Part 1 in a series. Part 2 is HERE and Part 3 is HERE. There are few topics that unite tea partiers with progressive liberals but Michigan’s Prop 1 has not only united these two disparate groups, it has, for all intents and purposes, turned many progressives into tea partiers in their own right. What I mean by this is […]

As a member of the 7th Congressional District, “represented” by Tim Walberg, I consider the 12th District my adopted district and Congresswoman Debbie Dingell as my actual Representative. That’s because, on just about any topic or issue you could name, Debbie Dingell DOES represent my views. She’s as solid a progressive as you could ever hope to meet. From the […]

Package of legislation is intended to close the wage gap between what women and men earn for equal work. On Equal Pay Day 2015, Michigan’s Progressive Women’s Legislative Caucus introduced a new wage discrimination policy agenda that offers comprehensive solutions to combat Michigan’s wage gap. The legislation would empower workers to negotiate for equal pay, strengthen support and create strong […]

On Equal Pay Day, Congressman Dan Kildee and Senator Gary Peters are standing with women, who still earn an average of 78 cents on the dollar compared to men. Imagine if your year was more than 15 months long. Sounds exhausting, doesn’t it? Well, that’s the reality for too many American women who still do not earn the same salary […]

A few weeks back, in what I knew would be a predictable response to my support for Proposal 1, MANY of you took me to task for my “fascist” and anti-Democratic reasoning to why I supported Proposal 1 (which you can read here). You have that right, I have that right, and we now find ourselves approximately eight weeks away […]

Update:  The program I mention toward the end of this story was called “The Win Machine” and it was delayed for use but eventually went up and was successfully used by 2500 people, a significant number.  Also, and this did deserve a mention earlier today, but the miabsetee.com app/site was VERY successful and helped both many Democrats and Republicans register […]

The following post was originally posted at Ramona’s Voices. Note that there is an ask at the end of this post: several groups are looking for stories from workers both who have and don’t have paid sick leave with their jobs. Please check out the links and share your stories. There’s a fuss going on in Michigan over whether the […]

The message and the agenda of the black community is one that everyone can embrace…This should be a partnership because it makes the Party stronger In my precinct organizing work with the Washtenaw County Democratic Party (WCDP) of which I am now the Chair, I have worked extensively with Mike Henry. Mike is the Chair of the Ann Arbor Democratic […]

This morning, Gretchen Driskell, State House Representative from the 52nd District and former mayor of Saline announced that she will run for the 7th District Congressional seat to oust tea partier Tim Walberg. During her time in office Driskell has been a fierce advocate for working families, education, the environment, and small businesses. She was the first female mayor in […]

“We have to do a better job of showing the voters in Michigan how we’re going to create a state where they can stay and succeed.” I first interviewed Lon Johnson almost exactly two years ago when he first ran for Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party. He ran a spirited campaign for Chair gaining support from the entire Democratic […]

Michigan’s legislature is essentially a microcosm of what is happening in Washington, D.C. A small coalition of hard-right tea party types are holding the Republican party hostage, forcing them to cut deals with the Democrats in order to actually, you know, govern. Cast in the role of U.S. House Speaker John Boehner is Michigan House Speaker Jase Bolger. This gridlock […]