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From Chairperson Lavora Barnes
Last Thursday, President Biden joined with French President Emanuel Macron to honor the Greatest Generation: the men and women who, 80 years earlier, began the liberation of Europe with the D-Day invasion. The two presidents honored a legacy: the selfless sacrifices of thousands to protect the world from the threat of a racist, paranoid sociopath whose ambition was to rule the world. Thousands gave their lives that day so that we could live free.
We owe the Greatest Generation a commitment to continue to fight for their legacy which is constantly endangered by would-be dictators and despots, foreign and domestic.
On Saturday, your Democratic Party celebrated its legacy with our annual Legacy Dinner. UAW President Shawn Fain was presented with the MDP’s Legacy Award for his inspiring leadership which led to a record-smashing contract settlement with the Big 3 domestic automakers, a contract which means a secure and prosperous future for not just UAW members, but for untold thousands more whose employment is directly tied to the auto industry.
The keynote speaker on Saturday brought her own legacy to the stage. Kamala Harris is the first woman, and the first person of color, to be elected to national office.
A day earlier, Joe Biden’s legacy grew with the announcement of still another month of jobs growth. 272-thousand jobs were added to our economy, bringing the total jobs growth under Joe Biden to a record-setting 15-million. The economists were nearly unanimous that taming the post-COVID inflation would result in a recession. Under the leadership of the Biden/Harris administration, we have instead experienced record-setting jobs growth while reducing inflation, and without a recession.
That same report, by the way, also showed wages rising at an annual rate of 4.1%, meaning real household incomes adjusted for inflation are going up.
In Lansing, Democrats are leading the way on the most important job of the Governor and Legislature: putting together the annual state budget which sets the priorities for Michigan’s next 12 months and beyond. One of the primary architects of the budget is the chair of the House Appropriations Committee, state Representative Angela Witwer.
Representative Witwer is serving her third term representing the 76th House District, which includes much of Eaton County just west of Lansing.
She received her bachelor’s degree in business and marketing from Northwood University. Witwer began her professional career in clinical health care, working first in Sparrow Hospital’s burn unit and later as the manager of pediatric rehabilitation. The desire to help others, coupled with her clinical expertise, propelled Witwer to become manager of Sparrow’s community relations and marketing department.
After 22 years working in health care, she left Sparrow in 2007 to co-found Edge Partnerships, an award-winning public relations, marketing and advocacy group. During this time, she was a strong advocate for quality public education and community engagement, serving as the vice president of Waverly Community Schools Board of Education and was an active member of the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce Economic Club committee, the Wharton Center for Performing Arts Advisory Council, and the McLaren Greater Lansing Foundation Board of Directors.
In the News This Week…
Michigan Politics
- VIDEO – Will LGBTQ Rights Be Safe with Trump in Charge? – WFQX
- Bridge elections FAQ: Are Republicans running as fake Democrats? – Bridge Michigan
- How Not To Lose Michigan, According to Dem Senate Candidate Elissa Slotkin – The Daily Beast
- Biden’s Climate Record Is Highlighted in New Ad Campaign – The New York Times
- Make it in Michigan – Evergreen Collaborative – YouTube
- Michigan Democrats Call to Convention – MDP
Michigan Policy
- Whitmer, legislative leaders see obstacles, opportunity for FOIA – Detroit Free Press
- In warming Great Lakes region, water, heat can be an unhealthy combination – Bridge Michigan
- Housing bills would create new rights for Michigan renters
GOP/Trump Outrages
- Jon Cooper on X: “This guy should introduce Trump at ALL his campaign events. 🤣🤣
- Clarence Thomas, in Financial Disclosure, Acknowledges 2019 Trips Paid by Harlan Crow – The New York Times
- Clarence Thomas gets more perks than any justice, group says – Law & Crime
- A Running List of Who Trump Has Called to Prosecute – Mother Jones
- The G.O.P. Push for Post-Verdict Payback: ‘Fight Fire With Fire’ – The New York Times
- Trump’s Obsession With Revenge: A Big Post-Verdict Danger – Mother Jones
- Senate Republicans block bill to protect contraception access – AP News
- Griswold v. Connecticut :: 381 U.S. 479 (1965) :: Justia US Supreme Court Center
- Now Trump Says Voting By Mail Is Good – Washington Post
- Wisconsin AG Josh Kaul files felony charges against attorneys, aide who worked for Trump – AP News
National
- U.S. Adds 272,000 Jobs in May, an Unexpectedly Strong Pace of Hiring – The New York Times
- Why the Recession Still Isn’t Here – WSJ
- Biden’s Climate Record Is Highlighted in New Ad Campaign – The New York Times
- Biden issues new executive action: Much of southern border to close at midnight – POLITICO
- VIDEO – President Biden on Immigration – YouTube
- Trump’s Plan to Supercharge Inflation – The Atlantic
- Billions in taxpayer dollars now go to religious schools via vouchers – The Washington Post
