The great progressive advocacy group Progress Michigan has completed a thorough investigation into Republican County Parties in Michigan and has discovered that over 60% of them have pushed Donald Trump’s Big Lie that the election was stolen from them. Even in the past two months eleven of these County Party groups have posted about it on social media. Here are […]

There is a common convention that sunshine is the best disinfectant. While that does not apply to the COVID-19 pandemic (wearing a mask, washing your hands, using hand sanitizer, and getting vaccinated when you are eligible are the answers there, not sunshine), it does apply to another scourge that has plagued Michigan for decades; one that will hopefully be rectified […]

Let’s face it, waiting for the election returns on Election Day after the polls close is going to be excruciating. Painful. Anxiety-ridden. Heart-stopping. So why not do it in a fun way by joining your progressive friends at a drive-in “theater”?! Our pals at Progress Michigan are doing just that. Starting at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3rd, you can […]

Starting in 2016, Trae Crowder posted low-tech but absolutely hilarious videos under the name “Liberal Redneck”. The videos quickly became a viral sensation garnering millions of views on YouTube. Trae’s comedy turns a mirror on the stereotypical southern rednecks he grew up with and shows just how ridiculous so many of their political views are. From transgender people using public […]

Regular readers of Eclectablog will know that I have been off the grid for the past few weeks while I recover from surgery. As a result, I will have to miss an exciting event that I haven’t missed in years: the annual Progress Michigan conference called the Michigan Progressive Summit. But that doesn’t mean YOU have to miss it and […]

It’s great to see the watchdogs watching the dogs. Anyone who has been paying attention to the political career of Michigan Attorney General Bill “Shady” Schuette knows that he’s been running for governor for decades. Each rung on his political ladder has been one more step toward his ultimate goal, at least so far as Michigan politics goes. For the […]

Long-term readers of this site probably know about the State Policy Network (SPN). This is the Koch brothers-funded network of state-based “think tanks” used to spread anti-worker, pro-corporate propaganda with the goal of changing policy and laws in states to favor businesses and to harm the positions of workers. Working with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) Americans for Prosperity, […]

Government officials working to cover up questionable behavior is as old as politics itself but it’s rare to catch them boldly doing it in real time. That, however, is exactly what Progress Michigan staff did during a recent investigation into what appears to be improper use of private emails to do government business and possibly doing political work while at […]

In the course of reviewing emails obtained from Michigan Republican Attorney General Bill Schuette in response to a Freedom of Information Act request last year, staff at Progress Michigan, Michigan’s primary progressive watchdog group, found nearly two dozen emails originating from the private email accounts of Schuette and some of his top staff. Based on this proof that they were […]

This past Saturday, over 700 progressives, both veteran organizers and newcomers to progressive activism, gathered at the Lansing Center in Lansing, Michigan for the Michigan Progressive Summit (although except for two brief mentions by Michigan Radio, you’d never know it.) Organized by Progress Michigan, it was a day of inspiring speeches, well-organized breakout sessions, and networking for the progressive community. […]

Up until three years, the progressive watchdog group Progress Michigan, held an annual conference called “The Michigan Summit”. However, due a lack of participation and a lack of funding, they were discontinued. This year, thanks to the new progressive energy sparked by the ascension of Donald Trump to the Oval Office, the Michigan Summit is back. “Donald Trump has created […]