Also don’t forget you can watch Thom on Free Speech TV as well. Ed Schultz – You can get Ed’s lineup later today by going to www.bigeddieradio.com. Also remember if you missed his MSNBC shows, you can watch them online here. 

Here’s a clip on the delay of the Virginia ultrasound bill.

Reading

The transvaginal ultrasound that I had when pregnant with my daughter did not cause me violent, bodily harm. It did not put me in fear for my life. It did not cause me to have to still sleep [...]]]>

Today in talk

• Tony Trupiano just had Steve Losey on the show. Steve is the guy running for Paul Scott’s now vacant (huzzah!) seat. You can live stream Tony’s show, connect with him on the First Shift Facebook page, and pick up the podcasts from his show here. Do visit him on Facebook, even if you just want to say hi; he loves hearing from listeners.
• Stephanie Miller – Hal Sparks is in for all 3 hours for Humpdays with Hal. Looks like it’s an open show today with all kinds of Presidential Primary talk. You can stream Steph live from ustream. Her show follows Tony’s on 1310, so you can stream it the same way you stream Tony.  We have some links to the Sexy Liberal Show and some Hal Sparks stand-up .. if you are looking for some lols to get you through the day, these are great!
• Thom Hartmann – Hour 2 Thom will be talking about eminent domain. You can watch Thom on livestream from noon – 3pm EST. It’s replayed 24/7 so now if you miss a radio show you can catch it there.

  Also don’t forget you can watch Thom on Free Speech TV as well.

• Ed Schultz – You can get Ed’s lineup later today by going to www.bigeddieradio.com. Also remember if you missed his MSNBC shows, you can watch them online here. 

  Here’s a clip on the delay of the Virginia ultrasound bill.

• The War Room with Jennifer Granholm is on Current at 9pm.
• I’m leaving this link in the daily briefings until I put something up in our sidebars. Did you know you could catch Ring of Fire and other great progressive content on You Tube? Well I suppose you probably did, but here’s a link anyway. Go Left TV.

Reading

• I have to start with this giant idiot. Seriously, a contender for Dumbass of the Year.

  The transvaginal ultrasound that I had when pregnant with my daughter did not cause me violent, bodily harm. It did not put me in fear for my life. It did not cause me to have to still sleep with a light on. The rape did, even to this day — twenty years later. It did not make me have to constantly plan my shopping trips to avoid the dark or suffer the fear and heart racing caused by walking alone through a dark parking lot. To this day. It did not make me introverted and fearful in social situations, convinced that everyone was staring at me. Hello, mad hair twirling!

  …

  Rape is not about penetration and only those who would diminish rape and re-victimize those who have been raped would think so. It’s about dominance and fear and power and assault and the evil that lurks in the minds of some alleged men.

  And all of this proves that the left-wing is demagoguing rape.

  OMG you sick, twisted, right-wing crackpot.

• Our right-wing corporate masters in Lansing have never met a court-mandated smack-down that they weren’t willing to write a law to get around. First it’s the Oakland County redistricting, now it’s the UM GSRAs that they want to prevent from joining a union.

  A state Senate committee passed a bill Tuesday that would prevent graduate student research assistants from unionizing, just hours after the University of Michigan Board of Regents voted to oppose the bill.

  …

  A group of GSRAs, led by members of the Graduate Employees Union, are trying to overturn a 1981 ruling by the Michigan Employment Relations Commission that says GSRAs are students.

  The UM Regents oppose the bill.

• And finally, Michigan lawmakers worry about Mitt Romney.

  Concern among Romney’s Capitol Hill backers hasn’t yet risen to the level of all-out panic. Romney is still the favorite to win in a state he captured four years ago, his backers insist. But there exists a worry that a narrow Romney win in his native state would only raise concerns about his viability in the 2012 contest.

  The problem, the members said, is simple: Romney has failed to stir the passions of the Republican faithful.

  To which our friend Republican Michigander responds,

  Wrong. It’s not about passion. They make it sound like Romney can give a homerun speech and all will be well. No. That insults the intelligence of non-Mitt supporters. The problem is trust. The problem is that a lot of people do not trust Mitt Romney and do not believe what he says. That is the problem with flip-flopping too many times, especially right before you decide to run for president. ACTIONS count.

Census Daily

Profile America — Wednesday, February 22nd. One of the first chain stores in the U.S. opened its doors on this date in 1879 in Utica, New York. For generations of Americans, Woolworth’s was known simply as the “five and dime.” Inside were wooden floors and display tables stacked with items that sold for up to a dime. Equally famous was the store’s lunch counter, featuring malted milk shakes. The distinctive red and gold signs were taken down in 1997. Woolworth’s was no longer able to compete with the growing number of discount stores, shopping malls, and food courts. Today, Americans have a choice of more than 1.1 million places to shop. Each person in the U.S. spends an average of nearly $12,000 in these stores annually. Profile America is in its 15th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Enjoy your day.

KALAMAZOO — The 6th District Democratic Party will continue to look for a candidate to run against Congressman Fred Upton in November.

“I wouldn’t call it a set back, in the sense that we had other people who were interested and may come forward now,” said Mark Miller, chair of the party.

Today, John Waltz, who announced we would run against Upton in August, issued a release that he would not continue to run because of a life-threatening illness.

Miller said he was absolutely caught off guard when Waltz’s wife called him today with the news. Miller said he sent out an e-mail to the county democrats this afternoon asking them to pray for Waltz and his family.

Miller said there were four potential candidates late last summer that were interested in running against Upton. There will be a party meeting on March 3 where members will evaluate the situation and take suggestions on where to go. The party will talk to those four people and anyone new who might run.

Miller would not say who those four people are.

The 6th District Democrats have not made an endorsement in the race. No other Democrat has declared candidacy.

With Jack Hoogendyk running against Upton in the Republican primary, there are “interesting possibilities” to what it could do the general election, Miller said.

Not a whole lot to add, other than you never expect things like this when you agree to run as District Chair!

That’s what the CEO of AutoNation, Inc., the largest auto-dealer group in the U.S., said about Mitt Romney’s dangerous opposition to the auto rescue that was famously headlined  “Let Detroit Go Bankrupt.” And he’s right: If Romney had had his way, GM wouldn’t be posting its highest profit ever and thousands of Michiganders would be out of work.

Even more troubling, Mitt Romney is still trying to blame President Obama while taking credit for the auto rescue. Shame? Romney has none. Let’s make sure that Romney and every other political candidate gets the message from Michigan: the auto rescue worked and anyone who says otherwise is just plain wrong.

Even as he doubles down on these outlandish claims, conservative writers are calling him out on it – one writes that Romney’s stance on the auto rescue embraces a “conservatism that prefers ideology to reality.” Another says that Romney’s new twist on the same theme – that the auto rescue was “crony capitalism,” a giveaway to “union bosses” – goes too far.

Mitt Romney was willing to let Michigan go bankrupt. But it’s Romney’s reckless ideas about the auto industry and its recovery that should go bankrupt. That’s why we want everyone to send as strong a message as possible: Let Romney Go Bankrupt!

P.S. Support our campaign and send a strong message by making sure you get a Let Romney Go Bankrupt sticker while supplies last.

Thom asks why Republicans are choosing the Norquist tax pledge they signed over the oath they took to uphold the constitution. Also discussed: the ever increasing power and influence of Wall Street, the war against the Keystone pipeline and Thom’s “Daily Take” on why America’s far behind the rest of the world when it comes to telecommunications.

Reading

From Crain’s – Commentary: Why Mitt Romney’s auto bailout position doesn’t play in Michigan:

And while the UAW, Michigan’s Republic Gov. Rick Snyder [...]]]>

Today in talk

• Tony Trupiano has Chris Michalakis, Occupy Detroit, and Cindy Estrada. You can live stream Tony’s show, connect with him on the First Shift Facebook page, and pick up the podcasts from his show here. Do visit him on Facebook, even if you just want to say hi; he loves hearing from listeners.
• Stephanie Miller – Charlie Pierce and David Shuster will be on this morning. You can stream Steph live from ustream. Her show follows Tony’s on 1310, so you can stream it the same way you stream Tony.  We have some links to the Sexy Liberal Show and some Hal Sparks stand-up .. if you are looking for some lols to get you through the day, these are great!  I bought Halcatraz over the weekend and rofl’d all the way through it.
• Thom Hartmann – Hour 2 Thom discusses if the Tea Party is still relevant. Guest is Mark Williams from Mark Talk. Also don’t forget you can watch Thom on Free Speech TV as well. Here’s a full episode of Thom’s “The Big Picture”:

  Thom asks why Republicans are choosing the Norquist tax pledge they signed over the oath they took to uphold the constitution. Also discussed: the ever increasing power and influence of Wall Street, the war against the Keystone pipeline and Thom’s “Daily Take” on why America’s far behind the rest of the world when it comes to telecommunications.

• Ed Schultz – You can get Ed’s lineup later today by going to www.bigeddieradio.com. Also remember if you missed his MSNBC shows, you can watch them online here.  Here’s a clip from last night:

• The War Room with Jennifer Granholm is on Current at 9pm.
• I’m leaving this link in the daily briefings until I put something up in our sidebars. Did you know you could catch Ring of Fire and other great progressive content on You Tube? Well I suppose you probably did, but here’s a link anyway. Go Left TV.

Reading

• From Crain’s – Commentary: Why Mitt Romney’s auto bailout position doesn’t play in Michigan:

  And while the UAW, Michigan’s Republic Gov. Rick Snyder and many others in the media are rightfully exposing Romney’s failed logic, the most credible opinion is that of Steven Rattner, the former Obama administration car czar who actually executed the bailouts.

  Here’s what he told Bloomberg this week about Romney’s position:

  “If the advice that he (Romney) had prescribed in November of 2008 had been followed by either the Bush administration or the Obama administration, we would have today no auto industry, no Detroit, no state of Michigan — no exaggeration.”

• Laughable. On all levels. MI Attorney General Bill Schuette: Mitt Romney is the Jobs Candidate:

  “Here’s the key: Michigan’s a state that is hungry for jobs. And this is going to be a jobs campaign and Mitt is the jobs candidate. And whatever your, the hot button might be, whether its taxes, to build jobs, well, press the Mitt Romney button. He’s cut them 19 times. If you’re for right to work then Mitt Romney is your candidate and that is a cutting issue here in Michigan in terms of the Tea Party conservatives, economic conservatives and Mitt presses their hot button because of his stance for it.” – Attorney General Bill Schuette

  An absolute 10 on the pukability scale.

• And here is Carl Levin on that same pesky Romney – auto industry issue:

  I think the 330,000 auto jobs lost during the auto crisis and the huge wage and benefit concessions that workers contributed to the restructuring were sacrifice enough from American autoworkers. The idea that workers should have suffered even greater pain so that bond speculators could make more money is offensive to me, and I believe it is offensive to most Michiganders.

• Ugh. Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine switches support from Mitt Romney to Rick Santorum .

  “Dog on car? Man on dog? Dog on car? Man on dog? Oh heck I’ll just take the one on the right.”

• Michigan governor accused of disenfranchising Detroit, other majority Black cities in the state –

  “It was the law in the United States that Africans were three-fifths of a person, that we could not vote, could not own property,” said Detroit City Councilwoman JoAnn Watson during a public hearing Dec. 1, the day Gov. Snyder announced the first step in the takeover process, a 30-day “initial review.”

  “It was against the law for us to escape from slavery, but it was the unpaid slavery of Africans on which this country was built,” Ms. Watson declared. “We have the right to self-determination and freedom, the right to control our own destiny. No way in heaven are we going to let somebody come in from Lansing and take our city.”

• Tim Skubick says, Enough of the auto bail-out already! Romney and Santorum need to change their message:

  Yet both Mr. Romney and main challenger Rick Santorum revisit the thing ad nauseam. On “Off the Record” the other day, Mr. Santorum regurgitated for the umpteenth time that he was against all bail-outs for both Wall Street and the autos.

  Who gives a hoot?

  The fact is, GM is enjoying record profits, Chrysler is hiring more workers and their near-death experience is over. Turn the page already.

  Well the problem there is two-fold:

  1. Their crazy base believes that the worst is yet to come. They have whiteboards and dry erase markers to prove it. Romney and Santorum have to reassure their base that they would never, ever, save another private industry. (Except maybe things like insurance and financial, which aren’t union)
  2. As Tim later points out, President Obama will be taking credit for saving the auto-industry. Thankyouverymuch.

Census Daily

Profile America — Tuesday, February 21st. We live in an age concerned about security. Many homes display signs warning that they are protected by a certain brand of security system, and television ads extol the benefits of competing brands. The first burglar alarm was patented in Massachusetts in 1853. It featured a battery-powered bell on each window and door to be protected. The patent rights were purchased five years later by Edwin Holmes, who made the first installations. By 1872, he was installing systems in New York City that connected locations to a central office. Today, installing and monitoring security systems is a $16 billion a year business in the U.S. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, online at www.census.gov.

Enjoy your day.

Senator Whitmer

Luckily, Democrats have a plan that is about the kids.  Senate Majority Leader Gretchen Whitmer is offering students motivation to succeed in school.  Whitmer’s Michigan 2020 plan would send every Michigan kid to college using tax money from closed business loopholes.  Should it be passed into law, this plan would revolutionize education in Michigan.  Two things separate the Democrat’s plan from the Republican’s plan.  First, it really is about the kids.  Second, the plan follows a proven model.  Finland has one of the best, if not the best, public education systems in the world.  Part of the reason for their success is that they offer college for free.  In America, too many students know early on they won’t have the resources they need to attend college, and therefore many of the scholastic challenges they face don’t seem worth the effort.  The Michigan 2020 plan could change that mindset, and that could lead to huge improvements in school performance.  A scholastic magazine article lists another reason that Finland’s system is so good.  In their culture teachers are given the same respect as doctors.  We already know Republicans are against respect for teachers, it would be a good bet that they will also be against closing tax loopholes in order to send kids to college.  In fact, I have yet to see any Republican policy that puts kids ahead of adults.  The reasons are clear.  Kids don’t vote, kids don’t contribute to campaigns,  and most importantly, kids aren’t wealthy business owners.   Note: Almost all Finland’s teachers are unionized in case you wondered. (from www.michiganpopulist.org)

Here’s the rub: they need funding. This indy film in many ways embodies the vibe of “Occupy”. It’s being made entirely on a shoestring with lots of people volunteering their time to make it happen. But even shoestrings cost money. They need funds for props and for promotion and for food, gas, and supplies and so much more. The only need to raise $36,000. And that’s where YOU come in. The have less than ten weeks to do it. That aggressive time frame ensures the movie will be released in time for the election.

Here’s a brief synopsis of this movie:

The Saga of Larry Tunner follows the classic hero tale, with a few exceptions. Instead of discovering a flaming sword our warrior discovers a huge check, and rather than questing against a great dragon that has plundered the countryside, our champion and his merry band struggle against an unchecked corporate power that has corrupted our daily existence.

Homeless drunkard has-been Larry Tunner has had a rough couple of years since the plant closed, but his luck is about to change! Along with some of his trusty friends, including an unemployed professor, a liquor store clerk, and a bag lady, Larry is about to turn the American political establishment upside down.

After hitting the jackpot and realizing that he really can do anything, Larry decides to run for President, giving voice to the real concerns of America’s ninety-nine percent. Unpolished, charismatic, and full of heart, Larry is on a mission to save America, or die trying.

Here is the video from their fundraising page with Andrew and Jeff explaining what they are hoping to do and why they need your help:

I have had a look at the script and it’s dynamite. Not only that, I [...]]]>

“If corporations are people, they are the vampires of our age” – Larry Tunner
Larry Tomlinson is a movie-maker out of Ypsilanti. Together with with Jeff Morgan, he is preparing to make an Occupy-themed movie called The Saga of Larry Tunner that could very well help to shape the conversation leading up to our election in November 2012.

Here’s the rub: they need funding. This indy film in many ways embodies the vibe of “Occupy”. It’s being made entirely on a shoestring with lots of people volunteering their time to make it happen. But even shoestrings cost money. They need funds for props and for promotion and for food, gas, and supplies and so much more. The only need to raise $36,000. And that’s where YOU come in. The have less than ten weeks to do it. That aggressive time frame ensures the movie will be released in time for the election.

Here’s a brief synopsis of this movie:

The Saga of Larry Tunner follows the classic hero tale, with a few exceptions. Instead of discovering a flaming sword our warrior discovers a huge check, and rather than questing against a great dragon that has plundered the countryside, our champion and his merry band struggle against an unchecked corporate power that has corrupted our daily existence.

Homeless drunkard has-been Larry Tunner has had a rough couple of years since the plant closed, but his luck is about to change! Along with some of his trusty friends, including an unemployed professor, a liquor store clerk, and a bag lady, Larry is about to turn the American political establishment upside down.

After hitting the jackpot and realizing that he really can do anything, Larry decides to run for President, giving voice to the real concerns of America’s ninety-nine percent. Unpolished, charismatic, and full of heart, Larry is on a mission to save America, or die trying.

Here is the video from their fundraising page with Andrew and Jeff explaining what they are hoping to do and why they need your help:

I have had a look at the script and it’s dynamite. Not only that, I spent time with Andrew and Jeff and had the privilege of watching a scene being filmed during this past weekend’s “Occupalooza” event in Traverse City. The actor the portrays Larry Tunner, Gary Brunner, is outstanding – a complete natural for the part.

But, as I have said, they need your help. Whether it’s a few wealthy benefactors or a whole lot of small contributions, they need to raise a fairly small amount over the next couple of weeks. Won’t you contribute a little bit of something (or, heck, why not a LOT of bit of something?!) to this very worthy effort?

They will be releasing promotional videos over the next few weeks, most shot in Detroit. Here are the first two.

Cross-posted from Eclectablog.

The most intriguing race for me out of these three is the 51st district. This includes Grand Blanc, Fenton, Linden, etc. The seat was held by Paul Scott until he was recalled in November. Democrat Steve Losey, Republican Joe Graves, and Green Cary Neuville-Justice, are all on the ballot for February 28. The winner will hold this seat until the November election this year.

The there are a few factors here that make this race interesting:

First of all let’s take a look at the district once the changes kick in –

In short, the 51st will drop Grand Blanc and Mundy Township, and then picks up the townships of Rose, Groveland, and Holly. This makes the district more Republican after the August primary. However, Democrats do better in Presidential years, and a strong GOTV effort in these areas can turn this seat blue in November. I’m inclined to think that the seat will go Republican in the special election, only because Graves seems to be getting more press. I haven’t seen any numbers or polling in this district, so maybe my analysis is off here.

It’s interesting that this race will come down to the MEA union representative vs the MI Chamber of Commerce endorsed Republican, who is apparently trying to stay true to his party while not following Scott down the road to recall. This has the feel of a recall rematch. It’s also interesting that there is a Green in the race. I can’t decide if she’ll have a negative effect on Losey next week. On the one hand, Greens get votes that would presumably go to the Democrats. On the other hand, [...]]]>

This is the second post in the ‘red to blue’ series that I started here. I’ll be talking about these house races tomorrow morning on First Shift.

The most intriguing race for me out of these three is the 51st district. This includes Grand Blanc, Fenton, Linden, etc. The seat was held by Paul Scott until he was recalled in November. Democrat Steve Losey, Republican Joe Graves, and Green Cary Neuville-Justice, are all on the ballot for February 28. The winner will hold this seat until the November election this year.

The there are a few factors here that make this race interesting:

• The impact that the Green Party candidate will have on the ballot
• Steve Losey is an MEA union rep
• The Feb 28th election should have higher GOP GOTV due to crazy GOP primary
• The 51st district changes in August, enough to make it lean more Republican

First of all let’s take a look at the district once the changes kick in –

In short, the 51st will drop Grand Blanc and Mundy Township, and then picks up the townships of Rose, Groveland, and Holly. This makes the district more Republican after the August primary. However, Democrats do better in Presidential years, and a strong GOTV effort in these areas can turn this seat blue in November. I’m inclined to think that the seat will go Republican in the special election, only because Graves seems to be getting more press. I haven’t seen any numbers or polling in this district, so maybe my analysis is off here.

It’s interesting that this race will come down to the MEA union representative vs the MI Chamber of Commerce endorsed Republican, who is apparently trying to stay true to his party while not following Scott down the road to recall. This has the feel of a recall rematch. It’s also interesting that there is a Green in the race. I can’t decide if she’ll have a negative effect on Losey next week. On the one hand, Greens get votes that would presumably go to the Democrats. On the other hand, it’s a special election and Green turnout should have been almost non-existent anyway. So this particular seat is a fun exercise to work through.

Next up we have the 78th. This area includes Berrien Township, Niles, Niles Twp., Three Oakes, New Buffalo, etc. The district changes this year to pick up Milton and Odus Township, and it drops Dowagiac.

The district is currently represented by Sharon Tyler, who kicked ass in 2010 (by about 2:1) when no one showed up to vote, but only won by about 1600 in 2008. The district leans slightly more Republican with Dowagiac out of the picture, but is still competitive for Democrats. A strong ground game here will win the race. Not by much, but enough for us to take the seat.

So far I am not aware of any Democratic candidates running for this seat. Someone please let me know if there are any candidates out there.

The 79th district is the last one for this post. This district covers Benton Harbor and Benton Township, but also includes the areas of Coloma, St Joseph, Lincoln Twp, and a few other heavily GOP areas.

On paper this district looks safe for the GOP but additional analysis is in order here. The Benton Harbor population has always been heavily Democratic and the Emergency Manager situation will most likely help us this fall. President Obama won this district in 2008 and will likely win again this time around. If he carries the down-ticket races then this seat is competitive for us.

The seat is held by Al Pscholka, one of the architects of the Emergency Manager law.

I am not aware of any Democratic candidates running for this seat. Please let me know if you have any info on candidates.

But that’s exactly what he has done.

Trevor Thomas, who is seeking the Democratic nomination to run against Amash responded quickly and vigorously.

“With so many folks in Michigan hurting right now and receiving unemployment, Congressman Amash voted to raise taxes on the working class and cut unemployment for those thrown out of work and I believe that’s wrong,” said Thomas. “The people of West Michigan are worried about their next pay check, not who is going to be the next Ron Paul. People cannot afford losing $40 out of their paychecks. I believe we need to put party aside and I fully support the legislation now moving to the President’s desk that will help our families here at home.“

Maybe we should all ask Justin Amash exactly how he can justify massive tax breaks for the super rich but not for the tens of millions of middle class Americans for whom these tax cuts make a noticeable impact on their household budgets. Turns out, you’ll have the chance to do that in a couple of weeks when the Tea Party of West Michigan (“Influence policy, effect [sic] elections, protect the Constitution”) sponsors a fireside chat, complete with no actual fireplace, with Amash:

Time: March 3, 2012 from 12:30pm to 2pm Location: Western Michigan University Street: 2333 E. Beltline Ave SE City/Town: Grand Rapids, MI 49546 Event Type: fireside, chat Organized By: Tina Dupont and Anne Foote

Different location and we may not have an actual fireplace this time but that’s ok we’re sticking with the name. Come one come all, even if you’re not in his district. It starts out as an interview and ends with audience questions. If you’ve never heard him speak before you should come out as it is quite an education about how things work in DC. You’ll probably never find a more open transparent or constitutional member of congress!

To reserve your tickets [...]]]>

I don’t know exactly how a tea party politician like Congressman Justin Amash does it exactly, but somehow this guy can justify supporting extending the budget-busting Bush tax cuts but not the middle class tax cuts.

But that’s exactly what he has done.

Trevor Thomas, who is seeking the Democratic nomination to run against Amash responded quickly and vigorously.

“With so many folks in Michigan hurting right now and receiving unemployment, Congressman Amash voted to raise taxes on the working class and cut unemployment for those thrown out of work and I believe that’s wrong,” said Thomas. “The people of West Michigan are worried about their next pay check, not who is going to be the next Ron Paul. People cannot afford losing $40 out of their paychecks. I believe we need to put party aside and I fully support the legislation now moving to the President’s desk that will help our families here at home.“

Maybe we should all ask Justin Amash exactly how he can justify massive tax breaks for the super rich but not for the tens of millions of middle class Americans for whom these tax cuts make a noticeable impact on their household budgets. Turns out, you’ll have the chance to do that in a couple of weeks when the Tea Party of West Michigan (“Influence policy, effect [sic] elections, protect the Constitution”) sponsors a fireside chat, complete with no actual fireplace, with Amash:

Time: March 3, 2012 from 12:30pm to 2pm
Location: Western Michigan University
Street: 2333 E. Beltline Ave SE
City/Town: Grand Rapids, MI 49546
Event Type: fireside, chat
Organized By: Tina Dupont and Anne Foote

Different location and we may not have an actual fireplace this time but that’s ok we’re sticking with the name. Come one come all, even if you’re not in his district. It starts out as an interview and ends with audience questions. If you’ve never heard him speak before you should come out as it is quite an education about how things work in DC. You’ll probably never find a more open transparent or constitutional member of congress!

To reserve your tickets please go to this link: Tickets Here

There will be a fee of $5 per seat just to cover the room and if we get anything extra we might be able to bring in some snacks.

Soooooo, if you could RSVP right away that would be most excellent.

Wouldn’t it be a fun evening if a whole bunch of folks from around Michigan (note that you don’t need to be from the 3rd District, according to the invitation) showed up and asked Amash some hard questions about why he supports tax cuts for very, very, very wealthy people but not for average Americans, particularly at a time when our economy is struggling to get back on the rails? I think that could be really interesting. Hmmmm…

You can find out information on how to support Trevor Thomas at his website Trevor for Congress.

Cross-posted from Eclectablog.

What does Santorum surge mean for Republican war rooms? New polls show GOP candidate Rick Santorum surging nationally, inching ahead of Mitt Romney in some cases. How does Santorum’s recent success change the Republican strategists’ playbooks? Democratic strategist Donnie Fowler and San Francisco Young Republicans Chair Matthew Del Carlo predict what will happen in these GOP war rooms in the days ahead.

On Wednesday Michigan House Republicans got into the act when they took a break from not creating jobs and attacking unions by passing House Resolution 185 that memorializes Congress to enact the “Respect for Rights of Conscience Act of 2011″ and urges President Obama to reverse the federal regulation, saying it “violates religious liberties and forces almost every private health plan in the country to include coverage for services that are contrary to the religious beliefs and practices of certain faiths.”

Despite the fact that Catholic hospitals and universities and a wide range of Catholic, evangelical and mainline religious leaders support the President’s policy and they already provide birth control to their employees, the President reached an accommodation last week that both religious leaders and health care professionals accepted; mandating that no religious organization will be required to pay for, refer for, or even have any involvement in covering contraception for the women they hire. Instead, the insurance companies will reach out to the employees who want birth control.

This is such a fake issue, but Republicans have nothing else to run on. No one is forcing any woman – Catholic or otherwise – to take a birth control pill. Given that nearly 99 percent of women have relied on contraception in their lives and religious institutions are happy with Obama’s compromise, is it any surprise that it would be so popular?

All churches and houses of worship are, and have always been, exempt from covering contraception under the Affordable Care Act. Republicans know that, and this is just one more fake war on religion and an attack on women’s health.

According to subscription only MIRS, during the debate on the House floor Rep. Dian Slavens, D-Canton Township, said all women should have access to contraception and have it no matter where they work. She said [...]]]>

Republicans are so desperate to find an election issue to get their bases excited about their poor Presidential field that they have made up another phony war on religion based on President Obama’s decision to require employers to make birth control available to workers with no co-pay.

On Wednesday Michigan House Republicans got into the act when they took a break from not creating jobs and attacking unions by passing House Resolution 185 that memorializes Congress to enact the “Respect for Rights of Conscience Act of 2011″ and urges President Obama to reverse the federal regulation, saying it “violates religious liberties and forces almost every private health plan in the country to include coverage for services that are contrary to the religious beliefs and practices of certain faiths.”

Despite the fact that Catholic hospitals and universities and a wide range of Catholic, evangelical and mainline religious leaders support the President’s policy and they already provide birth control to their employees, the President reached an accommodation last week that both religious leaders and health care professionals accepted; mandating that no religious organization will be required to pay for, refer for, or even have any involvement in covering contraception for the women they hire. Instead, the insurance companies will reach out to the employees who want birth control.

This is such a fake issue, but Republicans have nothing else to run on. No one is forcing any woman – Catholic or otherwise – to take a birth control pill. Given that nearly 99 percent of women have relied on contraception in their lives and religious institutions are happy with Obama’s compromise, is it any surprise that it would be so popular?

All churches and houses of worship are, and have always been, exempt from covering contraception under the Affordable Care Act. Republicans know that, and this is just one more fake war on religion and an attack on women’s health.

According to subscription only MIRS, during the debate on the House floor Rep. Dian Slavens, D-Canton Township, said all women should have access to contraception and have it no matter where they work. She said birth control is fundamental to improving a woman’s health and their family’s health. It helps prevents unintended pregnancies and reduces the number of abortions. But not all birth control is taken for family planning. It is also prescribed for medical conditions like irregular or absent menstrual periods, menstrual cramps, acne, PMS, endometriosis and for Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

What the Republicans are trying do in Washington is kill health care reform, and their actions undermine any claim by Republicans that they care about women or religion. Frustrated by Obama’s policy that maintains religious liberty and affordable access to birth control, Washington Republicans now want to further empower corporations at the expense of working men and women.

What the misnamed “Respect for Rights of Conscience Act of 2011” that Michigan House Republicans are pushing does is further empower corporations to short-change working people. It allows any corporation to deny any health service — whether it’s birth control, cancer tests, or any other care — to anyone who works for them. To add insult to injury, they have the gall to claim that faith is the reason. That’s an ideological agenda that undermines the values and priorities of every major religious group in America that has fought for decades to expand access to health care