When a Trump-supporting bail bondsman is your chief critic, that says … everything I don’t typically write about the failings of mainstream media sources because, in general, I think they do a pretty good job, considering the environment they are working in. But an article in this morning’s edition of The Detroit News is so bad that it warrants comment. […]

As you may know, I am the Chair of the Washtenaw County Democratic Party in Michigan. We’re in a liberal bubble where the University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University are. Yesterday, following Donald Trump’s egregious “Both Sides” defense of fascists, our Executive Board composed a press release and then reached out to our Republican counterparts in the Washtenaw County […]

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 […]

They rock In 2012, a group of Washtenaw County organizers from faith, labor, and other community groups came together to work toward improving their community by helping make progress on numerous issues confronting workers and voiceless citizens in Washtenaw County. They eventually dubbed their group the Washtenaw Regional Organizing Coalition or “WeROC”. In November of 2013, WeROC held their first […]

Conventional wisdom in the 21st Century says that the salvation of our economic future will come from the so-called “knowledge economy“, an economy based largely on technology and that sees education and knowledge as both a business product and a productive asset. In knowledge economies, the need for high-skill workers is amped up and these workers are, presumably, paid more […]

There are two judicial races on the ballot this year in Washtenaw County. One is for Probate Court. You can read my interview with Tracy Van den Bergh who is running in that race HERE. The other is for the Circuit Court. Veronique Liem is one of the people running for the Circuit Court seat. Her progressive values and concern […]

The race for Probate Judge in Washtenaw County has been hard fought and gotten a fair amount of attention locally. What many people are unaware of is the intense amount of politics that has played into this race. Having spoken with numerous people who are knowledgeable about the Probate Court, I’ve come to understand that two of the conservative judges […]

They rock [All photos by Isaac Epstein, used with permission] In the spring of 2012, a handful of from various faith, labor, and community organizations began to meet to discuss building a local group to work on solving some of the intractable problem confronting their communities. Over time, that group swelled in size and became known as the Washtenaw Regional […]

Live or work near Washtenaw County? Drop by for a coffee chat about healthcare in Michigan. Michigan State Representative Gretchen Driskell (D-Saline) will host a coffee hour about healthcare in Michigan on Monday, Oct. 7, from 3-5 p.m. at the Manchester Community Resource Center, 410 City Road in Manchester. The discussion will include the federal Affordable Care Act, Medicaid expansion […]

A progressive breath of fresh air for MI-07 On July 18th, Pam Byrnes, the former Michigan House Speaker Pro Tem, announced her candidacy for Michigan’s 7th District. MI-07 is currently represented by former pastor Tim Walberg, a man who calls himself “the original tea partier”. The district is a rather convoluted mess of gerrymandering running from the west side of […]

“Show up, stand up, and speak up”

As I have written about before, grassroots organizing on behalf of Democrats is already well underway in Washtenaw County.

Last night, in the Blog Role segment of the Night Shift with Tony Trupiano radio show, I talked with Tony in depth about what we’ve done, what we’re doing, and where we are headed in Washtenaw County with regards to creating a network of neighborhood teams working to turn out the Democratic vote in 2014.

You can listen to it after the jump.