We couldn’t have done it without you!
Last weekend, my wife Anne and I threw a party to celebrate our victories on election day and to thank many of the volunteers that worked so hard in the Ann Arbor area to make those victories possible. One of the sweetest victories that we achieved was the repeal of Public Act 4 — Michigan’s odious and anti-democratic Emergency Manager Law.
As most Eclectablog readers know, I have been writing about PA 4 since it was passed. My blogging got national attention when Laura Conaway, a producer for The Rachel Maddow Show, took interest and began digging into the story. Her journalism on this issue was exceptional and I was gratified to have Eclectablog and some of the things I was writing about and reporting appear on TRMS. If it hadn’t been for this amplification of our message — one being trumpeted not only by me but but folks like Rev. D. Alexander Bullock, Rev. Charles Williams II, the folks at Michigan Forward led by Brandon Jessup — our story may well have stayed a Michigan story and an under-reported one at that.
More importantly, without this national attention, it’s highly unlikely that Michigan voters would have overturned PA 4 on Election Day.
So, at our party on Friday, we had a big “Thank You” card to Laura and Rachel for everyone to sign and we introduced a new drink called “The Emergency Manager”. We have sent the makings of this drink along with the card to Rachel and Laura (the package should arrive today) and also recorded this rather drunken video:
Here’s the letter I included with the card:
November 13, 2012Dear Laura & Rachel,
I want to personally thank you both for the attention that you paid to our fight here in Michigan to repeal our Emergency Manager Law — Public Act 4. Although I suspect our fight is far from over, the first truly serious blow has been dealt and it’s largely thanks to your making it a national story.Bloggers like me can write our fingers to the bone about local issues but having The Rachel Maddow Show amplify my voice and do the investigative journalism that was needed (and that I simply did not have the time or resources for) made the difference.
So thank you.
Thank you, Rachel, for being a passionate advocate on our behalf and for so eloquently shining the spotlight on this egregious overreach.
And thank you, Laura. You took the story, made it your own and showed aspects of it that others would have (and did) miss. I know how much work you put into it and I am truly grateful. I feel like we’ve become friends throughout this and that’s a blessing, for sure.
Enclosed, please find a thank you card signed by some of the folks here in Michigan that worked hard to repeal PA4 in my local area (near Ann Arbor.) We’ve also included the makings of a new drink we created called “The Emergency Manager” (“It will help you manage ALL of your emergencies”.) We served it at our victory party last weekend and will post a slightly drunken video of us thanking you once you have received this package.
With great fondness and admiration for you both,
Chris Savage | Eclectablog
And, finally, here’s the drink recipe. It’s made primarily from good bourbon, a vanilla citrus liquour called Tuaca and simple syrup made with spicy Chai tea. I highly recommend it. It’s fantastic!
The Emergency Manager
(Serves two)
2 shots of Makers Mark (or other good quality bourbon)
1 shot of Tuaca
½ shot of Chai simple syrup (see below)
1-2 dashes orange bitters
3 orange peel shavingsChill two martini glasses by filling with ice and water. Add Makers Mark, Tuaca, Chai simple syrup and bitters to cocktail shaker. Drain martini glasses, add ice to shaker, and shake for about a minute. Rub rims of martini glasses with one of the orange peel shavings, add a peel to each glass, and pour in the Emergency Manager.
Chai simple syrup:
6 Chai tea bags
1 cup water
1 cup sugarAdd sugar to water, bring to boil. Add contents of tea bags to the water, remove from heat, and steep 5 minutes. Strain and cool.
