Michigan has long been a bellwether for the national political landscape and, judging by the results of our primary last week, the November general election will be as much of a wave election for Democrats as 2010 was for Republicans. Shri Thanedar’s attempt to purchase a governorship with his personal fortune was resoundingly smacked down by voters. He did only […]

I generally don’t weigh in on Democratic primaries in our state. I learned long ago that it’s better to let primary campaigns play out without me sticking my nose in. The only times I tend to write about them is if a particular campaign is doing something that’s creative and interesting that other Dems can learn from or, more often, […]

I first learned of Shri Thanedar when he hired my good friend Tony Trupiano (R.I.P.) to introduce him around to the various progressive circles in Michigan in the spring of 2017. This was necessary because almost nobody in Michigan progressive politics had ever heard of Shri Thanedar prior to then. Within in a very short time, it was clear to […]

Back in February, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed accused unnamed “establishment Democrats” of using “birther-like tactics” to derail his primary campaign after Bridge magazine published an article raising questions about his eligibility to run due to residency requirements. I was hard on Dr. El-Sayed writing, “Publishing this article is not a “birther-like” tactic and the accusation is offensive. People […]

In late January, an article at Bridge magazine raised questions about Michigan gubernatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed’s eligibility to run for this position due to his having lived outside of Michigan for a time. Experts on campaign law weighed in and were not in agreement. Some said he’s fine. Others expressed concern that he may not be fine at all and […]

I have largely avoided writing about Michigan’s gubernatorial this cycle. We interviewed both Gretchen Whitmer and Abdul El-Sayed on The Sit and Spin Room podcast early on but I have been watching the primary unfold without saying much. Partly because it’s so early and partly because I haven’t been “wowed” by any of the campaigns. However, this week, the campaign […]

Last year in a rare exhibition of bipartisanship, the Michigan state senate voted unanimously and the House voted 89-11 to pass a new rule involving the taxation of a purchased vehicle when someone trades in another vehicle in the transaction. Under a 2013 law, buyers initially could exempt the value of the trade-in vehicle up to $2,000 from the sales […]

This afternoon there was a meeting of the Michigan Democratic Party State Central Committee, the group that is essentially “the boss” of the Michigan Democratic Party. One of the items on the agenda was for the Executive Committee to vote in a new representative to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) to replace someone who resigned. Two people were nominated. One […]

As Republicans in the U.S. Senate are considering their last ditch, hail Mary attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act, there’s one aspect of it that should be truly concerning to everyone and that’s the concept of giving healthcare dollars to the states in the form of block grants to spend largely as they wish. Here in Michigan, our Republican-controlled […]

With Republicans in Washington, D.C., determined to gut healthcare access for millions of Americans, Michigan Democrats want to secure state-level protections. As the push to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act marches forward in the U.S. Senate, there’s one thing most Americans can agree on: They like the protections the ACA enshrined into law (even when you call the […]

In March of 2015, Michigan Democrat Jim Townshend introduced legislation in the House – House Bill 4341 – that would change Michigan’s regressive flat state income tax to a graduated tax. Not surprisingly, it never went anywhere in the Republican-controlled House. And that’s a shame because, if implemented, it would increase state tax revenues by as much as $700,000,000 $870,000,000 […]