The Ballenger Report reminds you that the 2022 Almanac of American Politics, 50th Commemorative Edition, will be released this month (August, 2021) and can be purchased online at https://www.thealmanacofamericanpolitics.com/ or by calling 1-888-265-0600. Use the code “15AAP2022” for a 15% discount during check-out … The volume includes a brilliantly written chapter on Michigan’s history, and […]
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FOUR THINGS IN MICHIGAN POLITICS WE LEARNED THIS WEEK
Question 1): MIRS newsletter reports that Gov. Gretchen WHITMER has a massive campaign war-chest and Michigan government boasts a record-breaking amount of money that she and the Legislature can spend on “the people of Michigan.” Barring an unforeseen calamity occurring, does this give her an advantage that makes her just about as much of a […]
NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO HAS ITS CRITICS
National Public Radio complains about a media figure who tells people “what their opinions should be” and uses political “buzzwords” by Matt Taibbi TK NEWS July 21, 2021 Yesterday’s NPR article, “Outrage As A Business Model: How Ben Shapiro Is Using Facebook To Build An Empire,” is among the more unintentionally funny efforts at […]
THREE THINGS IN MICHIGAN POLITICS WE LEARNED THIS WEEK
Question 1): The Michigan Senate last week certified the Unlock Michigan initiative petition that expunges the 1945 so-called “Riot Act” that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer used last year to give herself authority to issue arbitrary executive orders locking down Michigan in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. The state House of Representatives will emulate the Senate […]
SIX THINGS WE LEARNED THIS WEEK
Q 1): The Lansing city council voted Monday to put on the Nov. 2 general election ballot the question of whether voters in the capital city want to implement what is called “rank choice voting” for all municipal offices. If approved, it would begin in 2023 and eliminate the non-partisan August primary, such as the […]
WHITMER MAY BE MICHIGAN’S WORST GOVERNOR EVER, BUT SHE’S STILL LIKELY TO BE RE-ELECTED
How bad a governor is Gretchen Whitmer? Let’s just say what everyone with a memory or knowledge of Michigan’s past already knows — she’s historically bad. In fact, she’s the worst Michigan governor since World War II, with the possible exception of Republican Kim Sigler, who served a single term before getting knocked off by […]
JUDGES RULE WHAT TV PUNDITS SAY ESSENTIALLY CAN’T BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY
A Court Ruled Rachel Maddow’s Viewers Know She Offers Exaggeration and Opinion, Not Facts “Maddow’s show is different than a typical news segment where anchors inform viewers about the daily news,” an Obama-appointed judge ruled. by Glenn Greenwald June 24, 2021 MSNBC‘s Rachel Maddow on her program that a court ruled is understood even by […]
MICHIGAN BUDGET & REDISTRICTING: ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS
A statutory July 1 deadline for the Legislature to present a FY 2021-22 budget to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is little more than a week away. Last year, this deadline had to be waived because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the fiscal uncertainty it fomented. Now, however, Michigan’s budgetary wallet is bursting at the seams with […]
INTERNET CENSORSHIP STIFLES DEBATE ABOUT PUBLIC HEALTH
Why Has “Ivermectin” Become a Dirty Word? At the worst moment, Internet censorship has driven scientific debate itself underground by Matt Taibbi TR NEWS June 19, 2021 On December 8, 2020, when most of America was consumed with what The Guardian called Donald Trump’s “desperate, mendacious, frenzied and sometimes farcical” attempt to remain president, the […]
HIGH COURT TORPEDOES WHITMER’S ‘RIOT ACT’
Michigan Supreme Court: Send Unlock Michigan proposal to Legislature by Craig Mauger The Detroit News June 11, 2021 Lansing — The Michigan Supreme Court ruled Friday that the Board of State of Canvassers must certify Unlock Michigan’s petition signatures and advance the proposal to the state Legislature. The court’s ruling will likely allow the GOP-controlled […]