Left of Lansing

#Michigan #Politics #Progressives #Law #MichiganRepublicans #Republicans #ChristianNationalism #DanaNessel #MAGA #LeftofLansing #Podcast Here's the Left of Lansing Monday Musing for May 6, 2024 Former Michigan Republican Lee Chatfield, and his wife, Stephanie, pled not guilty to running a criminal enterprise, which includes numerous embezzlement and conspiracy charges.  Yet, despite facing those c...

#Michigan #Biden #SCOTUS #Politics #Progressives #Podcast #LeftofLansing Here's the Left of Lansing "Friday Short" for May 3, 2024. Generation Z voters are protesting at college campuses across the country, showing their dissatisfaction and disdain for the United States' continued backing of the right-wing Israeli government.  And for some, refusing to vote for a second Biden Administration term t...

Here's Episode 84 of Michigan's premier progressive podcast! One reason I started this venture is that I wanted to help show the importance of local and state politics. For sure, progressives have made some outstanding strides in terms of state politics with Democrats taking the state trifecta last year for the first time in four decades! But on the local political side, the right-wing has enjoyed...

Here's episode 83 of Michigan's premier progressive podcast! Salon columnist Amanda Marcotte spends a few minutes talking with Pat about the Christian Nationalist Movement, and its ultimate goal of not just getting Dear Leader Trump back into power, but of ending religious freedom for all. Ms. Marcotte's written extensively on how Christian Nationalists are trying to defund public schools, public...

Here's this week's LoL Friday Short for this April 19, 2024 There's hope new legislation could be introduced in Lansing called The Working Parents Tax Credit. If passed, it could help around 250,000 Michigan kids in just one year.  Supporters say this tax credit would incentivize work, and reward working families, and recent polling shows widespread support for this proposal . However, as we saw w...

Here's Episode 82 of Michigan's premier progressive podcast! It's another week.  That means it's another episode of the Republican Crime Syndicate! Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel announced several charges against former Michigan Republican state House Speaker Lee Chatfield, and his wife, Stephanie, for operating a criminal enterprise! Just like Chatfield's hero, Dear Leader Trump, he will...

Here's this week's LoL "Friday Short" for this April 12, 2024. The Michigan Board of Education passed a resolution this week asking the Democratic majority in the state legislature to pass laws requiring more transparency and accountability when it comes to charter schools.  For years, charter schools haven't had to play by the same rules as public schools when it comes to accountability, even tho...

Here's Episode 81 of Michigan's premier progressive podcast! On this week's episode, Pat talks about "Florida" Mike Rogers' audacity to run for Michigan's open Senate seat this Fall even though he hasn't lived in this state for years (because he wanted to make lobbying cash), and he's registered to vote in both Florida and Michigan ! How can a guy, who didn't even know about the abortion rights pr...

Here's Episode 80 of Michigan's premier progressive podcast! This week, Pat takes the Michigan Republicans to task, and the handful of right-wing Michigan sheriffs, who stood on stage with Donald Trump this week in Grand Rapids. Trump showed-up in our state to exploit the death of Ruby Garcia, who was shot and killed by someone she knew. The alleged killer is an illegal immigrant, and that's all T...

Time for the LoL "Friday Short" on this March 29, 2024 Michigan Republican State Rep. Matt Maddock baselessly claimed on "X" that buses at Detroit Metro Airport were filled with "illegal invaders! " The only problem with such a claim? The people in those buses were members of the Gonzaga Men's Basketball Team, which is playing in the Sweet 16 of the men's college tournament in Detroit this weekend...

It's episode 79 of Michigan's premier progressive podcast with the award-winning Pat Johnston! Pat's guest this week is Lou Glazer from Michigan Future, Inc ., which is a nonprofit, and nonpartisan organization that focuses on helping Michigan succeed in a knowledge-based economy. And as Lou says, Michigan Future is also trying to make Michigan a more prosperous state. Michigan currently ranks 39t...

Here's this week's Left of Lansing "Friday Short." Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel's office argued in a federal appellate court that the fight to shut down the Line 5 oil pipeline belongs in a state court, and not in federal court.  Enbridge, which owns the pipeline, argues that due to U.S.-Canadian treaty from 1977 means the battle ought to remain in federal court.  But why isn't the Michig...

Welcome to Episode 78 of Michigan's Premier Progressive Podcast! Democratic State Representative, and House Majority Whip, Ranjeev Puri talks with Pat on a host of issues, including some key bills he helped pass the state legislature last year, such as gun safety, clean energy and climate bills, water filtration in schools and daycare centers, and more. They also talk about the importance of local...

Here's this week's LoL Friday Short! Members of the Michigan Republican "Freedom Caucus" in the State House introduced a resolution to censure House Speaker Joe Tate . Tate, who became the state's first Black House Speaker last year, stripped state Rep. Josh Shriver of his committee assignments and staff after he re-posted tweets pushing the white supremacist "Great Replacement Theory." These righ...

Here's Episode 77 of Michigan's premier progressive podcast! Vote on this week's Left of Lansing Online Poll via Twitter or X: Does Social Media help or hurt the political process? On this week's show, Pat talks about how Alabama Republican Senator Katie Britt's ridiculous and disturbing State of the Union response showed how the White Christian Nationalist movement dominates the Republican Party....

We've made it to another Friday, which means it's time for another LoL Friday Short! I continue my examination into the different aspects of White Christian Nationalism by concentrating on Alabama Republican Senator Katie Britt's response to President Joe Biden's strong State Of The Union address this week.  Britt's breathy, high-pitch delivery is known as the " fundie baby voice ," as explained b...

It's episode 76 of Michigan's premier progressive podcast! Lots of material in this week's episode, including Pat's examination of new Michigan GOP chair Pete Hoekstra's record as a former congressman, ambassador, Tea Party founder, Trump-backer, and lobbyist. Sure, Pete Hoekstra doesn't believe in demonic possession unlike his predecessor (at least, he hasn't publicly said he does) but there's no...

Here's this week's LoL Short on the how the GOP is all-in on a national abortion ban.  Thanks to Distill Social for providing a video clip when they spoke with MAGA supporters before a recent Trump rally in Waterford, MI.  Republicans try to minimize and hide their true intentions when it comes to abortion care. But as the Alabama Supreme Court ruling puts the future of IVF treatments in jeopardy...

Here's the 75th episode of Michigan's premier progressive podcast. We've covered the ways Michigan Democrats are protecting the state's environment, and building a cleaner and more affordable energy future for both our environment and economy. Democrats also repealed the "No stricter than federal" law , which Republicans passed in 2018 that prevented the state from enacting stronger environmental...

Here's this week's LoL Friday Short! Last week, the Christian Nationalist Alabama Supreme Court ruled that frozen embroys used in in vitro fertilization are "children." This is just another step in the attack on women's reproductive rights. It's just not a national abortion ban these extremists are pushing. They want a ban on contraception, IVF, and also a ban on recreational sex. They want to be...

Here's episode 74 of Michigan's premier progressive podcast! As we've seen in our state, elections have consequences, especially on the state and local state side! I talk about how within a year, Michigan Democrats passed some much-needed legislation to move the state forward in terms of women's reproductive rights, worker rights, union rights, setting-up a robust clean energy future, and protecti...

Here's this week's Left of Lansing "Friday Short."  Michigan Republican State Representative Josh Shriver was stripped of his committee assignments, and of his staff, after retweeting a racist tweet on the "Great Replacement Theory," which pervades the radical, right wing world.  Naturally, Shriver's got his online defenders, but also defenders within the Michigan Republican Party. But make no mis...

Here's Episode 73 of Michigan's Premier, Progressive Podcast! As we've covered on the show, Michigan Democrats passed a rather robust package of clean energy bills last year. Many of those laws will go into effect later this year, including the 100% clean energy standard by 2040, energy efficient programs, increases in the state's energy reduction program, and removing the power of local governmen...

Here's episode 72 of Michigan's Premier Progressive Podcast! In my opening segment this week, I talk about the appalling and Islamophobic Wall Street Journal column declaring Dearborn, MI as the "America's Jihad Capital." Islamophobia within the right wing world never left, and it's putting lives in danger. I then cover some of the many new laws scheduled to go into effect in the state on February...

Here's this week's LoL Friday Short. It's being reported this week that Michigan Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has raised nearly $4-million in campaign contributions in the last three months. That's despite House Republicans censuring her last Fall for her stance against Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip. And that's despite being hung-out to dry by some in her own party. But why does...