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UPDATED: Michigan teachers’ union to back recall of various GOP legislators

By on July 6, 2011 in Labor, Michigan, Rick Snyder, unions

UPDATE: As Chris Bowers from Daily Kos indicates, the MEA has not officially endorsed the recall of Rick Snyder. As you can see below, their language seems to indicate that they are but it is vague enough that a true endorsement isn’t implicit. I’ll update with more information as I get it.
Well, this should make things interesting. As first reported by A2Politico.com, the Michigan Education Association is now officially supporting the recalls of Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and several other various so-far-unnamed GOP legislators. From the MEA’s website:

Next step is recall of out-of-touch legislators
Votes by lawmakers to take collective bargaining rights from public employees and make sweeping changes to teacher tenure will fuel grassroots efforts by voters in many communities who question whether their elected leaders deserve to remain in office.…

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Rick Snyder’s drop in popularity leads all other GOP governors in GOP-led states

By on June 24, 2011 in Recall Rick Snyder, Rick Snyder

This is what happens when you govern differently than you campaigned. In other words: moderate my ass.

Political analyst and CNN contributor, Bill Schneider, shows just how far Governor Snyder has fallen. He won 58% of the vote last November and now has a job approval rating of just 33%, a stunning 25% drop in less than half a year. He’s leading among states with Republican governors and Republican-controlled legislators.

Got RECALL?

…

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Detroit Mayor Bing planned to become EFM and dissolve City Council and school board

By on June 15, 2011 in Detroit, Emergency Financial Managers, Michigan, Rick Snyder

I’m en route to Netroots Nation but had to pull off to blog THIS:

A whistle-blower lawsuit filed by a former top aide to Detroit Mayor Dave Bing this morning alleges that the mayor had plans to be named emergency manager for the city and Detroit Public Schools, dissolving the city council and the school board.

~SNIP~

Collins said in the suit that she worked with “stakeholders” on an effort that would have made Bing emergency financial manager of Detroit and his former deputy Kirk Lewis emergency manager of the public schools, dissolving the city council and the school board.

…


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Countering liberal Snyder recall opponents Jack Lessenberry and Eric Baerren

By on June 4, 2011 in Recall Rick Snyder, Rick Snyder

New piece up at A2Politico called “Throwing Down With Recall Naysayers Starting With Liberals Like Jack Lessenberry”. In it, I push back against liberal-leaning commentators Jack Lessenberry from Michigan Radio and Eric Baerren of Michigan Liberal. Both of them have maligned the effort to recall Rick Snyder.

There’s a certain sort of comfort one can get by being a political commentator who stands on the outside looking in on the political machinations of society. Removed from the fray, one can wax eloquent about what others are doing right or what others are doing wrong. You can build up those you agree with and deride and mock those you don’t.…

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Rick Snyder employee injured when opening letter to the Governor

By on June 2, 2011 in Recall Rick Snyder, Rick Snyder

Okay, this is horrendous:

A worker in Gov. Rick Snyder’s official mail room in the Romney Building was slightly injured this afternoon when he opened an envelope containing an unknown granular substance, Snyder’s spokeswoman Geralyn Lasher said today.

She said the employee immediately notified the office which shut down the mail room, evacuated the mail center employees and isolated the injured worker.

“The letter contained an unknown substance, it wasn’t a powder, it was more of a coarse granular,” deputy press secretary Ken Silfven said. ”When it made contact with the worker’s hands, he began to feel some discomfort.”

Silfven said the sensation began to subside when the employee washed his hands and the Lansing Fire Department’s hazardous materials team responded.

…


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Mission Accomplished – Michigan Republicans pass Sndyer’s package of budget bills ahead of schedule

By on May 26, 2011 in Education, Michigan, Republicans, Rick Snyder

It’s oh-so-much easier to get things done when you have both houses of the Legislature and the Governor’s office in your control. Today, Michigan Republicans showed just how much easier it is. Both the state House and Senate completed passage of the various packages of budgetary bills this week and, today, in a wham, bam, thank you, ma’am flurry of legislative action, they passed reconciled bills in short order and sent them to Governor Rick Snyder for his signature — four months ahead of the deadline required by our state Constitution.

What’s involved? There is the 242-page school funding bill that trims upwards of a billion dollars out of K-12 education.…


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Thousands rally to protest Rick Snyder’s cuts to education in Michigan

By on May 21, 2011 in Education, Michigan, Rick Snyder

UPDATED with some new photos.

Several thousand people rally in front of Michigan’s Capitol building. A great turnout and LOTS of Snyder recall petitions being signed. There had to have been at least 5,000 people there. Maybe more. I was able to catch a bit of it. Here are some photos. Enjoy.

Click the photo for a bigger version.


Approaching the Capitol Bldg. about 4:45 pm


Getting closer (sorry for the finger)


Day-um!


From the Capitol Steps, looking straight down Michigan Avenue


Stage right


Stage left


From behind the crowd

Needless to say, a LOT of Rick Snyder recall petitions got signed today.…


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Daily Kos gets on board with the Rick Snyder recall effort

By on May 21, 2011 in Rick Snyder

From my email this morning:

Eclectablog,

A petition drive has begun to recall Rick Snyder. In order for the recall to appear on the November ballot, 807,000 valid signatures of Michigan residents must be submitted before August 5.

To make this happen, you need to volunteer to help gather petition signatures with The Committee to Recall Rick Snyder. Their volunteer signup form is here.

Despite Rick Snyder’s egregious power grabs and plummeting approval ratings, the recall effort does not have the official backing of either the Michigan Democratic Party or local labor unions. As such, it does not have many resources.

…


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Why I am supporting the recall of Rick Snyder (& other Michigan Republicans)

By on May 16, 2011 in Michigan, Michigan Democratic Party, Recall Rick Snyder, Rick Snyder

I have been giving the issue of recalling Rick Snyder quite a bit of thought lately, which is probably obvious to regular readers. I have been quite ambivalent about the recall effort for a number of reasons. First, having Brian Calley as Michigan’s governor, even for a short time, gives me pause. Also, the task of collecting a million signatures in just 90 days is daunting. Finally, if the effort doesn’t go well, it may be one more demoralizing action that could depress Democratic turnout and Democratic GOTV efforts in the future.

Some have made the case against the recall pretty effectively.…


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Michigan news round-up

By on May 16, 2011 in Benton Harbor, Michigan, Recall Rick Snyder, Rick Snyder, unions

In case you missed it, last week the Republicans passed a tax reform bill that is a key component Michigan Governor Rick Snyder’s budget plan that cuts business taxes by over 85% and does so on the backs of retired folks, kids and the working poor. The bill now heads to the Governor for his signature.

Gov. Rick Snyder’s massive tax reform package has passed in the Legislature, giving him a key victory in his first state budget.

“Today is marking the death of the Michigan business tax,” Snyder said. “It’s about more and better jobs and an opportunity to keep young people in Michigan.”

The bill passed 20-19 in the Senate, with Lt.

…


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