Last updated on April 12th, 2012 at 12:31 am
Rachel Maddow told Michigan Republicans to bring it on after they responded to her report on their circumventing of democracy with insults.
Here’s the video:
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Rachel Maddow followed up her report about Michigan Republicans circumventing democracy, by addressing the insults that have been lobbed at her by the Michigan Republican Party,
Now, Michigan Republicans responded angrily to our reporting on this last week with a statement from the Republican speaker of the House accusing me of whining. And of having liberal sour grapes. I think the House speaker is making a vineyard joke there. Like the grapes are sour, but nevertheless being fermented into delicious wine. W-I-N-E, which sounds like whine, W-H-I-N-E, so it`s a homophone joke which is excellent.
And as impressed as I am by the sounds alike wine-related insult the leader of the Michigan has thrown my way, I should also note that I concede his point, which I should have made clear in our initial reporting, that both Democrats and Republicans in Michigan have passed lots of legislation by immediate effect.
Republicans are not going this more frequently than Democrats did when the legislature was under Democratic control. Both sides have done this.
But what`s different now is this — this is Democrats trying to get an actual count and Republicans not letting them. It`s one thing to glance around the room, assume you`ve got your supermajority, and, bang, gavel it through. It`s another thing to refuse to check your count when the minority side calls you out for the fact that you seem to be lying about that count.
Maddow explained why this situation was different and told the Michigan Republicans to bring it on, “On a personal note, I have to say I`m more inclined than ever to stay on this story. One, because it keeps getting more and more interesting and more and more fraught all the time. I think something is going on in Michigan that`s going on nowhere else in the country and it deserves a lot more attention than it`s getting. The more rocks you overturn, the more you learn. But also, it turns out your insults make me stronger. Bring it on. Keep shooting the messenger.â€
Surprise!! The same Republicans who are trying to undo democracy in Michigan don’t like it when people expose their dirty doings. If the state’s Republicans think that they are going to get Maddow and everybody else to back off by hurling insults, they are in for a big surprise. The fact that the Republicans chose to insult the MSNBC host instead of sitting down for an interview and explaining their position hints that Michigan Republicans are hiding something that don’t want anyone to find.
There is too much associated with this story that the Republicans can’t explain. They can’t explain how it only took three seconds to count seventy three votes for immediate effect. They can’t explain how they got the 73 votes when there aren’t 73 Republicans in the body, and no Democrats voted for the bill. They also can’t explain why they are denying Democrats an actual count when they ask for it.
According to the recent State Integrity Investigation, Michigan ranked 43rd in the country for corruption risk by legislative and executive branch state elected officials. Stunningly, Michigan is one of three states with no campaign finance disclosure laws. The other two are Idaho and Vermont. The lax ethical and legal environment in most states has created a breeding ground for ALEC, big money campaign donors, and other special interests to make the laws.
There is something really rotten going on in Michigan, and the one way to keep Rachel Maddow and others digging around is to insult them.
Bring it on Michigan GOP. The digging will continue until the truth is revealed.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
