Pipe down or be punished For the past three years, Republicans in control of the Michigan legislature have created a culture of retaliation and punishment in order to stomp out any opposition they may encounter. The blazing speed of their right to work (for less) drive was, for all intents and purposes, designed to punish labor groups for having the […]

Michigan teachers are among the finest in the nation, but the media attention given to public education recently has been far from flattering. The public does not view our teachers in a positive light. From Proposal 2 last fall to failing school districts and emergency managers, it is easy for people to believe that teachers are not living up to […]

That advice wasn’t good for consumers. But it sure must have been good for Trott’s business handling foreclosures.

David Trott, chairman and CEO of one of the country’s largest law firms specializing in foreclosure services for the mortgage industry — and a Republican candidate running in Michigan’s 11th Congressional District — has got some explaining to do.

In September 2007, subprime mortgage firms were declaring bankruptcy, other financial institutions were refusing to take on more subprime loans and millions of Americans were at risk of losing their homes. At that same time, Trott appeared on the Michigan TV program “Due Process” and called subprime mortgages “a perfectly appropriate product.”

Yes, David Trott defended subprime mortgages even as the subprime mortgage market was collapsing. That collapse contributed significantly to the larger financial crisis that wreaked havoc on the global economy.

Trott’s statements on “Due Process” make it clear he didn’t see anything wrong with endorsing a product he knew very well would result in even more foreclosures — risking the homes of average Americans while driving more business to his law firm.

Click through for video and more.

Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you.

In his visit to the Daimler Detroit Diesel plant in Redford, Michigan today, Presdient Obama amplified and gave full-throated endorsement of the battle being fought to stop Michigan from becoming the nation’s 24th “Right to Work for Less” state:

“[B]y the way, what we shouldn’t do — I just got to say this — what we shouldn’t be doing is trying to take away your rights to bargain for better wages and working conditions. We shouldn’t be doing that. These so-called “right to work” laws, they don’t have anything to do with economics; they have everything to do with politics. What they’re really talking about is giving you the right to work for less money.”

PHOTOS and much more after the jump.

Seriously, are you THAT stupid???!

< a href="http://www.campaigntodefeatobama.com/rebuild-america-tour/">The “Rebuild America — Defeat Obama” bus tour rolled into Brighton, Michigan yesterday and it was an incredible display of some of the most blatant cognitive dissonance to date.

Highlights after the jump.

When you can’t win on the issues, you have to cheat

Earlier this year, Republican Secretary of State Ruth Johnson decided to add a citizenship checkbox to the voter registration slip you have to fill out to vote. This entirely unnecessary step was seen by many as just one more attempt to freak out voters and dissuade them from voting. Governor Rick Snyder vetoed the legislation that required it but the checkbox was still on the slips, creating mass confusion.

Just what the Republicans wanted.

That and more including the frisking of voters in Detroit by a man wearing fatigues after the jump.

Off to the races

This is by no means a comprehensive round-up of results from yesterday’s primary in Michigan but just a look at some of the races that I’ve been writing about here at Eclectablog and others that I’m interested in, in general.

It’s all after the jump.

Facing the music

Despite two absurd attempts to have petition signatures thrown out, Tea party Troy Mayor Janice Daniels will officially face a recall in November.

Daniels, shown right with deejay Thayrone “your audio g-spot will now be massaged by the mink glove of soul” X, challenged the petitions based on corrections not being initialed by the circulator (not required) and because signers didn’t include their zip code (also not required.)

More after the jump.

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.

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.

Don’t get too comfy, Mayor Daniels The team of people working to recall Troy, Michigan’s woo hoo Tea Party mayor Janice Daniels is well on their way to having enough petition signatures to recall the mayor whose efforts are driving businesses out of Troy. From this week’s press release; The Recall Janice Daniels initiative has reached a major milestone in […]