Little question that the epithet “dark money” is a pejorative to describe “hidden” financial support, usually in large quantities, for political causes and/or candidates. But why is “dark money” almost always applied to conservative or pro-business or Republican entities? How do most outlets in the mainstream news media (MSM) and the political “reform” industry handle […]
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“BIBLE OF AMERICAN POLITICS” NOW ON SALE AT DISCOUNT
Just a quick note to let everyone know that copies of the Almanac of American Politics 2020 are now officially back from the printer! You can get a 10% discount on your order by ordering at https://www.thealmanacofamericanpolitics.com/ and using the discount code LOUISANDFRIENDS. THE BALLENGER REPORT has no skin in the game on this offer, just […]
PUBLIC COMMENT: BENSON SKIMPS ON DIVERSITY IN HER APPLICATION FORM FOR NEW REDISTRICTING COMMISSION
It appears the late conservative icon William F. Buckley is about to get validation, from an unexpected source, of one of his most famous “bon mots.” Buckley said he’d rather be governed by people picked at random from the Boston telephone book than by the Harvard University faculty. There is good reason to believe Michigan’s […]
WHITMER MIDDLE-OF-THE-PACK IN RANKINGS OF U.S. FRESHMEN GOVERNORS
Michigan’s rookie Democratic Governor, Gretchen Whitmer, is rated in the “surviving” category with seven other just-elected governors, according to Lou Jacobson, writing in GOVERNING magazine. Jacobson writes about Whitmer as well as the history of Michigan politics and government in the about-to-be-released 2020 edition of the Almanac of American Politics. The Almanac has long been […]
DETROIT NEWS: Patterson a Racist? Not Even Close, says Ballenger
Brooks Patterson, longtime Oakland County executive, dies at 80 Mike Martindale, The Detroit News Aug. 3, 2019 Lewis Brooks Patterson, a polarizing figure who dominated Oakland County politics and government in a career that spanned nearly half a century, died Saturday after battling pancreatic cancer for several months. The long-time Oakland County executive was 80. Patterson, in […]
MICHIGAN TALK RADIO: The Political Insider #59 — Interviews with state Rep. James Lower (R-Eureka Twp), former WSU Governor Diane Dunaskiss, and GOP fundraiser Steve Linder
DETROIT NEWS: Ballenger Says Amash is a Lone Wolf with No Following
Amash leaves the Republican Party, saying politics is ‘trapped in a partisan death spiral’ Melissa Nann Burke, The Detroit News July 4, 2019 U.S. Rep. Justin Amash, R-Cascade Township, holds a town hall meeting at Grand Rapids Christian High School’s DeVos Center for Arts and Worship on Tuesday, May 28, 2019. The congressman came under […]
WASHINGTON POST: Progressives Should Be Glad They Lost the Supreme Court Gerrymandering Case
By Charles Lane The Washington Post/MLive Flint Journal July 1, 2019 A great puzzle of the past couple of years’ worth of political and constitutional debate has been that so many people, mostly progressives, have continued to insist on federal-court supervision of partisan gerrymandering long after it became clear that the ultimate arbiter would be […]
POLITICO: How Trump Turned Liberal Comedians Conservative
By JOANNA WEISS POLITICO June 15, 2019 Joanna Weiss is a writer in Boston and the editor of Experience magazine. Once, wry satire ruled. Today, it’s all about outrage, and punching up. President Donald Trump likes to think of himself as a statesman, an author, an A-level negotiator, but at heart, he’s one thing: an […]
DETROIT NEWS: James’s Prospects for Success in 2020 Tied to Trump, Ballenger Says
by Melissa Nann Burke, The Detroit News June 6, 2019 Republican businessman John James at a U.S. Senate campaign rally in Michigan in 2018. (Photo: Dale G. Young, The Detroit News) Michigan military veteran and businessman John James is hoping the second time’s a charm in a run for U.S. Senate, this time challenging Democratic Sen. Gary Peters […]