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INTERVIEW: Lee Fang talks about his book “The Machine: A Field Guide to the Resurgent Right” & corporatist influence in the U.S.

By on April 30, 2013 in Conservatives, Corporatism, Interview

“I hope that people start thinking about campaign finance in a completely different way”

NOTE: This is part two of a two-part post on Lee Fang’s new book “The Machine: A Field Guide to the Resurgent Right”. My review of the book can be found HERE.

After reading Lee Fang’s new book The Machine, I was interested in asking some questions about his research and his thoughts on a number of issues related to the rise of the corporatist conservative movement that so dominates our politics and our government today. I spoke with him on Saturday and our conversation ranged from the beliefs of the average Tea Party adherent to what the left is doing wrong in the battle for public opinion.

Enjoy (after the jump.)


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An important primer for progressives: Lee Fang’s “The Machine: A Field Guide to the Resurgent Right”

By on April 29, 2013 in Book Review, Conservatives, Corporatism

Those who do not read history are doomed to repeat it

This past week, journalist Lee Fang’s new book The Machine: A Field Guide to the Resurgent Right was released. Fang is a reporting fellow with the Investigative Fund at The Nation Institute and a contributing writer at The Nation and the book represents the culmination of several years of researching and writing about the intersection of conservative politics with corporate influence on our government. The book is, at its core, a history book, showing us how America arrived at a place where a relatively small number of wealthy individuals and corporate entities have shaped the national dialog, our elections, national policy, and even the laws of our land to their own benefit, privatizing wealth while socializing risk.

Click through for my review of this important new book.


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Conservative news outlets falsely claimed Arab “person of interest” in Boston bombing is being deported

By on April 18, 2013 in Conservatives, Media

Shaping the news to fit their own twisted worldview

Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity and virtually the entire conservative news/noise machine were lit up today with the news that the Arab national they erroneously described as an FBI “person of interest” was quietly being deported back to Saudi Arabia under questionable circumstances. It started last night when Fox News “expert” Steve Emerson said on Sean Hannity’s show that the young man was being deported. That turned out to be completely false.

Click through for Homeland Security Director Janet Napolitano’s complete and utter shredding of a GOP Congressman who bought Beck and Hannity’s lies (and much more.)


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State Policy Network affiliate Mackinac Center denied opportunity to influence the news you read by Progress Michigan

By on April 17, 2013 in Conservatives

“Chalk one up for the good guys”

Last week, I posted a piece titled “Lee Fang exposes the State Policy Network & corporate domination of public policy”. In that piece, I wrote about The Nation journalist and investigative reporter Lee Fang’s work to show how the State Policy Network (SPN) was waging a multi-pronged war to influence legislation, policy and public opinion at the state level across the country. One of the things that Fang reveals is that SPN affiliates have started their own wire services to bring their skewed version of the news to readers all over America. Here in Michigan, SPN affiliate Mackinac Center for Public Policy has done just that.

Thanks to my pals at Progress Michigan, however, today SPN and Mackinac Center lost a round in the battle to sway public opinion and government policy.


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Americans for Prosperity wants Gov Snyder to use cuts to education & state employees to fund road repairs

By on April 16, 2013 in Conservatives, Taxes

At least they’re not hiding it…

As the debate rages on where to get the millions of dollars in funding needed to repair Michigan’s crumbling roads and bridges, Americans for Prosperity have an answer: use cuts to education and state employee wages to pay for them.

Click through for details on the efforts of this corporate whore to get the poor and middle class to pay for public improvements that benefit corporations more than anyone else.


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Stupidity Alert: Nolan Finley is outraged that President Obama invites musicians to the White House

By on April 15, 2013 in Barack Obama, Conservatives, GOPocrisy, President Obama

Faux poutrage is SO unbecoming…

Detroit News editorial page editor Nolan Finley is outraged that President Obama has the audacity to invite musicians to the White House. Though he was silent when previous presidents did this, it was enough to prompt a stupiditorial column in the paper this week.

More on this utter stupidity after the jump.


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Lee Fang exposes the State Policy Network & corporate domination of public policy

By on April 9, 2013 in Conservatives

It’s much worse than you think

I was recently contacted by journalist Lee Fang and asked to review his new book The Machine: A Field Guide to the Resurgent Right. I received the book yesterday and hope to have a full review out in the next couple of weeks.

As a lead-up to the April 24th release of his book, Fang has published a stunning piece at The Nation titled “The Right Leans In”. I call it stunning because it shows just how much power the corporate-funded right has amassed in shaping public policy in America, operating primarily at the state level. If you thought our biggest problem was the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), you are quite wrong. ALEC is simply one piece of an intricate network formed to push the conservative agenda and turn it into laws and public policy across the country. Fang’s piece is essential reading for every progressive in the country.

Click through for much more.


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Unsurprisingly, Michigan Republicans aren’t done crushing unions. Next up: eliminating exclusivity.

By on April 5, 2013 in Conservatives, Labor, Michigan Republicans

Somehow after Right to Work, they found yet another way to weaken unions: pitting them against each other

Back in the 1930s, our country was wrestling with the idea of labor unions and what rights they should be given. One way corporations, primarily the large automakers, used to keep unions week was implement “proportional representation”. In other words, workers would vote on which union would represent them and then they would be represented by that specific union. In other words, several unions could be bargaining on behalf of different employees at the same shop.

Through proportional representation, the automobile manufacturers were able to keep union members squabbling amongst themselves and forced the unions to fight for a smaller number of workers rather than cooperating for the good of all workers. It’s easy to see why “collective bargaining pluralism” was so attractive to the car makers. Fortunately, with the passage of the Wagner Act in 1935, it was sent to the rubbish bin in favor of exclusivity.

Until now. Click through for more.


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Sorry, GOP, leaving marriage ‘to the states’ isn’t going to save you

By on March 16, 2013 in Conservatives

Why the GOP should hope the Supreme Court legalizes equal marriage

You know that there isn’t one argument against same-sex marriage that isn’t ridiculous, based on someone’s interpretation of the Bible, or both.

Even Republicans — at least the ones with openly gay kids – admit this.

Hoping to avoid the demographic tidal wave of young people who support equal marriage, some in the GOP have decided that the solution is to let the states decide if gay people should be able to marry.

This will not work for the same reason that letting the states decide if interracial couples should be able to marry didn’t work — it’s unconstitutional to use old prejudices to deny citizens rights.…


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ACTION: Michigan GOP imposes its version of morality on the healthcare of women & others, Senate hearing Thursday

By on March 13, 2013 in Conservatives, GOPocrisy, LGBT, Michigan Republicans

It’s hard to swallow you shoving your religion down my throat

The Michigan Republicans are trotting out a “new” bill to further their War on Women and those who don’t share their narrow worldview. I say it’s “new” because it was a bill that died in the last legislative session. They call their bill the “Religious Liberty and Conscience Protection Act” but it’s nothing more than a backdoor way to limit Michigan women’s access to safe and legal abortion services across the state. What makes this legislation so insidious is that it may also restrict all Michigander’s access to things like birth control, vaccines, counseling and even HIV/AIDS treatment.

Details and actions you can take after the jump.


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