Michigan’s budget surplus: More money, more problems? Sure, but it beats the...
Lansing these days could be renamed Surplus City, where we’re just looking for ways to spend the money that Michigan is expected to rake in this year. It appears our deficit days are behind us; we are...
View ArticleSnyder and the appearance of political 'cronyism'
Control – the ability to command and direct events – is the elusive ambition of politicians. Politicians seek office promising to get things done or, in some rare cases, to stop something from getting...
View ArticleGOP can’t control Agema while Dems confront the ‘Obama Quandary’
Before we dive into this week's It's Just Politics, we gotta give a shout out to the Washington Post who named co-host Rick Pluta one of Michigan's best state capitol reporters in America.Cheers,...
View ArticleGov. Snyder has to sell Detroit bailout* to a skeptical Legislature – and...
* "This is not a bailout"Gov. Rick Snyder used the phrase “this is not a bailout” five times in the 26 minutes he used to announce the first details of a “grand bargain” to settle the Detroit...
View ArticleWho will run Michigan if there's a zombie apocalypse? We have answers
The "Designated Survivor" is the person from the President’s Cabinet who sits out the big, official political gatherings – like the State of the Union speech, or a Presidential Inauguration.That...
View ArticleTalking about the politics behind Michigan's gubernatorial campaign
Rick Pluta joined us to talk about the politics behind Gov. Snyder’s re-election bid, about Snyder’s Super Bowl ad, and about Snyder’s likely Democratic opponent Mark Schauer.Rick Pluta is the Lansing...
View ArticleJust how many ballot questions will you be voting on in November? Good...
In 270 days – come Election Day 2014 – it’s not just candidates you’ll be voting for, there are likely to be plenty of ballot questions, too. And, much like 2012, when there were half a dozen ballot...
View ArticleA 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 ArticleMichigan’s budget surplus: More money, more problems? Sure, but it beats the...
Lansing these days could be renamed Surplus City, where we’re just looking for ways to spend the money that Michigan is expected to rake in this year. It appears our deficit days are behind us; we are...
View ArticleSnyder and the appearance of political 'cronyism'
Control – the ability to command and direct events – is the elusive ambition of politicians. Politicians seek office promising to get things done or, in some rare cases, to stop something from getting...
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