Rick Snyder is at the center of the newest battle in the GOP war against labor unions that has raged across the industrial Midwest in recent years.
State Governments
Rick Scott Is Turning Down Obama’s Medicaid Expansion. Is He Turning Off Florida Voters Too?
Florida Governor Rick Scott has never been one to let facts get in the way of conservative ideology, and recently he’s been trumpeting a lot of untruths about the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare. He claims the law’s …
Emboldened by Walker’s Recall Win, Florida’s Rick Scott Goes to War on Voter Registration
The Department of Justice had given Florida Governor Rick Scott until Wednesday, June 6, to respond to its demand that the state stop a legally questionable purge of its voter rolls that was designed to identify noncitizens and …
Forget Wisconsin. Unions’ Biggest Loss Was in California
Bad news for teachers and other public-sector employees: America is more than ready to cut your pensions and benefits. While most politicos had been focusing this week on the Wisconsin recall, an election 2,100 miles away in San Jose, Calif., may be a bigger harbinger of the kind of austerity voters are developing a taste for.
ALEC: What It Does and Why Three Major Corporations Cut Ties
When America’s corporate titans shift their weight, the tremors travel fast. Last week, Coca-Cola, Kraft and accounting-software giant Intuit announced they were ending their membership in a conservative nonprofit group called …
Beyond Trayvon: How ‘Stand Your Ground’ Laws Spread from Florida to Half the U.S.
Florida’s controversial “Stand Your Ground” law wasn’t always so controversial. The law, which gives citizens the right to use deadly force if they “reasonably believe” they are in danger, has been the subject of national …
Jerry Brown’s Risky Crusade: How to Raise Taxes in California
On a sunny February morning at the Los Angeles Athletic Club, Jerry Brown’s cup of black coffee was getting cold. When a concerned waitress in the club restaurant poured him a fresh cup and offered to clear the original one, the …
The Return of the Native: Rick Perry as Damaged Goods in Texas
The governor comes back to rule his state after a humiliating and humbling campaign. Already, the locals see him as hobbled in a local political scene where he was once the master.
Under Pressure, Michigan Legislators Decide All Bullies Are Bad
It’s been almost two weeks since the Michigan State Senate passed an anti-bullying bill with language that essentially protected religiously-motivated bullies or others with a “sincerely held…moral conviction.” Now they’ve had a change of heart.
Ohio Governor Kasich’s Struggles Extend Beyond Election Day
In last year’s class of incoming Republican governors, John Kasich was among the best bets to become a star. A former nine-term congressman, Kasich ousted a formidable Democratic incumbent by persuading Ohioans that the state’s bloated budget needed trimming, and that he, a former House Budget Committee chairman, was the right person for …
In Wisconsin Recall Fight, Republicans Hold the Line
Wisconsin Democrats knocked off two GOP state senators on Tuesday night, exacting a hard-fought political price on Republican lawmakers for restricting collective bargaining rights of state and local employees. National advocacy …
In Minnesota Shutdown, Wider Budget Conflict Comes to a Head
“We will not saddle our children and grandchildren with mounds of debts, with promises for funding levels that will not be there in the future,” said the Republican House Speaker, publicly feuding with the Democratic executive over how best to trim yawning deficits. “This is debt that they can’t afford. It’s debt that we can’t afford …
Perry (and Glenn Beck) Respond on Job Poaching Subsidies
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7LI7RRwX60]
Texas’ Gov. Rick Perry was a guest on Fox’s Glenn Beck Show yesterday and the two began with a response to my story on Perry’s record of using hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to subsidize job creation.