Recent Posts

BREAKING! Netroots Nation conference comes to Detroit in 2014!

BREAKING! Netroots Nation conference comes to Detroit in 2014!

A BFD in the D Last year at the Netroots Nation after-party, Anne and I, along with Marcy Wheeler (“Empty Wheel“) were chatting in a somewhat inebriated state with Netroots Nation board member Adam Bonin. “You should bring Netroots Nation to Detroit!” we told him. “Michigan needs to know that they haven’t been forgotten by the rest of the country,” […]

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Senate Republicans fail Michigan by not voting on Medicaid expansion

They didn’t just fail to vote. They failed the people they were elected to represent. I’m sick, absolutely sick to my stomach that Republicans in the Michigan Senate refused to hold an up or down vote on Medicaid expansion before adjourning for a two-month recess. Good thing I’m not one of the hundreds of thousands of residents who were counting […]

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AUDIO: Michigan Teacher of the Year Gary Abud on Night Shift with Tony Trupiano

AUDIO: Michigan Teacher of the Year Gary Abud on Night Shift with Tony Trupiano

Hero of the Year more like it

The same day that my good friends Rochelle Noel and Betsy Coffia and their team were pulling off a highly successful rally to support public education in Michigan, Gary Abud was being crowned as the Michigan 2013-2014 Teacher of the Year. My interview with Gary last week has created what I think is an important conversation about merit pay and the use of Gary’s story and situation against his will to support an agenda he does not support.

Dale Hansen who blogs for the Detroit News wrote what I think is an important piece titled “Teacher of the Year: The merit pay disconnect” and was on Tony Trupiano’s Night Shift radio show to discuss it.

Last night, Gary Abud himself was on Tony’s show. It’s a fantastic interview and gives you real sense of just how eloquent, smart, and talented Mr. Abud is. Enjoy after the jump.

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INFOGRAPHIC: Think you know the impact of increasing rates on student loans? Think again.

INFOGRAPHIC: Think you know the impact of increasing rates on student loans? Think again.

It’s much worse than you think

Democracy for America has released a powerful infographic that shows the devastating impact of allowing our nation’s student loan rates to increase.

I thought I understood how unfair this would be.

I thought I understood how damaging this is to families and students.

I thought I understood how big a negative impact this would have on our economy.

I didn’t understand.

Have a look after the jump. You’ll be glad you did.

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Photo/Video Essay: Save Michigan’s Public Schools Rally!

Photo/Video Essay: Save Michigan’s Public Schools Rally!

Eclectablog himself wasn’t able to attend the grassroots-organized rally in support of the public school system in Lansing this morning; fortunately I was able to attend, with a contingent of my fellow Bloomfield Hills-based public school advocates. Yes, that’s right: Even in Bloomfield Hills, where most of the residents seem to think that the deliberate, systematic destruction of the Michigan […]

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5 Things Republicans Won’t Tell You About Obamacare Rates

5 Things Republicans Won’t Tell You About Obamacare Rates

The biggest problem Democrats have  had in selling the Affordable Care Act is about to become its greatest strength. Approximately 85% of American adults are insured through their employer or the government. The vast majority of the insured will barely notice when Obamacare goes into effect in January of 2014. That doesn’t mean they won’t benefit from the law. Obamacare […]

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Michigan Senate lets another day go by without a Medicaid expansion vote

Michigan Senate lets another day go by without a Medicaid expansion vote

Are Senate Republicans just running out the clock before summer recess? Or are they seriously considering Medicaid expansion’s merits? After a day reportedly spent largely discussing Medicaid expansion, the Michigan Senate adjourned without voting on the issue. There’s no guarantee they’ll vote on it Wednesday or Thursday, when they adjourn for summer recess. I really have nothing to go on […]

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UPDATED: Democrats turned the opportunity for a win on school dissolution legislation into a complete loss

UPDATED: Democrats turned the opportunity for a win on school dissolution legislation into a complete loss

Aye aye aye…

As I wrote last Friday, Republicans in the state House threw a bipartisan piece of legislation designed to help failing school districts back in the faces of Democrats who were trying to make improvements and ended up passing a bill that, once again, harms students and throws teachers to the curb.

Recall that, during the debate, Republicans acted like complete jackasses, absurdly blaming the teachers for the financial crises in places like Inkster and Buena Vista, calling them “hogs” and saying that “they should never try to get another job in education”. It was offensive to its core.

Well, there’s a bit more to this story and, unfortunately, Democrats played a major role in botching this up royally. Click through for details.

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Someone is already messing with Terri Lynn Land’s Senate bid. But who?

Someone is already messing with Terri Lynn Land’s Senate bid. But who?

Really, it’s starting ALREADY??? Now that Mike Rogers has declined to run for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Carl Levin in 2014, the top contender is former Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land (though she has yet to file her paperwork.) Although she’s member of the Republican National Committee, she is not the first pick of most […]

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Going to Netroots Nation? Check out our panel “Tips for Supporting Your Blog through Advertising & Fundraising”

Going to Netroots Nation? Check out our panel “Tips for Supporting Your Blog through Advertising & Fundraising”

It’s not as easy as it looks… This week at Netroots Nation, in addition to my role as volunteer coordinator for the Netroots for the Troops CARE package assembly, networking, and attending sessions, I’m participating in a session myself as a panelist for a session titled “You Get Paid to Do This? Tips for Supporting Your Blog through Advertising and […]

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Wednesday’s rally to support public education in Michigan gathers a head of steam, Mark Schauer to speak

Wednesday’s rally to support public education in Michigan gathers a head of steam, Mark Schauer to speak

The grassroots making things happen in Michigan

The rally to support public education in Michigan that happens at the state Capitol on Wednesday (details with links, etc. HERE) is getting bigger by the day. In a major coup, organizer Rochelle Noel informed me over the weekend that Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mark Schauer is now scheduled to speak at the rally.

Details after the jump.

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