy Erwin Oakes

Yesterday, Monday, June 18, 2012, upwards of 5,000 women and men and children descended on the state Capitol in Lansing, Michigan to reclaim that place of power for women and their vaginas. After being told that uttering the word “vagina” was dirty and “lacked decorum”, Representative Lisa Brown and her colleague Barb Byrum were censored and banned from speaking.

Eve Ensler, the creator of The Vagina Monologues worked with Senator Rebekah Warren and others to stage a reading of the groundbreaking and magnificent play on the steps of the Capitol. But, what transpired there was more than just a theatrical event. It was an empowering event and a tranformative event for the state of Michigan. The thousands that gathered shared their anger and disgust and their refusal to continue being treated like children or second class citizens.

Follow us after the jump for many photos, video and more.

Vagina power!

There’s a storm brewing over the state Capitol in Lansing, Michigan this afternoon. I am pretty sure it’s a Vagina Storm.

Photo after the jump.

This is part 2 of my photoblog on Netroots Nation. Click HERE to see part one.

Feel free to use the photos below for non-commercial uses. The only requirement is that you leave my watermark on them and that you send me a note letting us know where you posted them. You can use the contact link at the top of the page.

Lots of photos after the jump.

Oh, grow up.

Michigan House Representative Lisa Brown was banned from speaking on the floor of the state House today. Why? Because Michigan Republicans are afraid of vaginas.

The the terrifying and unconscionable act of verbal vaginaism that got her banned after the jump (video and SO much more.)