Image is everything, unless it’s a lie

There’s a video on heavy rotation at Fox News, being massively retweeted by conservatives and Americans for Prosperity, where they talk about the “brutality” and “violence” of union members at today’s rally in Lansing, Michigan to protest Right to Work legislation. The video shows an Americans for Prosperity tent coming down on the front lawn of the Capitol Building.

As it turns out, American for Prosperity (AFP) themselves were responsible for at least one of the tents coming down. Tom Duckworth watched one of the folks that had been in the AFP tent go around and loosen the straps on the tent. According to Duckworth, “the stakes came down from the INSIDE.”

Video of an interview with Duckworth after the jump.

THIS is what democracy looks like

This post will be updated continuously throughout the day. My Eclectacorrespondents Anne (my wife) and Abby (my friend) will be sending in reports, photos and videos throughout the day. I will join them this afternoon when I get out of work. Anne has a camera set-up that sends her high-res digital images straight to her iPhone so we should have some great photos throughout the day.

All the rally goodness after the jump.

Damn, son.

Think tomorrow’s rally at the Michigan Capitol Building in Lansing is going to be HUGE. Don’t believe me? The Michigan State Police do. Check out this photo posted up at the Maddow Blog:

Much more after the jump.

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.

Coming soon to a state near you

Lee Fang over at The Nation has a great piece up titled “Pro–’Right to Work’ Groups In Michigan Outspend Union Counterparts”. In it, he shows how anti-union groups are dramatically outspending pro-union anti-Right to Work for Less groups in Michigan.

Details on this and so much more after the jump.

More of this, please

Michigan State House Representative from Grand Rapids Brandon Dillon gave the Republicans in the House an earful about their hypocrisy and outrageous behavior in jamming Right to Work for Less legislation through with no public input, no hearings, and no opportunity for Democrats to offer amendments. It’s a thing of beauty

Video and transcript after the jump.

It’s time for ACTION!

I have a piece up today at the AFL-CIO NOW blog that discusses the travesty that happened at the state capitol yesterday. I wanted to expand on a couple of things that I discussed there. Mainly, that the Republicans, including Governor Rick Snyder are complete and utter hypocrites on the topic of unions and union-crushing Right to Work for Less (RTWFL) laws.

Much more including how YOU can get involved after the jump.

It’s all over but the crying It was a crazy day but the Republicans accomplished what they intended to do. They went from Governor Snyder and Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville equivocating on whether or not they wanted to take on the anti-union Right to Work for Less legislation to passing it out of both chambers with assurances from Snyder […]

Stuff just got real

President Obama has weighed in on the Republican push to destroy unions in Michigan.

Considering that President Obama said nearly nothing during the anti-union war in Wisconsin last year, this is huge.

Thank you, President Obama.

The White House statement after the jump.

This is what happens when you vote Republican

In a move that surprises just about nobody, Governor Rick Snyder announced at press conference this morning that when anti-union Republicans send “Right to Work for Less” (RTWFL) legislation to his desk, he will sign it.

After spending the past year being coy about his position on RTWFL, it was widely suspected that he would support such legislation. With gerrymandered districts ensuring Republican dominance for the foreseeable future, the will of Michiganders as a whole is being thwarted by a cadre of drunk-with-power ideologues that have been waiting for decades to jam anti-union, anti-worker, anti-woman and pro-Big Business bills through the legislature and into law. The perfect storm of the 2010 midterm election and the redistricting that happened the following year gave them their opportunity.

Details after the jump.

Tut, tut, Mike When I last wrote about Right to Work (for less) cheerleader State Rep. Mike Shirkey, it was it was discovered he took federal Stimulus dollars for his company and then laid people off. Michigan state Representative and advocate for making Michigan a Right to Work for Less state, Mike Shirkey, has been busted for showing higher than […]