They know what democracy looks like. If Gov. Snyder signs this bill into law, it will prove once again that he doesn’t. [Caricature by DonkeyHotey from photos by Anne C. Savage for Eclectablog] The speed at which Republicans rammed through Senate Bill 652 is enough to give anyone legislative whiplash. And when bills are rushed through that quickly for no […]

The Michigan GOP succeeds in rigging the court system to make sure Republican judges hear the cases they want to win. It’s a disgrace, a mockery of democracy and Michigan’s justice system — and a legislative maneuver that puts even more power in the hands of Republicans. On Wednesday afternoon, the Republican-led Michigan House voted 57-52 to pass Senate Bill […]

The opening of the Obamacare marketplaces isn’t the only news today that’s a BFD. The passage of Medicaid expansion in Michigan last month was a huge victory for the nearly 500,000 uninsured who will gain coverage as a result. But the fact that the Senate passed the bill without “immediate effect” meant delaying the start of the program until 90 […]

What do you expect? They spent 10 minutes on the job today. Senate Republicans showed up to work this morning and did absolutely nothing. Although the Detroit Free Press says the Senate Medicaid expansion work group is meeting privately twice a week to “tweak” the bill already passed by an overwhelming majority of the House, they still have nothing to […]

The fight to preserve workers’ rights is FAR from over. Get informed.

One of the premier Democratic Party clubs in the state is the Western Washtenaw Dems, a club I’m proud to be a member of. Started in 1999 by former House Speaker Pro Tempore Pam Byrnes, the group is both a social club for Democrats on the western side of Washtenaw County as well as an active political force in our county. They regularly sponsor important and timely speakers, panels and forums and this Thursday is one that area Democrats won’t want to miss. It features Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan AFL-CIO president Karla Swift, Michigan AFT president David Hecker along with moderator Ron Motsinger from the IBEW.

Details and a downloadable flyer after the jump.

And then there were three

Senate Democratic Leader Gretchen Whitmer announced today that she will NOT be a candidate for Governor in Michigan in 2014. Her stepping aside narrows the immediate field from four to three: 2010 candidate and Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero, Detroit-area Congressman Gary Peters and former MI-07 Congressman Mark Schauer. While that’s not to say that others won’t throw their hat into the ring, these three are certainly the top three at the moment.

My analysis after the jump.

Chapeau: doffed

2012 was a year full of politics in Michigan. As a political writer, particularly one writing from the progressive side of things, I never had a single day where there wasn’t something happening in Michigan worth writing about. We weren’t far into 2012 before I realized that women were standing up and speaking out in larger numbers and with a louder, stronger voice than any other group of people in our state. So much so that I have taken to calling 2012 the Year of Michigan Women in Politics.

Using the power of personalizing issues to make change when you’re in the minority

One of the most outspoken and eloquent Democrats in the legislature for the past two years is Senate Minority Leader Gretchen Whitmer from East Lansing. Whenever there was a major issue making the headlines that Republicans were on the wrong side of, Senator Whitmer was there to be sure that they were not only held accountable but that their actions would not go unnoticed.

Given the Republicans’ recent flurry of ideologically-driven activity and the fact that Republicans still control both houses of the state legislature, control the state Supreme Court, and that the Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State are all Republicans, I wanted to see how the top Democratic leader of the state Senate (and longest serving sitting Senator) was feeling about the road ahead. I sat down with her in a coffee shop in East Lansing this week for an interview.

(It’s all there, after the jump.)

A side benefit of being in a swing state: you get ATTENTION!

This Thursday, August 23, 2012, the Obama campaign is hosting a special Women For Obama event at the Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti, Michigan at 5:00 p.m. The event will feature special guest Katherine Archuleta, Political Director of the Obama for America.

Other guests include State Senator Gretchen Whitmer, State Senator Rebekah Warren, DNC Member Debbie Dingell, Working America State Director Fran Brennan and State House candidate Gretchen Driskell.

Please RSVP for the event HERE.

More information and a printable flyer after the jump.

You call that “Leadership”? That’s not leadership, that’s corruption.

After the incredible revelation that House Speaker Jase Bolger conspired with Representative Roy Schmidt to commit blatant and disgusting election fraud in May, it’s now time for him to step down as the so-called “leader” of the House. No group can be called legitimate that has at its head someone so clearly corrupt and fraudulent as Jase Bolger has proven himself to be.

He doesn’t deny doing what he did. He simply says that it’s okay because it was legal.

Nobody else believes that.

Much more after the jump.

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.