To date, over 398,000 Americans have contracted COVID-19 and almost 56,000 have passed away. Trump has shown that he is incapable of protecting Americans during a crisis. He has continued to engage in racist rhetoric during his press briefings and makes claims that hydroxychloroquine will be a “game changer”, despite there being no medical evidence. He has even suggested that […]

Earlier this week, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) had this to say: The Democratic Party is not a left party, the Democratic Party is a center, or center-conservative party. We can’t even get a floor vote on “Medicare for All,” not even a floor vote that gets voted down. We can’t even get a vote on it, so this is not […]

Repeat after me: Primaries are good. Primaries are good. Primaries are good… I used to believe that primaries were a waste of precious fundraising dollars and that they unnecessarily bloodied up our general election candidate. But in 2014, after Mark Schauer was defeated in his run for governor after facing no primary opponent, I changed my views. I came to […]

Multiple women have accused soon-to-be former U.S. Senator Al Franken and former Congressman John Conyers, Jr. of sexually harassing them. Not one. Not two. MANY. These women are completely credible. None of them has anything to gain from this, financially or otherwise. In fact, they face withering attacks, many times from women which is one of the most heartbreaking parts […]

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 […]

As many of you know, in addition to my blogging, I am also the Chair of the Washtenaw County Democratic Party. Washtenaw County, which is the home of Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti and University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, is a bit of a progressive bubble. In terms of local elections, our primaries are most often where the real […]

While we work toward a better America for everyone, we must act “as if.” Progress takes time. Consider that the first President to propose universal health insurance was Teddy Roosevelt, but the first major step toward that kind of health reform didn’t happen until Barack Obama’s presidency. But the Affordable Care Act did become law because Democrats and progressives never […]

Making connections for change The 2013 is underway and the energy in the Brody Hall Auditorium is high and fun. I’ve already had conversations with former Progress Michigan Executive Director David Holtz, outgoing ED Zack Pohl, radio host Tony Trupiano, Katie Oppenheim, Julia Smith-Heck, Elizabeth Pellerito and Elizabeth from the Michigan Nurses Association and others. Word has it that Democratic […]

Be there or be conservative

The premier progressive event of the year in Michigan is Progress Michigan‘s Michigan Summit. This impressive conference offers a chance to network, learn and become inspired in your work as a progressive organizer and activist in our state.

This year’s Michigan Summit takes place this Saturday, June 8, 2013 beginning at 8 a.m. at Brody Hall in East Lansing, MI.

The keynote speakers this year are UAW President Bob King and Partnership for Working Families Executive Director Leslie Moody.

Click through for details and links.

A campaign for us all

Facing a well-financed establishment Democrat, Trevor Thomas has mounted a spirited campaign in Michigan’s 3rd Congressional district. While Steve Pestka has been racking up endorsements from an array of long-time Democrats in our state, Thomas himself has earned a string of solid endorsements of his own, proving his progressive bona fides.

Today, the National Organization for Women (NOW) will announce their endorsement, as well.

His latest television ad and much more after the jump.

With friends like these…

The group working to recall Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, Michigan Rising missed a campaign finance report deadline by a few days this month. Though this isn’t entirely uncommon given the unnecessarily complex and cumbersome reporting methods they use, it was still a black eye to a group trying to prove that it has learned its lesson from the first recall effort and pull off a feat that nearly everyone agrees will be a nearly impossible task.

The group faces stiff opposition in their fight to recall our Republican governor. However, the fight they are getting is not from Republicans, tea partiers, the business community or conservatives.

It’s from a group that describes itself “independent left”.

I’m not kidding.