This Friday’s LOL “Short” highlights how the education budget is looking different since Democrats are finally in complete control. Democrats are spending more on students, more on at-risk students, more on teachers, and want to provide free breakfast and lunch for all students. Republicans want to less spending on public schools and more on for-profit…
Left Of Lansing Podcast–Episode 37: Talking Livingston Co. Politics w/ Kasey Helton
A new episode of the Left Of Lansing Podcast is posted. This week, progressive activist Kasey Helton joins me to talk about life as a progressive in ruby red Republican Livingston County. We talk about Livingston County politics, why it’s been difficult for progressives to make a dent there, but how progressives are beginning to…
Left Of Lansing Short–GOP Loses Young Voters, But Democrats Must Fight To Keep Them–May 5, 2023
Here’s this week’s LOL “Shorts,” which I post every Friday right here exclusively on the blog. I take my cue from this fine article by The American Prospect’s Gabrielle Gurley, which is titled, “Republicans Declare War On Young Voters.“ Even though Michigan had the highest youth voter turnout in 2022, that’s still lower than the…
Left Of Lansing Podcast–Episode 36: State Rep. Kelly Breen
If we’re not helping to protect our kids, honestly I don’t know what the hell we’re doing here in Lansing because that should be our number one priority. Democratic State Representative Kelly Breen On this week’s LOL Podcast, Democratic State Representative Kelly Breen from 21st House District talks with me to discuss a number of…
Left Of Lansing Podcast 35: Michigan Democrats Fixing 40 Years Of Republican Rule
In this week’s episode, Pat Johnston covers how Democrats are fixing what Republicans destroyed during their 40 years of power in Lansing. He covers how Republicans across the nation are working to erase American history, ban books, silence their opponents, and destroy the public school system. Pat also gives another shoutout to Democratic State Rep….
Left Of Lansing Short–Friday, April 21, 2023
Here’s a Left Of Lansing “Short,” as I like to call it. Sometimes, these “shorts” will feature commentary on a specific news item of the day, or perhaps a follow-up on the week’s full podcast. In this one, I expound a bit on what this week’s podcast guest, Democratic State Representative Dylan Wegela, had to…
More Right Wing Terrorism In Michigan
I’d like to know who radicalized this man: A Saginaw optometrist is going to federal prison for 10 months for threatening to harm Black Lives Matter supporters in a series of rants he made over the phone to Starbucks employees, who got an earful about his beef with workers wearing BLM T-shirts. According to court…
Left Of Lansing Podcast–Episode 34: State Rep. Dylan Wegela
It’s time for another episode of the Left Of Lansing Podcast! This week, I discuss how young people showed-up at the polls in a big way in Michigan, which helped Democrats pull-off the trifecta in state government. But despite the Generation Z breaking for Democrats in the last few elections, Democrats must continue showing that…
Michigan Is Too Old. Democrats Must Pass Laws To Attract Young People
As I mentioned in this week’s episode of LOL, Michigan is getting older: Deaths outnumbered births in all but seven counties in Michigan in the year ending July 2022, new Census figures show, a result of the state’s aging population and the devastating impact of thousands of COVID-19 deaths. That’s 92 percent of Michigan’s 83…
Left Of Lansing Episode 33: Bigotry Is Bad For Business
It’s another episode of the LOL Podcast! Michigan Democrats are banking on Gov. Whitmer’s slogan that “Bigotry Is Bad For Business.” I explain why being the anti-Indiana, the anti-Ohio, and the anti-Florida is the best strategic move for Michigan–both morally and economically. By becoming a more welcoming state for women who want to make their…
