do you want to flip again? what has happened in michigan so far is the most dramatic manifestation of how the republican party intends to govern in response to the last election. there's been a lot of talking about what the republicans are going to do, what the republicans might do differently now, but this isn't about talking. in michigan we are seeing what they are doing. are these guys an outlier or is this representative of what we should expect from republicans around the country and in d.c. after this election? joining us now is gene robinson, pulitzer prize-winning columnist for the "washington post" and an msnbc political analyst. mr. robinson, it is great to have you here tonight. >> it is great to be here, rachel. >> i would not have expected it as the first big political thing after the election, but it is michigan that decided to make a real spectacle of itself here. the union stripping thing. the new emergency manager law. really draconian new restrictions on abortion. on and on. why is this the result of the