by Joseph DiSano
Dipping your toes into the on-line world of Facebook and Twitter is a bit daunting. But just like in real life, you learn quickly who actually knows what they are talking about. Here are 10 folks you should be paying attention too.
Bill Ballenger—by far the quoted and widely-known Michigan-based pundit. Ballenger is the MSM’s go to guy on all things Michigan. He is the owner and publisher of Inside Michigan Politics and in his former life was a GOP state Senator. He can be found on Twitter at @iMIpolitics and http://www.insidemichiganpolitics.com.
Chad Selweski—defiantly centrist, Chad is willing to call out extremists and hucksters from both parties including me. Recently, he wrote that I was “a little hyper, a little blood thirsty in his efforts to smash Republicans.” I don’t know if I agree with Chad’s assessment but he has the pulse of what is really going on in Macomb County politics like no other. He can be found at http://macombpolitics.blogspot.com/ or on Twitter @cbsnewsman
Greg McNeilly—Relentless is the word that best describes McNeilly. The dude never takes a day off from pushing the conservative agenda. That’s a fair trade off considering McNeilly gives the reader a good insight into the state of GOP politics here in Michigan. He is the political voice for the DeVos clan and says the things they are too polite to utter themselves. You can find McNeilly’s musings on Twitter @gregmcneilly.
Susan J. Demas—Her weekly column for MLive makes Demas Michigan’s answer to Maureen Dowd. Smart and snarky, she works by day at MIRS but her column for at MLive and her Tweets are where she shines. Not afraid to call out the charlatans from both parties, Demas is a good barometer for what the policy wonks are thinking. One downside to her cutting style is she attracts only the craziest online stalkers. I don’t know how she puts up with that but I am glad she does. You can find Susan at http://connect.mlive.com/user/sjdemas/posts.html or on Twitter @sjdemas.
Eric Baerren: The owner of MichiganLiberal.com can be relied up for a consistent liberal slant on the issues of the day. Where Baerren’s true calling lies is a as a critic of the media. From his perch in Mt. Pleasant, Baerren has no problem calling out the hypocrisy in the MSM. A pet issue to him is the false equivalency that the Press gives to all argument regardless of merit. A former journalist and Navy veteran, Baerren’s lived a real life outside of politics and it shows. Baerren takes no prisoners. Ever. That’s rare and refreshing and that’s why Eric Baerren is a must read at www.MichiganLiberal.com and @ebaerren.
Jeff Wattrick has the soul of a world-class satirist. Jeff toils for MLive covering and commentating on Detroit-area political news but he hit his stride writing the now-defunct blog, Dyspathy. Fearless is the word that best describes Wattrick. He has been withering in his criticism of Wayne County Executive Bob Ficano and the circus that is Detroit City Hall. Few writers capture the absurdity and hypocrisy of politics like Wattrick. What Wattrick does better than anyone else is put current political jockeying in a historical context. That make Wattrick a must read. You can find Wattrick at http://connect.mlive.com/user/jwattrick/index.html and on Twitter at @woodwardsfriend.
Emily Dievendorf @Moxie4More
Emily is the Director of Policy at Equality Michigan and she uses her social media platform almost exclusively to advocate for the LBGT community and good old fashioned fairness. Dievendorf is not afraid to mix it up with the forces of bigotry and the bitter defenders of the status quo. I might not always agree with her but that says more about my sense of humor more than anything. Emily is an emerging voice and someone you should be watching. Look her up on Facebook or on Twitter @Moxie4More.
Christine Barry, Blogging for Michigan
Christine is the owner of Blogging for Michigan. I find her posts to be the perfect balance of snark and fact. Additionally, Christine tends to pick up on issues that I may miss during the work day so she is essential to stay on top of. She understands on-line activism like no one else and can help put you on the correct path if you want to volunteer in the real world. She pays particular attention to the Occupy movement, Recall Efforts and the EFM law. She can be found at www.bloggingformichigan.com or on Twitter @bloggingformichigan.
Christina Kuo is the Senior Director of Public Policy and Public Affairs for the Michigan Nonprofit Association and an attorney. If you want to know what’s going on in the choice community and in Oakland County politics you need to keep an eye on Christina. I find her materal very funny in an understated way. You can find her on Twitter @christina_kuo
Amy Chapman @amyrchapman
Amy is an intriguing choice for this list. The things that many of us blather about, Amy has actually done. She has done it all in politics and at the highest levels. And her tweets reflect that. I find her posts to be cutting and to the point but where she excels is in her retweets. She has excellent taste in passing on Tweets that are consistently thought provoking. She is a curator of all things cool. Ignore her at your own peril.