“CBS This Morning” has an ongoing series called “Note to Self” where notable Americans read aloud a letter they have written to themselves as a baby. Congressman John Dingell, the Dean of the United States House of Representatives record Note to Self recently and, as a man who is 87 years old with a career in Congress the spans six […]

“This is about treating all people fairly, with honor, dignity, and respect.” Today the U.S. Senate passed the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) that would end discrimination based on sexual orientation. It seems unlikely the House Speaker John Boehner will even allow it to come to a vote in the House. Being this close to equality for all Americans in the […]

Let’s behave as a Congress of the United States, not an aggregation of petulant children! At the beginning of the current Republican shutdown of the United States government, Dean of the House, Michigan Congressman John Dingell, gave a speech on the floor of the House that took Republicans to task for their irresponsible dereliction of their responsibility to govern, lead, […]

Children, may I please have your attention? Today House Republicans tried for the 41st time to dismantle the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Dean of the House John Dingell, someone I am proud to call a friend, stood up and proceeded to dress down the anti-Obama tea party freaks that have come to dominate the Republican Party. He was addressing them […]

While anti-Obamacare crusaders stoop increasingly lower, the law’s supporters are making sure people know the facts. I don’t think I really need to tell you just how ridiculous the failed attempts to repeal, defund or sabotage Obamacare are. After all, it’s been all over the news. And those who want to defeat the law will stop at nothing, from lying […]

“There is a group of extremists in the House that is controlling the agenda and that has to stop.” – Sen. Amy Klobuchar When Wyandotte was in Congressman John Dingell’s district, every year he held a fundraiser at the Yack Arena. That ended in 2001 when redistricting took Wyandotte away. But, now, thanks to re-redistricting, Wyandotte is again represented by […]

Hoo boy… The Detroit News conservative pundit and cartoonist Henry Payne has an op-ed with such comically convoluted (il)logic that it deserves public derision. His piece, “‘Pasha’ Dingell and the rise of Washington power” basically implies that Dean of the House John Dingell has secured his power through massive contributions from corporations and their lobbyists. He then goes on to […]

A champion of the people

This Friday, Congressman John Dingell will break Senator Robert Byrd’s record for the longest serving member of Congress having served 57 years and 177 days. He is already the Dean of the House, the longest continuously serving member of the House of Representatives. Although I am in the Congressional district next Congressman Dingell’s, I have gotten to know him well through my community organizing activities with the Washtenaw County Democratic Party. I’m proud to call him and his wife Debbie friends.

In his 57 years in Congress, Congressman Dingell has cast tens of thousands of votes and has been associated with some of the most historical legislation in our country’s history. Every session, he has carried on the tradition first set by his father of introducing legislation to create a single-payer, universal health care system in the United States of America.

Click through for a list of some of the other legislation that bear his mark and much, much more.

This is good. This is VERY good

Two Democrats first elected to Congress together in 2008 are rapidly becoming the unrivaled choices of the Michigan Democrats. This bodes well for uncontested primaries for both of them which will help them use their campaign treasuries for beating their Republican opponents and avoiding bruising primary races.

Details on this exciting news after the jump.

“Citizens United v. FEC is one of the most destructive Supreme Court decisions in the history of this country”

In August of last year Dean of the House Congressman John Dingell introduced the Restoring Confidence in our Democracy Act. This legislation sought to undo the democracy-crushing impact of the now-infamous Citizens United Supreme Court decision that has allowed huge sums of money to be spent by wealthy individuals and corporations to pervert our elections and subvert our democracy.

Congressman Dingell will be reintroducing this bill during the current legislative session and tomorrow at 6 p.m. in Ann Arbor he will hold a public forum and panel discussion to discuss it.

Click through for details.

I’ll just sleep in mid-November…

Anne and I arrived home from the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, NC at about 11:30 p.m. Friday night. The next morning I was on the road at 6:30 a.m. to the Michigan Democratic Party’s State Convention which took place over two days this weekend at the Lansing Center in Lansing. Like me, there were a LOT of faded looking people there but, despite their weariness, Day One of the convention was a huge success; well-attended and with high energy.

Details with photos after the jump.