Photo by Anne C. Savage, special to Eclectablog We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished here at Eclectablog. What started as the random, eclectic musings of a wannabe writer has turned into something so much more. People tell me on a regular basis that Eclectablog is one of their “must visit” sites every day so that they can stay abreast of […]

Last night’s one and only gubernatorial debate between Republican Rick Snyder and his Democratic challenger Mark Schauer showed our state two very different men. While Schauer gave answers that were succinct and generally on point, Snyder came across as frantic and defensive for most of the evening. The debate opened with a question about education funding and Schauer didn’t back […]

The Snyder administration is well known for rewarding its friends and business partners with lucrative, sometimes unchallenged government contracts. Something that has gone largely unnoticed are the contracts that Bill Schuette’s Attorney General’s office awarded to his former employer Warner Norcross & Judd LLP which amount to nearly $2 million since he took office. Schuette joined Warner Norcross & Judd […]

The only thing we have to fear is Republican fear itself. Unemployment claims are now steady at an eight-year low as we’re in the middle of what could be the best year of job growth of this century. Two straight years of the rich paying slightly more in taxes along with ten million Americans gaining health insurance has resulted in […]

In what was a surprise to pretty much nobody, former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg endorsed Republican Rick Snyder this past week. He’s also spending $2 million on pro-Snyder ads. I say it’s unsurprising because (a) Bloomberg held a mega-fundraiser for Snyder back in June in the midst of the road funding battle in the Michigan legislature that ended […]

You really cannot understate the advantages Republicans have in this year’s battle for the control of the Senate. Both parties are bashing each other for voters in nine states states Mitt Romney won as he was busy losing by millions of votes.  Meanwhile, all the structural advantages — older, whiter turnout; the party that holds the White House tends lose […]

One of my favorite Democratic candidates in Michigan is Betsy Coffia from Traverse City in the 104th State House district. In addition to being a good friend, Betsy combines a straightforward populist message with a value system that perfectly aligns with mine and wraps it all up in a tornado of exuberant energy that is positively infectious. During the last […]

Democratic candidate for Attorney General Mark Totten has been attempting to schedule a debate with the Ken Cuccinelli of Michigan, Republican Bill Schuette. Schuette’s jerk move response was to give one date, October 31st, so that it would air just a couple of days before the election. Totten was not available that day given the intense get out the vote […]

Steve Lambert is a Michigan artist with impressive list of accomplishments. In addition to his visual art, he has done things like creating an add-on for the Firefox web browser that replaces ads with art, he founded the Center for Artistic Activism, and he has spoken at the United Nations about his research on advertising’s impact on culture. Lambert was […]

“I can’t SEEE-EEE you…” In a recent interview with ABC10, Republican Dan Benishek was questioned about his views on global climate change. He responded, “The climate may be changing, but I don’t think man is contributing to it.” Pushed further, he had this to say: “I’m not sure there’s any evidence to prove that there’s man-made catastrophic global warming…there’s no […]

Last month I posted a piece about a Rick Snyder finally finding a teacher who would support him in public. It turned out to be his neighbor at his million-dollar lake house and that post that has enjoyed over 27,000 views. Well, Gov. Snyder has found a second teacher willing to do a commercial for him. This time it’s another […]