Left of Lansing

Welcome to Episode 61 of Michigan's Premier Progressive Politics! This week, I breakdown how the right wing Republican Party has always worked on behalf of the elite class to eliminate government assistance for working Americans. They've done it by whittling-down the New Deal and Great Society programs through the years, and they've done it using racist tropes, like the mythic "welfare queen."  Bu...

The Left of Lansing Friday Short this week celebrates a judge's ruling in which he dismissed a lawsuit over so-called "pornographic" books in Kent County's Rockford Public Schools District. A right-wing Christian Nationalist group wanted to ban 14 books, most of which dealt with LGBTQ+ stories. The judge ruled the books as a whole have literary value. It was a harsh defeat for those seeking to sil...

It's episode #60 of Michigan's premier progressive podcast! Michigan Democrats continue working on clean and affordable energy bills in the state legislature. They must get some of these bills passed before the November adjournment date, or else everything will get pushed back until next year. The main goals of these bills are to make Michigan caborn-free by 2035 or 2040, pushing for strong energy...

Listen to my inaugural Left of Lansing "Monday Musings!" I talk about how local Maga governments throughout Michigan are fighting against solar and wind farms in their areas. Democrats have proposed one solution to remedy this problem: put the state in control of large scale clean energy projects, which overrides a local government's powers.  Democrats want to put the power of allowing farmers and...

Here's the LoL Friday Short on this October 20th, of 2023 Democrats in the Michigan Legislature have introduced bills to abolish former Republican Gov. Rick Snyder's "Polluter Panels." Snyder and the MAGA majority back in 2018 created a panel filled with industry and commercial insiders with the main goal of slowing down or stopping any real, meaningful protections for the environment and every Mi...

It's the 59th episode of Michigan's Premier Progressive Podcast! My returning guest this week is Michigan Democratic State Rep. Dylan Wegela from the 26th House District. We talk about his plans to thwart the state's two main utility companies--DTE & Consumers Energy--from using dark money to influence Lansing, especially at a time when Michiganders want our lawmakers to hold them accountable....

The Left of Lansing "Friday Short" this week puts a spotlight on UAW President Shawn Fain's effective messaging campaign during the union's strike against the Big Three Detroit automakers.  Fain isn't allowing right wing forces, including the Republican Party or Donald Trump, to pit worker against worker, or the union against environmentalists.  He's clearly defining who the real opponent is in th...

Episode 58 of Michigan's Premier Podcast is posted! In my opening segment, I discuss the lunacy of Livingston County Republicans, and why some GOP state representatives voted against a bill delivering clean water to schools and day care centers. Seems like an odd strategy, but let's see how it'll work out for them! Plus, I talk about the need for Michigan Democrats to keep pressing for passage of...

My Friday Left of Lansing Short is on Democratic State Representative Dylan Wegela's efforts on stopping the dark money influence DTE and Consumers Energy utilizes in Lansing. Rep. Wegela outlined how he intends to do that by introducing a bill preventing DTE and Consumers Energy from using dark money PAC's, which will help ensure that our politicians put their constituents' concerns over the conc...

Here's episode 57 of Michigan's Premier Progressive Podcast! I tackle The Fall of Kevin McCarthy, and why House Democrats made the right move by refusing to give him a life line. McCarthy voted against certifying the 2020 election, he called for impeachment hearings into President Biden despite a lack of evidence, and he did the bidding of Donald Trump. So, so long, Kev! As 2024 nears, I have to a...

My Friday LOL Short this week deals with the uncomfortable subject of what will Democrats do if President Biden's poll numbers keep struggling in early 2024? As someone who believes the Biden Administration has exceeded my expectations, the facts are that Biden remains neck-and-neck with Trump in several polls.  Which is why I don't think it's wrong for Democrats to strategize a Plan B in case Bid...

It’s the 56th episode of Michigan’s Premier Progressive Podcast! I’ve been looking forward to this episode because I’ve wanted to talk with Michigan Advance reporter Jon King for quite awhile. Jon’s been busy covering MAGA right wing Millennial presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy speech at the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference, Mike Rogers’ steep chances at winning the Republican nomina...

This week's Left of Lansing Short deals with how Democratic State House Rep. Karen Whitsett from the 4th district in Detroit not only voted against the Reproductive Health Act in House Health Policy Committee this week, but she's signaling she's vote against the RHA when it comes to a vote on the House floor! And with Democrats holding a narrow lead in the House, that would very well defeat the bi...

Here's Episode 55 of Michigan's Premier Progressive Podcast! Paid Family and Medical Leave is one of the important policies Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer mentioned in her "What's Next" speech last month. If Michigan's Democratic majority in the legislature can pass State Sen. Erika Geiss's paid family and medical leave bills, Michigan would join 11 other states which have already p...

The Left of Lansing Short on this Friday September 15, 2023 deals with the UAW's request for a 32-hour work week for its members.  It's not that crazy of an idea, and the data shows that workers are happier and more productive when they work four days a week.  If that's the case, then why aren't we doing it! The UAW officially started its "Stand Up Strike" against the Big Three automakers late Thu...

It's episode 54 of Michigan's premier progressive podcast! It's a solo episode this week as I spend time taking the Michigan GOP to task for being absent on supporting the UAW (and unions, in general) in its fight for fair wages, pensions, and paid time-off against the Big Three automakers. Progressives always support unions. Michigan progressive lawmakers and activists support unions, but not one...

The "Friday Short" highlights the Reproductive Freedom Act, which Democratic State Rep. Laurie Pohutsky formally introduced this week. The RFA would reverse many hurtful abortion access restrictions put in place by Republicans through the years as they tried to enact their view of Christian Nationalism on the rest of the state.  Please, listen to this week's Left of Lansing episode with Ashlea Phe...

It's the 53rd installment of Michigan's premier progressive podcast! I start out mocking the right wing Michigan Republican Party for claiming to care about working Michiganders on this past Labor Day. Then, I talk about the latest from the nutty right wing Ottawa Impact faction, which is working to defund the Ottawa County health department all because it took steps to protect its citizens during...

It's the Friday Left of Lansing Short! I discuss my support to have Michigan join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact. This would allow states to award their electoral college votes to the presidential candidate who won the national majority vote. Right now, states allocate their electoral college votes to the candidate who won their state.  Democratic State Representative Carrie Rheingan...

Episode 52 of Michigan's premier progressive podcast is a little longer than normal, but well worth the listen! I take DTE Energy and Consumers Energy to task for failing to keep the lights on after storms rolled through the state. Despite keeping hundreds of thousands of customers in the dark, both energy companies are asking government officials to give the green light on more rate hikes! Perhap...

My Left of Lansing "Short" this Friday is about Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy's proposal to ban anyone under 25 from voting, unless they fulfil specific requirements, including passing a citizenship test.  Generation Z is not only a politically active voting bloc, especially in Michigan, but it's also a highly progressive voting bloc. Rather than fight for their vote based on t...

Here's another exciting and informative episode of Michigan's premier progressive podcast! The Christian Nationalism that has overtaken the Michigan Republican Party is trying to take control of the entire state. While Democrats have control of state government for the first time in 40 years, and progressive values have achieved some major victories, right wing Christian Nationalist are taking con...

The "Friday Short" puts a spotlight on Michigan Republican Congressman John Moolenaar's hypocrisy when it comes to the proposed Gotion electric battery plant in Big Rapids.  Moolenaar hopped-aboard the right wing xenophobia bandwagon since Gotion's parent company is from China . Yet, Moolenaar never once uttered a word of skepticism over other Chinese companies which set-up shop here in our state,...

Here it is! The 50th episode of Michigan's premier progressive podcast! I love that I've made it to 50 episodes, and I'd love to thank everyone who helped me get this little project off-the-ground. And, I'd love to thank you for listening, and to helping spread the word of this podcast.  In this episode, I put a spotlight on the extreme right-wing Christian Nationalist movement, which is spreading...

It's the 49th episode of Michigan's premier progressive podcast! I celebrate Ohio's decision to hand the state Republican party a humiliating defeat at the polls this week, when voters rejected the GOP's efforts to raise the threshold to pass a state referendum from 50-to-60%. Ohio Republicans were hoping to hurt the chances of enshrining abortion rights into Ohio's constitution in November. But t...