A lot can go wrong with a petition drive, but Right to Life has mastered the...
The petition drive is the citizens’ direct route to changing laws. It’s part of the state constitution,Article 2, Section 9 (if you want to read it for yourself). The petition-initiated law is not...
View ArticleHype surrounding same-sex marriage hearing lacked a reality check
Prospective brides and grooms in same-sex relationships could not be blamed for feeling jilted this week – not by their partners, but by the Eastern U.S. District Court in Detroit.They expected this...
View ArticleFew issues reveal the political divide like auto insurance…
Insurance sure is a hot political topic these days with hearings in Washington on the glitches with the HealthCare.gov website, and the recent fight in the Legislature over the Medicaid expansion. So...
View ArticleA politico's guide to what to look for in next week's elections
Local elections across Michigan are coming Tuesday. And, there are also some interesting races across the country. The results of which politicos and prognosticators will be mining for hints, tips, and...
View ArticlePot, LGBT local ballot questions offer a peek into what may lie ahead
Election 2013 is now in the history books. So, it’s time to do what all politicos like to do: look at the results and figure out what they mean as Michigan approaches Election 2014. Now, of course, one...
View ArticleDisclosing names of 'issue ad' donors a wedge within the MI GOP
This week we saw yet another split in the Republican Party. But this intra-party fight had little to do with the usual Tea Party v. Establishment narrative. Instead, the imbroglio was over “issue ads.”...
View ArticleDems try to leverage minimum wage for maximum political benefit
Putative Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mark Schauer rolled out his proposal this week to raise Michigan’s minimum wage to $9.25 over three years; which, as of right now, would make it one of the...
View ArticleDems cry foul over pay raises for state's investment managers
This week, on our tryptophan recovery edition of It’s Just Politics, we’re talking money: salaries, wages, and how they’re becoming an issue in the campaign for governor.Last week,...
View Article'Blue State' project targets Snyder, other GOP governors in states Obama won
We’re into the 2013 winter holiday season, which means we’re just a few weeks away from 2014 and a new round of big statewide elections.That includes Governor Rick Snyder’s reelection bid -- which...
View ArticleFight over veto-proof abortion law not over; groups going to work to overturn
What is it about Decembers in Lansing? Last year, it was right-to-work. This year, the controversy is over a petition initiative, a veto-proof law that will require people to buy separate insurance for...
View ArticleRepublican angst over gay rights in Michigan continues
The Republican angst over gay rights continues this week.Driven and riven by the continuing commentary on the topic by Michigan’s Republican National Committeeman Dave Agema, in this case on AIDS and...
View ArticleElection 2014: The running season is here
This week’sIt’s Just Politics deserves a little running music (we’re thinking the theme to Chariots of Fire would fit well) because we’re looking at who’s in, who’s out, who’s thinking of getting in...
View ArticleWill troubles in DC rain on Michigan's political parade?
This week on "It’s Just Politics," we’re talking scandals, or at least, perceived scandals. In D.C., at the White House, the Obama administration is dealing with the Benghazi emails, the IRS alleged...
View ArticleGovernor Snyder encounters choppy (political) waters on Mackinac Island
This week we are taping It's Just Politics at the Detroit Regional Chamber’s Policy Conference on Mackinac Island. This is an annual statewide event where business people and politicians come to plot...
View Article‘Gen Y’ Republican lawmaker takes up gay rights fight in Lansing
This week on "It’s Just Politics," it’s all about ch-ch-changes (cue your best David Bowie impersonation here). Changes are afoot vis-a-vis lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights in...
View ArticleCampaign trails wait as candidates get social
This week on It's Just Politics, it's all about the art of the campaign announcement.This morning Congressman Mike Rogers surprised no one when he told the world, or, at least, the state of Michigan,...
View ArticleMedicaid impasse: Tea Party pushes around a Nerd
This week on It’s Just Politics, we break down the breakdown over the Medicaid expansion. We’re thinking a bit about Mick Jagger right now (something along the lines of, “You can’t always get what you...
View ArticleMedicaid is the cure for Snyder's summertime blues
The Legislature’s off on its summer recess and Governor Rick Snyder is on a Pure Michigan tour of Republican senators’ districts to hammer them for leaving Lansing without voting on his top policy...
View ArticleA short history of politicians’ declarations of independence
Welcome to our post-Independence Day edition of It’s Just Politics and, today, we’re talking Independents.This week, Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel let it be known he wants the “D,” for Democrat,...
View ArticleSnyder might not own Detroit, but he owns its bankruptcy
The Detroit bankruptcy filing is Michigan’s biggest news story of the year, with effects that will ripple out in all kinds of ways; many that are unpredictable. It would be naïve to suggest that...
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