Left of Lansing

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Here's the Left of Lansing "Friday Short" for September 4, 2026.

The MAGA Supreme Court blocked an effort to hear an appeal to get a strict citizens-only "show your papers" voting suppression law on Michigan's ballot. 

The Court dealt a major defeat to the MAGA Republican effort to make voting more difficult for the working class in this country. The so-called "Americans For Citizens Voting-Michigan" tried to get the initiative on the ballot this November. However, the group failed t...

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Here's the Left of Lansing "Monday Musing" for August 31, 2026.

Bari Weiss's "CBS News" posted a story today declaring that some of Michigan's progressive Democratic Senate nominee Dr. Abdul El-Sayed's social media postings regarding 9/11 "invites scrutiny."

It's nothing but a hit-job by the pro-Big Tech Bro, pro-Epstein Class, and pro-Trump CBS "news division," and it's essentially saying that Michiganders must beware of the Muslim Man!

Yet, when one actually reads the so-called controversial tweets, one will...

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Here's the Left of Lansing "Friday Short" on August 28, 2026.

The Trump Regime's Vice President J.D. Vance will visit Michigan this coming Monday to campaign on behalf of beta MAGA Michigan Republicans. Those betas are U.S. Senate candidate "Florida" Mike Rogers, Congressman and gubernatorial candidate John James, and congressional candidate Mike Bouchard. 

LOL's Pat Johnston wonders what exactly is J.D. going to say in his efforts to help these three guys while Michigan suffers from t...

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Here's Episode #193 of Michigan's Premier Progressive Podcast!

00:00-17:30:

LOL's Pat Johnston pays a brief tribute to Dolly Parton. Then, Pat shares thoughts on Dear Leader Trump's insane tariff war with Canada while his other tariffs continue to hurt an already struggling working class. And he wonders when will Michigan MAGA Republican Senate candidate "Florida" Mike Rogers be held to account on whether or not he agrees with these tariffs, not to mention if he still believes in...

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Here's the Left of Lansing "Monday Musing" for August 24, 2026!

A new report over the weekend reveals that MAGA Michigan Republican Senate candidate "Florida" Mike Rogers is afraid AIPAC's involvement in Michigan's Senate race will hurt more than help.

AIPAC spent $32 million to defeat the progressive Democratic candidate, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, in the primary, but Dr. Abdul still won the race. He's against Israel's genocide in Gaza, the War on Iran, and continued funding of Israel.

...

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Here's the Left of Lansing "Friday Short" for August 21, 2026!

MAGA Michigan Republican Congressman Tom Barrett, and MAGA Michigan Republican Senate candidate "Florida" Mike Rogers, are suddenly, and conveniently, suggesting they'll act tough against the billionaire Big Tech Bros and their data centers.

Strange switch for both of them considering Tom Barrett voted to grant the Big Tech Bros $85 Billion in tax cuts to build their data centers across Michigan, and rest of the United States. And Florida...

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Here's Episode #192 of Michigan's Premier Progressive Podcast!

00:00-17:54: Trump Poll Numbers/Mop Up MI

LOL's Pat Johnston reports on Dear Leader Trump's cratering poll numbers, and how it's easy to understand considering how The Trump Regime is mired in its War on Iran, not to mention how the economy is failing the working class. Progressives & Democratic Socialists continue winning primary races across the country, and this week it happened in Florida. The Mop Up Michigan ballot proposal...

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Here's the Left of Lansing "Monday Musing" for August 17, 2026!

Last week, Dear Leader Trump told working class Americans paying over $4 per gallon of gas is worth it because the Iran War is good, or something. 

That's how little those in the billionaire Epstein Class really care about us, as LOL's Pat Johnston explains. 

Oh, does Florida Mike Rogers agree that it's "worth it" for working class Michiganders to pay over $4 for gas, so that way we...

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Here's the Left of Lansing "Friday Short" for August 14, 2026.

A new Fox News poll shows MAGA Republican "Florida" Mike Rogers with a slight lead over the progressive Democratic nominee, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, in Michigan's U.S. Senate race.

This ONE POLL has many in the corporate-establishment wing of the Democratic Party claiming that this proves how Dr. Abdul was always the riskier choice in the primary, and that he must pivot his campaign in a number of...

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Here's Episode #191 of Michigan's Premier Progressive Podcast!

00:00-18:08: M4A Works/Senate Race

LOL's Pat Johnston highlights a new Yale study showing that a Medicare For All system in the United States would save both money and lives by even larger numbers than previously thought. With Michigan's U.S. Senate race officially starting, MAGA Republican candidate "Florida Mike Rogers" would rather talk about anything other than policies, or how he supports The Trump Economy.

18:19-44:00...

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Here's the Left of Lansing "Monday Musing" for August 10, 2026.

Since Dr. Abdul El-Sayed's upset victory to claim the Michigan Democratic Senate's nomination, MAGA Republicans and the corporate media have focused on the specter of "socialism," or Dr. Abdul's stance that the U.S. should no longer provide unconditional aid to Israel's corrupt government. 

However, they don't want to focus on one of the main reasons why progressives, like Dr. Abdul, or Donavan McKinney, who upset an incumbent C...

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Here's the Left of Lansing "Friday Short" for August 8, 2026.

Another awful jobs report for July illustrates how The Trump Regime has failed the working class. 

The working class feels left behind by the corporate and political elites. 

That's why working class progressive Dr. Abdul El-Sayed earned one of the greatest upset victories in modern American history. 

And that's why Trump & MAGA Republicans fear him the most. 

Please, subscribe to the podcast, down...

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Here's Episode #190 of Michigan's Premier Progressive Podcast!

00:00-25:20: MI Progs Win Across State!

LOL's Pat Johnston celebrates several of the working class progressives who won their Democratic Party Primary races this week, including Abdul El-Sayed, William Lawrence, Donavan McKinney, and many more. Pat especially focuses on William Lawrence's blow-out win in Michigan's 7th Congressional District, Donavan McKinney's upset win over incumbent Congressman Shri Thanedar. Pat also thanks the progressive fighters who fell short in their campaigns, but...

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Here's the Left of Lansing "Monday Musing" for August 3, 2026!

We're one day from the Michigan Primary, and LOL's Pat Johnston wonders how the corporate-establishment Democratic Party will react if progressives score major victories on Tuesday.

Will they acknowledge the political reality that the working class is in a populist mood, or will they take their ball and go running closer to MAGA Republicans?

It's a serious question!

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Here's the Left of Lansing "Friday Short" for July 31, 2026!

Planned Parenthood of Michigan announced three more clinic closures in the state on Thursday, making it a total of 14 closures in the last couple of years.

While The Trump Regime and the MAGA Republican Congress are to blame for their massive cuts to Planned Parenthood (since punishing women is one of the hallmarks of the White Christian Nationalist agenda), Michigan's Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer shares some of the...

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Here's Episode #189 of Michigan's Premier Progressive Podcast!

00:00-19:05: AIPAC, DTE, & Data Centers

Pat Johnston discusses why working class Michiganders have turned more populist, and why accepting AIPAC, or DTE, or other corporate PAC money is hurting several candidates in different races. Also, working class Michiganders are irate over the rush to build hyper-scale A.I. data centers, and specific Democrats are being rewarded for opposing the Big Tech Bros' data centers. 

19:05-31:40: Working Class-America First P...

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Here's the Left of Lansing "Monday Musing" for July 27, 2026.

LOL's Pat Johnston's take on why Michigan Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer is endorsing Congresswoman and Ms. AIPAC Haley Stevens over working class candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed. 

Establishment's gonna establishment!

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Left of Lansing is now on YouTube as well!

Music provided b...

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Here's the Left of Lansing "Friday Short" for July 24, 2026.

A couple of Michigan Democratic Party establishment members either announced they can't support a more progressive nominee, or that a progressive candidate is misogynist. 

LOL's Pat Johnston illustrates how Democratic "centrist" Congresswoman Hillary Scholten, and former Democratic Attorney General candidate, Karen McDonald, are showing all of us that the entire "Vote Blue No Matter Who" mantra was completely one-sided. 

To hear the complete episode featuring LOL's "Sh...

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Here's Episode #188 of Michigan's Premier Progressive Podcast!

00:00-9:48: Low "T" MAGA/MI Dem Won't Back Nominee

Left of Lansing's Pat Johnston opens the show with Secretary of Defense...er... sorry... Secretary of WAR, Pete Hegseth, wants more testosterone in the military. But Pat thought we were against gender-affirming care? Also, Pat laments how a member of the Michigan Democratic Party Establishment refuses to endorse a Democrat! Karen McDonald lost against the more progressive Eli Savit in the...

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Here's the Left of Lansing "Monday Musing" for July 20, 2026.

Democratic Party leaders in the U.S. House endorsed cryptocurrency & AIPAC Congressman Shri Thanedar of Detroit over his working class progressive candidate, State Rep. Donovan McKinney.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries claims that Rep. Thanedar will fight for the affordability of all Michiganders, and take-on the Trump Regime.

Yet, all evidence points to the contrary when it comes to Thanedar's record.

Pat Johnston explains...

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Here's the Left of Lansing "Friday Short" for July 17, 2026!

Michigan is the epicenter of the Cyclosporiasis outbreak, where over a thousand Michiganders are sick after ingesting a small parasite that causes explosive diarrhea.

This outbreak has hit over 2,000 people in Michigan and 17 other states.

State and federal health officials are investigating the source of this outbreak, but they're investigating with one hand tied behind their backs.

That's thanks to The Trump Regime's CDC...

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Here's Episode #187 of Michigan's Premier Progressive Podcast!

00:00-16:18: Abdul & Prop Tax; Michigan Accent

LOL's Pat Johnston is befuddled by Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed brought-up the idea of eliminating the property taxes for senior citizens. Pat's also befuddled by the accent of the other Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Haley Stevens. But then, people don't think Pat's got a real Michigan accent either, so...

16:19: 43:00: Ben Ambrose Interview

Democratic...

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Here's the Left of Lansing "Monday Musing" for July 13, 2026.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer vetoed nine bills that were passed when Democrats held the government trifecta back in 2024. 

But Michigan MAGA Republican House Speaker Matt Hall blocked those bills from reaching Whitmer's desk once Republicans took control of the state House.

However, Democrats took Republicans to court, and won, and those bills finally reached Whitmer's desk this past Friday... only to have Whitmer veto these working c...

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Here's the Left of Lansing "Friday Short" for July 10, 2026.

The Trump Regime's ICE Gestapo is hurting Michigan's farming community, which is hurting our state's overall economy. 

And with another incident of ICE killing another person, this time in Texas, it proves ICE offers nothing of value to our democracy. It serves only to terrorize marginalized communities, and that's why it must be abolished!

Click here to vote on LOL Weekly Poll: Will A Candidate's Stance o...

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Here's Episode #186 of Michigan's Premier Progressive Podcast!

00:00-19:44: Sen.Debate/Platner Out

The Dear Leader Trump Sports Curse continues, this time he helped lead to the demise of the U.S. Men's Soccer team in the World Cup. Pat covers a bit of the debate between Abdul El Sayed and Haley Stevens for Michigan's U.S. Senate seat, and how Stevens represents establishment Democrats who count on corporate bribes while refusing to fight for the working class...

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Here's the Left of Lansing "Monday Musing" for July 6, 2026!

Democratic State Senator Mallory McMorrow announces she's dropping-out of the Michigan Democratic U.S. Senate primary race.

That means it's just a two-person race between the progressive frontrunner, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, and Congresswoman "Ms. AIPAC" Haley Stevens. 

Pat Johnston talks about the ramifications of McMorrow's announcement, and how he's not surprised how some Democratic officeholders, like Attorney General Dana Nessel, are suddenly rushing to support "centrist" S...

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Here's the Left of Lansing "Friday Short" for July 3, 2026.

Michigan progressive Democratic state Representative Betsy Coffia from the Traverse City region keeps winning elections in a once-safe Republican district because she demonstrates every day how she's backing the working class while fighting back against the rampant corporate and government corruption in Lansing.

Progressives, like Betsy Coffia, are winning elections because they stand-up to corruption while sticking-up for strong, progressive working class values.

Progressives, like Betsy...

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Here's Episode #185 of Michigan's Premier Progressive Podcast!

00:00-17:55: More DSA Victories/MI Senate Race

LOL's Pat Johnston opens the show highlighting how another young Democratic Socialist defeated another Democratic incumbent in Congress, and this time it was in Denver, CO. Pat explains why progressives and Democratic Socialists are winning in Democratic primaries.

17:56-41:21: Betsy Coffia Interview

Michigan progressive Democratic state Representative Betsy Coffia joins the show to talk about northwest Michigan politics, affordable...

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Here's the Left of Lansing "Friday Short" for June 26, 2026.

After three Democratic Socialists from New York City defeated three Democratic corporate-establishment candidates, the so-called "centrist" Democrats are declaring war on MAGA! 

Oh, wait. 

Centrists aren't declaring war on MAGA or the Trump Regime.

They're declaring war on the Democratic Socialist movement that's gaining more and more influence and momentum within the Democratic Party. 

Pat Johnston explains why these "centrists" are fearing a D...

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Here's Episode #184 of Michigan's Progressive Podcast!

00-00-8:44: Mike Rogers & Big Pharma

LOL's Pat Johnston begins the show talking about how Michigan MAGA Republican Senate candidate, "Florida" Mike Rogers, is threatening progressive Democratic candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed with a Cease & Desist suit for saying Rogers is a Big Pharma lobbyist. Records show that while in Congress, "Florida Mike was a stooge for Big Pharma as he also played a role in leading to this country's opioid crisis...

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Here's the Left of Lansing "Monday Musing" for June 22, 2026.

Michigan Democratic State Senator Erica Geiss of Taylor introduced the "Workplace Employee Boundaries Act," which would block any employer from forcing workers to check work emails, phone calls, or text messages outside of their normal work hours. 

Pat Johnston explains how this one bill in Michigan could provide an extra step in putting power back into the hands of the working class, and out of the hands of t...

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Here's the Left of Lansing "Friday Short" for June 19, 2026!

This week, Michigan Democratic State Senate candidate for most of the Upper Peninsula, Kelli Van Ginhoven, talked with me about her her campaign on Michigan's Premier Progressive Podcast.

I asked KVG if she thought of herself as a progressive Democrat, and KVG said in today's time, being progressive is "essential."

In this week's "Friday Short," I piggyback off of KVG's statement, and explain why progressivism is...

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Here's Episode #183 of Michigan's Premier Progressive Podcast!

00:00-1:00: Jessica's Show Open
1:01-4:04: New MI Dem Senate Poll
4:05-4:50: McMorrow Upset w/Poll
4:51-6:05: Polls Show Trends Toward Dr. Abdul
6:06-7:20: Stevens Fights For Status Quo
7:21-7:45: KVG Interview Preview
7:46-9:09: MOU Iran War Deal?
9:10-10:25: Trump Has No Choice
10:26-11:00: $300Bil For Iran
11:01-11:41: No Point To Iran War
11:41-13:23: Can't say "war" in MI MAGA House
13:25-14:27...

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Here's the Left of Lansing "Monday Musing" for June 15, 2026.

Over the weekend, many Establishment Democrats criticized Michigan's progressive and working class Senate candidate, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, for suggesting the Trump Regime practices is two-tiered justice system. 

Dr. Abdul as speaking in response to The Regime's charging of 8 pro-Palestinian protesters on the University of Michigan campus. After denouncing the threatening and vandalism against university officials, businesses, and law enforcement by the protesters, Dr. Abdul mentioned how it's interesting t...

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Here's the Left of Lansing "Friday Short" for June 12, 2026.

Michigan continues to be one of the top states for solar installations even as The Trump Regime's been busy gutting solar and wind energy projects.

At a time when the country needs as much energy as possible, and for cheaper prices, The Trump Regime is doing everything in its power to keep forcing fossil fuels on the working class. 

It's just more evidence showing how The R...

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Here's Episode #182 of Michigan's Premier Progressive Podcast!

00:00-16:10: The Establishment Machine

Left of Lansing's Pat Johnston cites another insightful article by Danielle Moody & Jared Yates Sexton from The DAM Digest (we mistakenly gave credit to Sexton's "Dispatches From A Collapsing State," but please visit there, too!), on how the political establishment wants to keep the working class trapped in a cycle of comfort. While The Epstein Class keeps gaining more power and more wealth as it's never...

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Here's the Left of Lansing "Monday Musing" for June 8, 2026.

Some establishment Michigan Democratic officials, like former Attorney General nominee Karen McDonald, fail to learn why it is they aren't reaching Democratic Party base votes, as well as independent voters.

McDonald suffered are stunning defeat against here progressive opponent, Eli Savit, at the party's nominating convention last month. 

But instead of realizing her message didn't resonate with Democratic and independent working class Michiganders, McDonald is starting w...

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Here's Episode #181 of Michigan's Premier Progressive Podcast!

00:00-9:57: Mike Rogers' Beta Campaign

Pat Johnston opens this week's show pointing-out how feeble MAGA Michigan Republican Senate candidate, "Florida" Mike Rogers', really is as his campaign used Artificial Intelligence to give him a muscular body. These MAGA Republicans claim they're "manly men," but they're really just insecure little Beta men. Pat talks about how whenever he shares social media posts about Michigan progressive Democratic Senate candidate, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed...

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Here's the Left of Lansing "Monday Musing" for June 1, 2026.

Pat Johnston explains why Democratic Party insiders are doing their best to block progressive-populists, like Michigan's Democratic Senate Primary frontrunner Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, and others across the country, from winning. 

These corporate-Democratic elites would rather fight to keep their cushy jobs in Washington D.C. and Michigan than really fight to represent the working class. 

Please, subscribe to the podcast, download each episode, and give it a...

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Here's the Left of Lansing "Friday Short" for May 29, 2026.

The Detroit Regional Chamber's Mackinac Policy Conference is over, and this year proved to be another example of why this corporate-friendly event is useless to working class Michiganders.

Pat Johnston explains how it's main goal is to ensure enough MAGA Republicans and Democrats work in "bipartisan" fashion to ensure corporate interests are highlighted.

That's otherwise known as business as usual in Lansing. 

It's time t...