Commentary
Susan J. Demas: The sister act between Whitmer and Nessel bucks stereotypes about powerful women
Turn on any reality TV show or soap opera (yes, I believe those still exist) and you’ll find women as perennial rivals, frequently dissolving into hair-pulling brawls. Sexist stereotypes persist in politics, as well, with the tedious debate over whether female candidates are “likable” and Democrats fretting that a woman can’t win the White House […]
Ron Bieber: Labor looks ahead after big wins in 2018
The 2018 midterm election was an important one for the labor movement — and not just nationally, but also at the state level here in Michigan. The last eight years in our state have been marked by a legislative agenda set on manipulating the rules to benefit the wealthy and corporations with a governor who […]
Gilda Z. Jacobs: Whitmer will reconnect parties, policy and people
My body may have been cold on Jan. 1, but my heart couldn’t have been warmer as I had the honor of being one of the thousands of friends freezing at the Capitol with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer as she took her oath of office. I was proud to serve in the Michigan Legislature with Whitmer […]
Tom Watkins: Whitmer needs to prepare Michigan for the AI revolution
Michigan’s new governor, Gretchen Whitmer, is smart, politically savvy and knowledgeable. She also has 10 million constituents to serve — many who want advise her about something they want or don’t want state government to accomplish. Voters expect her to address the problems that impact them today. Whitmer’s responsibility is to both anticipate these issues […]
John Knappmann: Worthy helming Flint investigation would bring fairness, transparency
In one of her first acts, Attorney General Dana Nessel asked Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy to look at the Flint Water Crisis investigation and possibly take over the prosecutions. That would be a huge step to ensuring a fair and public inquiry and follow-up for what is an exasperating situation. It’s astonishing that a […]
Susan J. Demas: Nice girls don’t say ‘vagina’ … or ‘motherfucker’
As exhilarating at 2018’s pink wave election was for feminists — those who believe in the radical notion that women are people — we just got a 12-letter reminder that some things haven’t changed. After being sworn in, new U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) declared of President Trump at an event: “We’re gonna impeach the […]
Susan J. Demas: Into the Snyder-verse: The guv’s Lame Duck act doesn’t save his legacy
What can you say about Michigan’s manic, marathon Lame Duck session except that it could have been worse? As Gov. Rick Snyder prepares to leave office after eight years, he desperately needed to restore some of his reputation after his inept and insensitive response to the Flint water crisis. He’ll probably avoid national media lumping […]
Angela Vasquez-Giroux: It’s time to listen to women in politics
A little over a year ago, I was the communications director tasked with submitting two video scripts to be filmed by Dana Nessel, who was seeking the Democratic nomination for attorney general. One script was a straightforward, if not sardonic, take on the systemic sexism in politics and its intersection with the #metoo movement. The […]
Gilda Z. Jacobs: Bipartisan compromise on Farm Bill yields big results for Michigan
Staff for the Michigan League for Public Policy, a Lansing-based organization advocating for health, racial equity and economic security issues, contribute a biweekly column to the Michigan Advance, “Human Capital.” With the Michigan Legislature’s contentious Lame Duck session, Congress’ stalemate on the federal budget, and a looming government shutdown, it’s hard to remember that government […]
Susan J. Demas: Snyder’s next act hinges on his Lame Duck legacy
Rick Snyder is a man with a plan. He always has been. That’s part of how he rose from being raised in a modest 900-square-foot home in Battle Creek while working summers at the Gun Lake Northside Grocery to becoming the CEO of Gateway and, later, the 48th governor of Michigan. Snyder picked up his […]
Amanda Stitt: In 2018, more politicians decided to ‘be themselves’ on social media
The rise of digital media means people expect unfettered and immediate access to celebrities, their friends and political candidates. If you don’t keep up, you’ll hear about it. Right away. On Twitter. The 2018 election has ushered in a new age of social media communications. Some politicians, especially millennials, have embraced the medium and have […]
Susan J. Demas: How we’re working to advance journalism in Michigan
In our first eight days, we survived one of Michigan’s notorious November snowstorms, a reporter’s car being taken down by our terrible roads and a bomb scare across from the Capitol, just blocks from our office. It’s been quite the trial by fire for the nascent Michigan Advance. But I’d expect no less, as we […]