I’m going to keep this short and sweet today. Eclectablog is not about all of us getting wealthy from our work here. We do it because we KNOW it’s important and we KNOW it’s making a difference; sometimes small, sometimes not so small. But, if we’re going to be true to our values as progressives, we believe that all of […]

I don’t need to tell YOU that the United States of America is in big trouble right now. Our country is now “led” by a kleptocratic authoritarian who is rapidly consolidating his power to benefit himself, his kids, and his business cronies. What was happening in slow motion only a few months ago has now turned into a rapid-fire string […]

There’s been heated debate as to whether the Constitution should protect what people call “hate speech”. The Supreme Court currently holds that the right to free speech is not to be limited in any way. The argument is that once the government begins banning certain forms of speech, it could find any justification to curtail this basic American freedom. The end of […]

At some point in the ten years and one day since we began blogging under the Eclectablog banner, I had to make a decision. Was Eclectablog going to be a “state blog” or a “national blog”. If we aimed to be only a state blog, that would limit our reach because, at some point, folks outside of Michigan would just […]

Front group for the Michigan Chamber to appeal gerrymandering reform to another GOP front group — Michigan’s Supreme Court Michigan’s Supreme Court announced on Friday it will review an unanimous Court of Appeals decision that ruled the independent gerrymandering reform proposal backed by Voters Not Politicians should appear on November’s ballot. Plaintiffs argue the changes sought to the state’s constitution […]

On July 8, 2008, I posted my first post under the name “Eclectablog”. It was a brief post, directing folks to my wife Anne’s panoramic images of the Rothbury music festival. I had already been blogging for four years under various other names at other sites but, when I jumped to Blogger in 2008, the name “Eclectablog” was born. In […]

Lizz Winstead and her comedy-driven reproductive rights organization returns for big laughs and serious action — get your tickets today!

This past week, corporatists ticked off a major agenda when the United States Supreme Court decided in their favor in the Janus v. AFSCME case. With this decision, SCOTUS has turned America into a “Right to Freeload” country. Will Swaim, president of the California Policy Center, an affiliate of the Koch brothers State Policy Network (SPN), celebrated the decision to […]

Doesn’t it just warm your heart to see all these non-traditional Democratic candidates win primaries across the country? 2018 seems to represent a shift in the political spectrum. And while Democrats are definitely one step closer to justice and inclusion, there is something missing in the conversation: How can a candidate’s campaign strategy reflect Democratic values even before they get […]

Let’s start with a confession: I have a crush on Diane Ravitch. (Note: my wife knows!) Sure, it’s a (mostly) academic crush, but a crush nonetheless. One of the real thrills of my professional life was attending a dinner in New York City a couple of years ago in honor of Dr. Ravitch’s contributions to public education. I had a […]

Mike Petrilli is one of the self-appointed leaders of the corporate reform of education movement, and also has a day job as president of the Fordham Institute, a conservative think tank with a focus on education. His bio says that “he is one of the nation’s most trusted education analysts,” so I guess he knows what he’s talking about. In his […]