The Left of Lansing Podcast–Episode 16–is posted!

This week’s guest is someone I’ve mentioned on this podcast a few times during the last couple of weeks. So, I decided, instead of always quoting her work, let’s actually have her on the podcast!

Julia Pulver is an RN, a nursing consultant, political activist, a former Democratic State Senate candidate, and in charge of Women Organize Michigan. She fell just short of an upset win in the 15th District, losing by just three-points. She explains how she ran such a strong progressive campaign, and gives advice to other progressives thinking about getting into the game.

But she also expands upon her awesome article on why she strongly opposed the new auto insurance “reform” bill. Please, follow Julia on Twitter and Facebook. It won’t surprise you that she’s got lots to say about both state and national politics.

I open the show talking about how former Republican Governor Rick Snyder appeared in the news this week regarding his gross negligence in the Flint Water Crisis. We learned this week that state investigators executed warrants to seize state-owned mobile devices from Snyder, and 67 other former officials involved in one of the worst man-made disasters in Michigan, and the United States.

Snyder, and his Michigan Republican allies, are banking on voters forgetting how their “running a city on-the-cheap” agenda ended up costing lives. It’s one of the biggest scandals in Michigan’s political history. It’s not just a political scandal. It’s a Michigan Republican scandal.

As I say, Donald Trump is not an anomoly within the Republican Party.

Trump is the Republican Party, and the Republican Party is Donald Trump.

In the “Last Call,” I praise Governor Whitmer for standing her ground and (so far) appearing to stick to her campaign promise to close the Line 5 oil pipeline in the Straits of Mackinac. Canadian oil company Enbridge (yes, the one that spilled over a million gallons of oil in the Kalamazoo River) is doing whatever it takes to keep the 66-year old in the Straits.

It’s up those of us who care not only about the future of the Great Lakes, but the future of our environment to push Whitmer to keep her promise by shutting down Line 5 sooner rather than later.

To learn more about the Line 5 issue, visit the FLOW website. They provide a good breakdown of the history, and the danger, this pipeline presents.

Michigan Advance’s Susan Demas reminds everyone that a solid majority of Michiganders oppose the extreme right-wing state Republicans’ fight to end D&E abortions. But that won’t stop Republicans because nothing will stop them from their core political platform:

Punishing Women.

And congratulations to friend of show, State Senator Mallory McMorrow, on getting to introduce Democratic presidential candidate, Senator Elizabeth Warren, this week!

Please, email your comments to: leftoflansing@gmail.com

Enjoy!