Saturday in Traverse City

by: jcherry

Mon Jul 14, 2008 at 14:04:22 PM EDT

Senator Carl Levin was the morning's keynote speaker.  He pumped the crowd up, and talked about the dramatic moment in the United States Senate last week when Senator Ted Kennedy returned to the Senate floor to cast the deciding vote to bring an end to the filibuster on the Medicaid appropriation.  Democrats have struggled the past two years to muster the 60 votes to break filibusters on critical issues that advance the Democratic Agenda.  For the most part, they have regularly fallen short, but not this time.  With Ted Kennedy present, they broke the filibuster and went on to pass the Medicaid appropriation with a comfortable majority.  This all shows you how legislators often hide behind procedural votes; but when you can't hide any longer and the light of day shines strong, justice can prevail.

Register today for Impact '08: Traverse City!

by: grahamdavis

Thu May 29, 2008 at 10:51:55 AM EDT

Want to learn the techniques for winning in 2008 from top Democratic strategists? Make sure to RSVP today for Traverse City's Impact '08 training! It's organized by Team Granholm-Cherry and the Michigan Democratic Party. From field organizing to online activism, the two day training session will cover everything needed to keep Michigan blue this year.

When: Saturday and Sunday, June 7 and 8 (9:30-4:30 Saturday; 9:30-2:30 Sunday)
Where: Hagerty Center, Northwestern Michigan College, Traverse City.
Admission: FREE! (including all materials and lunch both days)

Make sure to RSVP by June 4: either online or by phone at 517-485-5100 extension 17 or through the Grand Traverse Democratic Party at 231-946-5555. You definitely don't want to miss this! If you have any questions, feel free to email me.

Hopefully we'll see you there!

NGA Wrap-Up

by: TheConversation

Wed Jul 25, 2007 at 16:54:14 PM EDT

Whew.

First let me apologize for posting this so late - I ended up staying longer than originally planned to help with the "tear down" operation.

This was a weekend that I, and many other people, will never forget. Michigan played host to the National Governors Association 2007 Annual Meeting in Traverse City. The theme of this year's meeting was Innovation America and the main purpose of the event was for the nation's governors to come together and discuss how states can adequately adapt and succeed in the 21st Century economy. Governors shared information on successful strategies and progress they had made in their own states, business leaders explained what they needed from state government in order to foster a competitive business climate, and various luminaries - including former Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O'Connor - gave insight on myriad issues ranging from energy policy to education standard to states' rights. The conferences were productive and extremely interesting to watch; you can check them out in C-SPAN's video archives.

But I wanted to give you a little bit of a behind-the-scenes perspective. There are great articles from newspapers across the state that covered the business of the event and we'll get those all up in our news section. I want to give a brief summary of the things that didn't get the MSM's (MainStream Media if you're new to the blogs) attention.

All Eyes on Michigan

by: TheConversation

Fri Jul 20, 2007 at 16:29:27 PM EDT

This weekend, governors from states across the country will be meeting in Traverse City, Michigan for the National Governors Association (NGA) 2007 Annual Summer Meeting. It will be a weekend full of meetings for governors, policymakers and business leaders to share ideas, and chart a course for the coming year. And, for Michigan, it will be a chance to showcase our many splendors -- from fresh Michigan corn on the cob and cherries, to the beautiful waters of lake Michigan, to our world class golf courses and activities. And it will be a chance to highlight our innovative responses to economic challenges, including the 21st Century Jobs fund, our rigorous new high school curriculum and the Governors proposed No Worker Left Behind program.

First, there's all the great things about Michigan - and there are a lot of them...

Better know an obstructionist: Sen. Jason Allen (R-Traverse City)

by: Hazen Pingree

Sat May 05, 2007 at 10:25:03 AM EDT

Calling All Northern Michigan Liberals!

by: LiberalLucy

Wed Jan 24, 2007 at 00:42:33 AM EST

I know that you're out there, so consider chiming in when I ask for your help in working to organize a meet-up for your area.

Where are you located, where do you want to meet, and how can we help you way up in your neck of the woods? (Pardon the pun.) Regardless of where you call home, be it Ishpeming or Leelanau or Alpena, I want to hear from you.

I'll work to connect you with your local Net Roots community and your legislators, and to help you keep Michigan great!

So drop us a line here or email me, and say hello!