Here's the Left of Lansing Friday Short for June 7, 2024

The Guardian's Jon Henley wrote about a study conducted by European political scientists, which showed when center-left parties in Europe adopt right-wing policies, the center-left parties suffer at the polls. 

These researchers conclude that when center-left parties move further to the center, they end up failing to capture right-wing voters, and they alienate their progressive base voters.

This just confirms what many of us have always said here in the United States. It's why Michigan Democrats must run on the popular policies they've made into law, and on the policies they should pass, including paid family leave and polluter pay.

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NOTES: 

"Adopting rightwing policies ‘does not help centre-left win votes.’" By Jon Henley of The Guardian

"As youth poverty spikes, Manchin has no regrets on Child Tax Credit." By Joseph Zeballos-Roig of Semafor

"Manchin Registers as Independent." By Senator Joe Manchin

Here's episode 89 of Michigan's premier progressive podcast.

Happy Conviction Week!

Michigan Republicans continue having a collective meltdown after their Dear Leader was found guilty of committing 34 felonies in New York. Republicans call the trial a "sham," and "un-American," as they keep degrading our judicial system. Pat shares the unhinged statements from many Michigan Republicans in both Congress and the state legislature after the verdict. This is part of a pattern by Michigan Republicans to destroy the institutions of our democratic republic. And he calls-out some of these state Republicans, including Congresspeople Jack Bergman, Tim Walberg, and Lisa McClain for putting their party, and Trump, above country. 

Democrats had better quickly come to that conclusion, or else they'll find these Christian Nationalists in charge of our national and state governments. 

In the "Last Call," Pat asks congressional Democrats to boycott Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to a joint session of Congress on June 13th. Netanyahu's not only been charged for war crimes over Israel's war in Gaza, but he's been disastrously wrong repeatedly, costing the United States in lives and treasure. No Michigan Democrat should attend this propaganda stunt. 

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Here's the Monday Musing for June 3, 2024

Democrats are in trouble of diluting and mixing their campaign messaging when it comes to the serious threat Trump and the Republicans are to democracy.

Democrats must be firm and consistent with their messaging in order to ensure Democrats keep not only the Michigan Legislature blue, but to ensure Democrats keep or gain state legislative seats throughout the country!

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NOTES:

"Poll finds ‘jarring’ stats on democracy amid widening gulf of economic misperception." By Jon King of Michigan Advance

Democratic Michigan Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin’s first ad for the U.S. Senate

Anat Shenker-Osorio tweet on the threat of Republican fascism

Here's the Left of Lansing "Friday Short" for May 31, 2024

The entire Michigan Republican Party is revealing its fascist and authoritarianism ways by its reactions to Dear Leader Trump being found GUILTY of all 34 felony counts of falsifying financial records to hide his payoffs to a porn star, which influenced the outcome of the 2016 election.

The so-called "Law & Order," family values, and personal responsibility party is rallying behind its Dear Leader, proving once again how Republicans never believed in those "values."

Their reactions also serve as a reminder on the grasp the extreme Christian Nationalist "America First" movement has on the party.

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NOTES:

"BREAKING: Trump found guilty on 34 felony counts in NY hush money trial." By Ashley Murray of States Newsroom (via Michigan Advance)

“Scenes From a MAGA Meltdown: Inside the “America First” Movement’s War Over Democracy.” By Andy Kroll of ProPublica

Welcome to Episode 88 of Michigan's premier progressive podcast!

On this week's show, Pat has some fun at the expense of the big oil and land developer-backed group calling itself "Citizens For Local Choice," which announced its hopes of putting a repeal of a renewable energy siting law on this November's ballot FAILED to garner enough signatures! This is a vital victory for our economy, our environment, and our farmers! Lansing Democrats passed a clean energy and jobs act in 2024, and part of that law gave farmers the freedom to allow their land to be used for large wind and solar farm projects. Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed the law so that extreme local governments could no longer and their own block farmers from participating in joining in these large renewable energy projects. Pat explains why opponents wanted to get this repeal on this year's ballot, and why this is such a blow to their efforts. 

In the second segment, Andy Kroll from ProPublica joins the show to discuss an article he wrote on the civil war happening inside the Michigan Republican Party. Mr. Kroll is a native Michigander, and wrote about the battle between the longtime establishment Republicans vs. the growing insurgent "America First" faction of the party. And while the establishment may have prevailed for now, this fight continues, and it could be to the detriment of not just for Republicans, but for Donald Trump as well. Mr. Kroll also has a new book titled, "A Death on W Street: The Murder of Seth Rich and the Age of Conspiracy."

In the "Last Call" Pat examines Michigan Democratic Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin's first campaign ad for the state's U.S. Senate seat, which is being vacated by retiring Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow. To say Pat's less than enthused with this ad is quite the understatement. 

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Here's the Left of Lansing "Monday Musings" for May 27th, 2024.

On this Memorial Day, Dear Leader Trump sent-out this disgusting message on his Truth Social account.

His message didn't mention anything about remembering those who sacrificed their lives for this country. Dear Leader's message made it all about him, but it's not surprising considering his views on those who died in wars. And it's not surprising considering how "bone spurs" prevented him from fighting in Vietnam.

It says a lot about this country that after this guy was found liable for sexual abuse, and then caught for lying to banks on his net worth, he not only became president, but he very well could be president again.

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NOTES: 

"Fact-checking Trump's claims about New York fraud trial." By Nada Tawfik of the BBC.

"Trump says he has nearly $500 million in cash but doesn’t want to use it to pay New York judgment." By Michael R. Sisak of The Associated Press

"Trump did call fallen soldiers "losers," his former chief of staff says." By Jacob Knutson of Atrios

Here's the Left of Lansing "Friday Short" for May 24, 2024.

Congressional Republicans are trying to pass a new funding scheme that cuts the food stamps program by $30 billion in the next decade. 

And the unreal part about all of this is that a significant portion of rural Americans rely on the program! 

Michigan Democratic Senator Debbie Stabenow says this part of the Republican House Farm Bill will not make it through the U.S. Senate since Democrats are the majority in that chamber.

But what happens if Republicans keep the House and win the Senate this November?

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Here's episode 87 of Michigan's premier progressive podcast!

Dr. Bob Lorinser is running to become the Democratic candidate for Michigan's 1st congressional district, comprising of northern Michigan, and the entire U.P. He is trying to challenge Republican Congressman Jack Bergman for the second straight time after losing to Bergman in '22. But Dr. Lorinser believes this time around, he won't only challenge Bergman, but he believes he'll win thanks to the experiences of his previous run and also due to name recognition. Dr. Lorinser explains how he'll be a true representative for the district because not only does he want to improve the lives of people, but he actually LIVES in the district, unlike Bergman. He also talks about how he'll fight to rebalance the scales once he arrives in Washington D.C., by focusing on expanded health care access, education, and a living wage.

Pat celebrates Democrat Kelli van Ginhoven finally getting to take the seat she won in the recall races for the Delta County Commission. And he also takes a look at Republican Congressman Jack Bergman's extreme right-wing agenda, and how he's there to only serve the rich corporate donor base, and the radical Christian Nationalist movement inside the Republican Party.

The "Last Call" implores Democrats to be on the right side of history when it comes the atrocities happening in Gaza. Right-wing Republicans are aligning themselves with Israel's right-wing government. Democrats are making a costly error if they continue to align with the Netanyahu government, and we're seeing some Michigan congressional Democrats are facing primary challenges due to this disastrous stance.

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#Michigan #Politics #Podcast #PoliticalPodcast #SCOTUS #Law #Democracy #Democrats #Progressives #Fascism #Alito #January6 #Trump #MAGA #MichiganDemocrats #Corruption #ExpandTheCourt #Republicans #GOP #ClarenceThomas #FreeSpeech #LeftOfLansing

The Left of Lansing Monday Musing for May 20, 2024.

Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito is once again in the news. This time, Alito is blaming his wife for an upside-down American flag hanging outside their house after the January 6th insurrection. It's another sign that all Democrats must run against this right-wing extreme majority of the Supreme Court this fall just as much as against Trump.

And Senate Democrats must run hearings on Justice Clarence Thomas' dealings with a billionaire financier, and on Alito's overt support for destroying our constitutional democracy. 

Run against them, Democrats!

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#Michigan #MichiganPolitics #Politics #Podcast #Election2024 #Elections #Voting #UpperPeninsula #DeltaCounty #Democrats #MichiganDemocrats #MichiganRepublicans #Republicans #RightWing #MAGA #Democracy #ElectionFraud #Fascism #LeftofLansing #Progressives #Trump #Biden

Here's this week's Left of Lansing "Friday Short" for May 17, 2024.

Two MAGA Republican Board of Canvassers in Delta County are refusing to certify the recent recall elections where three MAGA Board of Commissioners received a thumping.

This prevents the one Democrat, and two independents, from taking their oaths, and serving the people.

But this is a pattern by the right-wing in Michigan, and across the United States. 

Right-wingers are displaying their outright disdain for democracy, and the democratic process. They're also showing a disdain for the majority of people who simply don't like them, their values, and their policies. 

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