Leadership! [Caricature by DonkeyHotey from photos by Anne C. Savage for Eclectablog] In a year-end interview with MLive, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder took the bold step of letting others lead on providing basic civil rights protections for members of the LGBT community. It was a proud moment: Gay-rights advocates were quick to point out that Michigan law does not currently […]

I should know. I’m one of the many Americans enrolling with increasing speed and success. When I opened my mail on Monday, what did I find? A shiny new insurance card from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan — for my coverage purchased at Healthcare.gov. It kicks in on January 1, 2014, exactly the way it’s supposed to. The video […]

As i mentioned last week, radio show host extraordinaire Tony Trupiano is leaning “more than 90%” toward a run for the 13th district state house seat. Because of this, he has not resumed his radio program Night Shift with Tony Trupiano. That hasn’t stopped our intrepid broadcaster, however and he has continued doing podcasts.

The podcast format has been a joy because it allows for more relaxed conversations than the rigid 30-minute radio segments offer, plus they aren’t interrupted by a commercial break.

Click through for the latest set.

A woman’s place is in the House. And the Senate. And … One of the most closely watched races of 2014 is the one for Michigan’s 7th Congressional District which pits Republican incumbent Tim Walberg against former state House Speaker Pam Byrnes. The contrast could hardly be more stark. On nearly every issue you wish to name, Tim Walberg is […]

A couple of weeks ago I posted a detailed analysis of how Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) enrollments are going so far. Starting today, every Friday I’ll be posting updated numbers here at Eclectablog. Full details can be viewed daily at ACASignups.net. In a comment from a Mother Jones article about Obamacare enrollments, I received the highest praise I could ever hope for: […]

Photo by Anne C. Savage Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer spoke to the state Senate before their vote on the odious, anti-woman “Plan Ahead for Your Rape” rape insurance bill this week. During her speech, she went off script and told her personal story of being sexually assaulted 20 years ago. It was a powerful, emotional moment. She wasn’t the […]

come·back – noun \ˈkəm-ˌbak\ — A return to a former position or condition (as of success or prosperity) I feel like Governor Snyder and his administration have a different dictionary than I do. He has repeatedly claimed lately (as part of the non-launch of his 2014 campaign) that Michigan is the “Comeback State”. The only thing that I can figure […]

“CBS This Morning” has an ongoing series called “Note to Self” where notable Americans read aloud a letter they have written to themselves as a baby. Congressman John Dingell, the Dean of the United States House of Representatives record Note to Self recently and, as a man who is 87 years old with a career in Congress the spans six […]

Depending on which poll you’re reading, President Obama and the Affordable Care Act are either at an all-time low or climbing out of an all-time low. The cratering of the president’s popularity makes sense after months of a public relations disaster– and that’s what Healthcare.gov’s crappy rollout was. If it were an actual disaster, people would have died. Now that […]

A new poll conducted on behalf of the ACLU of Michigan underscores the need to let voters decide on this reproductive health issue. Eclectagraphic by Anne C. Savage, special to Eclectablog If Right to Life of Michigan and their supporters in the Michigan Legislature have their way, women could be hit with a new limit on their right to choose: […]

Never, ever forget Eclectagraphic by Anne C. Savage, special to Eclectablog A year ago today, Michigan, the birthplace of the modern labor movement, became the country’s 24th right to work state. Though it has failed to kill the labor movement in the way its corporatist proponents had hoped it would, neither has it done anything that could even remotely be […]