July 2023 - Last fall Michigan voters not only re-elected Governor Gretchen Whitmer to serve a second term, they elected the state's first Democratic legislature in 40 years. (The latter was possible due to the independent re-districting commission that Michigan voters established in 2018; that commission eliminated the gerrymandered districts that Republicans had put in place years before.)

And, boy, are the Dems ever delivering for the Citizens of Michigan. After just six months in office, the legislature already has passed, or is in the process of passing, the following legislation:

Additional funding for police and public safety
Protections for reproductive rights
Expansion of Governor Whitmer's road repair initiatives (Michigan's roads are considered as bad as any in the nation)
Elimination of the retirement tax
Enactment of red flag laws
Expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit
Repeal of right-to-work laws
Additional funding for education

(Michigan's State Capitol)

Despite the statewide approval for these measures and, although most of this legislation also received some Republican support, there also is some disappointing news to report out of the Wolverine State. At the state party level, the newly-elected politicians running the Michigan Republican Party don't look like they will be supporting joint participation with the Democrats to try and help move the state forward; rather, they seem more interested in attempting to steer the party far to the right.

This is exemplified by a) the new GOP party leader, a 2020 African-American election denier and conspiracy-theorist who lost big in her 2022 race for Michigan Secretary of State, b) their positions on reproductive rights, which includes doubling down on their belief that abortions should never be legal, even in cases of rape and incest, and c) the public questioning of the new party leadership's competency by long-time big-money donors to the party.

The GOP state party image also wasn't helped any by two recent meetings (one in April and one in July) of the new leadership team, both of which resulted in physical altercations, the summoning of police, and at least one hospitalization.

Governor Whitmer supports bi-partisan approaches, as evidenced by the signing of an economic development bill in October 2022 - image from michiganchronicle.com)

So, in the absence of any apparent know-how, civility, or new ideas that have generated any popular support, it should come as no surprise that Michigan's new Republican leadership now has resorted to this: trying to recall five Democratic members of the House who supported the popular legislation listed above.

After failing Michigan for decades, particularly in refusing to address the road situation and in refusing to help workers, the middle class, and retirees, the best this latest group of Michigan Republicans can do is to waste taxpayers dollars by resorting to an old gimmick like these recall campaigns.

We'll continue to monitor developments in Michigan and keep you updated on both the positive and the nutty.

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