New IMP/MRG Poll Finds Most of State's Voters Don't Believe that It Does, Possibly Paving the Way for Legislative Action This Fall to Expand Range of 'School Choice' Options

Most Republicans Say Yes, Democrats Say No; GOP-Dominated Legislature Has Passed a Bill with a 4-Year Cap and Gov. Rick Snyder Has Signed It into Law --- Now, IMP/MRG Poll Shows Most Michigan Voters Agree with That Decision

IMP/MRG Poll Says Electorate Feels Best Approach is "Mend It, Don't End It"

Michigan's Thad McCotter --- Lagging with Only 2% Support in His Own State --- is Also Scheduled to Attend, but Don't Look for Bachmann, Paul, Gingrich, Cain, Santorum, or Huntsman

Is it Any Consolation That Michiganders are Even More Pessimistic About Direction of Country as a Whole Than They Are About Their Own State?

Four Democratic State Representatives --- Vicki Barnett (D-Farmington Hills), Ellen Cogen Lipton (D-Huntington Woods), Marcia Hovey-Wright (D-Muskegon),  and Rashida Tlaib (D-Detroit) --- Rack Up Almost-Perfect Liberal Scores

Recall Petitioners Managed to Get Only One Possible Legislator (State Rep. Paul Scott) Targeted in November Election Out of Some Two Dozen On-the Ground Campaigns --- Any Other Efforts Can't Qualify for Ballot Till Next February 28, When Michigan GOP is Likely to Schedule Presidential Primary with Big Republican Turnout 

Republicans Still Control Wisconsin Senate, 17-16, but Recalls Aren't Over in Badger State --- Two Democrats Must Withstand Attempts to Recall Them on Tuesday, Aug. 16th

However, the last time Legislature Acted This Early was in 1981, and the Budget Passed That Year wasn't Worth the Paper It Was Written on. Collapsing economy and shrinking revenue forced drastic budget cuts before the fiscal year had even begun! Will it Happen Again This Time? Gov. Rick Snyder and Republican Politicians are hoping NOT!

Cost of Government Was Considered Motive in Slashing Board Size. Total is Now Down to 626 (from 686), a record Low. 24 Counties Cut Board Size, only One (Menominee) Increased its Number of Commissioners

Republicans Rick Johnson, Craig DeRoche and Jase Bolger and Democrat Andy Dillon Each Served Only One Term Before Becoming Speaker; All Other States Pick Speakers with At Least Two Terms Under Their Belts --- and Sometimes Decades of Experience

Most Freshmen in a Decade, and this is the Youngest Legislature in 10 Years; Female Percentage of Representation Drops to 36th Place  in National Rankings --- Lowest in More than Three Decades

Inside Michigan Politics's Latest Survey of the Effectiveness of Lansing Lobbyists (the 6th in the past 23 years) Reveals Who Gets the Job Done and Who Has Some Critics. Three Issues of IMP (Vol. XIII, Nos. 6-8) Detail the Results ...

Democrats Lost a Whopping 82 Seats --- the Reason for the Disparity Between the Two Parties' Results is that Macomb Co. Downsized Its Board from 26 Seats to 13. In Macomb Co., Dems plummeted from Big Majority to Only a 7-6 Edge on the New Panel for 2011-12. "No Party Affiliation" gained four members in 2010 to total of eight ...

2010 Turnout was Comparable to What It Was in the Three Previous Gubernatorial Elections --- 2002, 1998, and 1994, all of which were around 43%-45%

Electorate Wasn't Convinced We Needed a New Constitutional Convention, so Prop 1 Lost 2-1. However, Voters Don't Want Kwame Kilpatrick to Have a Chance to Become the new Marion Barry, so Prop 2 Carried the day, 3-1

Democratic Efforts to Demonize Young Flopped; Democrats Davis and Langford Morris Trailed Badly, and Libertarian Roddis was a Non-Factor

On Nov. 2, Republicans Swept All Eight Seats for the First Time Since 1984, But Democrats Still Control MSU and the SBE, 5-3, and U-M and WSU, 6-2

Obviously, that Means Brian Calley will be the Next Lieutenant Governor, and Also that Ruth Johnson will be the Next Secretary of State and Bill Schuette the Next Attorney General. It was Simply a Bad year for Democrats Everywhere, Not Just in Michigan

House Democrats Dan Scripps, Terry Brown, Judy Nerat All Imperiled --- Senate Republicans Could Net-Gain Four Seats, Reaching Veto-Proof Majority

Tonya Schuitmaker Ahead in 20th state Senate District, Tory Rocca in SD 10, and GOP Challenger Ed McBroom, an Upper Peninsula Dairy Farmer running against a Democratic Incumbent in HD 108, Are All Ahead. These Races Could Be Bellwethers for What Will Happen Nov. 2nd

Republicans Pete Hoekstra and Tom George Received $390,000 and $20,000, respectively, after Being Told by Secretary of State They Shouldn't Expect It --- Legislature Had Raided Gubernatorial Campaign Fund in 2007 to Balance Budget & Never Paid Money Back

With Less Than Six Weeks to Go Before Nov. 2 Election, Republicans Appear in Position to Sweep All Four Constitutional Offices and Perhaps Regain Control of State Supreme Court

Justice Weaver's Resignation May Backfire --- Democrats Produce Two Seemingly Weak Nominees at Their State Convention, and GOP Has Come Up with a Female Named Kelly, plus incumbent Robert Young, who's been Elected Twice Already

Democrats and Phony Party Have Filed an Appeal of Canvassers' Decision in Court --- Regardless of How Issue is Resolved, Backlash to an Obvious 'Dirty Trick' Seems Likely to Help Republicans  

Could Michigan Be Next? All Candidates Regardless of Party Would Run Together for a Particular Office, with Top Two Finishers Qualifying for General Election. It's Possible Most Districts Would Feature a Democrat vs. Democrat in November, or a Republican vs. Republican... 

Current Issue of Inside Michigan Politics Tells How Arcane Practice Known as "Securities Lending" Blew Up in Money Managers' Faces --- Most of it Will Never Be Recovered

Alma Wheeler Smith Drops Her Candidacy for Dem Nomination The Day Before May 11 Filing Deadline