What do you need to do to be a successful candidate in raising money? What does an Ingham County Commissioner do? LANSING—The Friday Morning Podcast, a podcast hosted on Bill Ballenger’s website, www.theballengerreport.com and produced by Dennis Denno, today uploaded the latest podcast with Rebecca Bahar-Cook, the CEO of Capital Fundraising Associates. Bahar-Cook […]
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Another Bill Ballenger? Yes! In Fact, Four …
… starting in 1833, when the first William Sylvester Ballenger was born in Wayne County, Indiana, just west of Richmond. His son, my grandfather, was born Dec. 5, 1866, the year after the Civil War ended. This WSB arrived in Flint, Michigan, in 1888 as a stenographer/bookkeeper for the old Flint Wagon Works (a buggy […]
Was Last Year the Apex of Republican Power in Michigan?
It appears so, but we’ll have to wait till the Nov. 8 general election to find out for sure. For now, however, it’s easy to make a case that the Michigan GOP is more strongly in command of state government than at any time since just after World War II. In 1947-’48, all eight statewide […]
A San Diego Republican Mayor It’s Hard to Believe
(Posted June 19) The Michigan-born son of a former top state political organizer has just helped spearhead the re-election of a Republican mayor of America’s eighth-largest city who defies every GOP stereotype. The same day that Hillary Clinton beat Bernie Sanders in California’s June 7 Democratic presidential primary, San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer was re-elected, […]
“RATF**KED” Tells Democrats How They’ve Been Outfoxed
(Posted June 17) The editor of a left-wing online website plays Paul Revere for the Democratic Party in a new book, but he acknowledges Dems have already lost the battles of Lexington and Concord. The best they can hope for is Stony Point somewhere down the road. With the politically-incorrect title “RATF**KED,” now available in […]
Detroit Schools Bailout Also Revives Hutchinson Act
(Posted June 10) What IS the Hutchinson Act, anyway? ONLY the most important piece of public employee labor law extant in Michigan, although its adherents fear that it has been so emasculated by periodic amendments and court rulings over the past 70 years as to become almost useless. Now, however, the Hutchinson Act — or […]
How Partisan Politics Has Shaped Michigan’s Judiciary
(Posted June 9) It was a case of “Be careful what you vote for, you may get it.” The heavily Republican 1961-62 state Constitutional Convention knew what it wanted — to stop Democratic governors from packing the state’s judiciary with left-leaning judges and justices. And the majority GOP delegates were successful in putting such language […]
Flint Water Crisis, as Seen by Locals
(Posted June 2) “President Obama’s sip of water from a sparkling clean glass at Northwestern High School during his May 4 visit was nothing less than a show-stopper … The President of the United States wants some water! In Flint! … How could that moment not be electrifying? For Flint residents, how could it not […]
Michigan’s Financial Health Not All That Good, says Study
(Posted June 1) Michigan has dropped one notch to 35th place among the 50 states and Puerto Rico in an analysis of “financial health” just released by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Three years ago, using slightly different criteria, Mercatus ranked Michigan 30th, which means the state has been sliding down the list […]
Latest Polls on Snyder, Key Michigan Races
(Reposted August 4) Gov. Rick Snyder’s job approval rating is WAY down, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is trailing Democratic prez nominee Hillary Clinton, and the polls in the 1st Congressional district a month ago proved to be all wrong — they showed state Sen. Tom Casperson (R-Escanaba) leading former Sen. Jason Allen (R-Traverse City) […]