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April 25, 2020

What the heck is going on in Michigan?

By Andrea Widburg

One sensed that things weren’t going well in Michigan when Detroit sent Rashida Tlaib to Congress. After all, Tlaib, shortly after being sworn into America’s legislative body, loudly announced, “We’re gonna go in there, and we’re gonna impeach the mother*****.” Decorum and Tlaib do not exist in the same universe.

That was the first hint that there’s trouble in Michigan.

The second hint was when Michigan’s governor viewed coronavirus as a license to be a tyrant. Gretchen Whitmer earned nationwide infamy for her excessive, arbitrary, and capricious lockdown orders:

This woman, in true dictator fashion, has told the citizens of Michigan what is and what is not “essential.”  Major stores that sell food and other goods have had to cordon off all products she has deemed not essential:  plant and vegetable seeds, appliances, baby car seats, etc.  It’s a long list.  Just who is she to decide for the rest of her constituents what is essential? 

Eventually, people noticed a theme: If it brought money into the state or supported leftist initiatives, it was a go. That’s why you could buy lottery tickets, pot, and alcohol, but couldn’t provide outdoor landscaping services. You could have an abortion, but you couldn’t get your hip replaced. Michigan now has the highest unemployment rate in America.

On Thursday, the Michigan legislature finally had enough. They announced a special session to strip Whitmer of her emergency powers. Whitmer’s response only enhanced her reputation for authoritarianism, for she said, “I’m not going to sign any bill that takes authority away from me….”

She’s a tyrant, but at least she’s upfront about it.

The third hint of trouble in Michigan is the treatment the Michigan Democrats plan to mete out to state representative Karen Whitsett. Whitsett, an African American and a Democrat, contracted the Wuhan virus. She believes that what saved her life was the hydroxychloroquine cocktail.

Governor Whitmer had originally banned the drug in Michigan (because Trump supported it) but backed down in the face of a public outcry. Whitsett is certain that it was Trump’s cheerleading for the drug that led people to put pressure on the governor, thereby ensuring the drug was available to save Whitsett’s life.

Whitsett felt such a sense of gratitude that she openly thanked President Trump. She also attended a meeting of Wuhan virus survivors at the White House with President Trump and Vice President Pence. Once there, Whitsett again gave credit to the Trump administration for saving her life.

Rep. Whitsett swiftly found out that, if you’re a Michigan Democrat, both gratitude and free speech have no place in the party. Detroit Democrats want to censure Whitsett and cast her into political purdah by denying her any future party endorsements. Trump responded swiftly to the news and suggested that Whitsett might want to find a new political home:

And that’s not the end of it. According to Rep. Whitsett, she received unpleasant texts from Governor Whitmer for daring to praise hydroxychloroquine:

Tucker Carlson asked Whitsett if the governor ever called the representative to simply say, "I'm so glad you didn't die?"

"Actually, it was not as pleasant as that," Rep. Whitsett began, "and the text messages that we have had since then have not been as pleasant as well."

Rep. Whitsett said she "didn't know 'thank you' belonged to one political party over another," and said she will continue to speak out against the governor or any other person who stands in the way of Michiganders getting access to the medicine and equipment they need to survive the disease. 

During the Watergate hearings, John Dean famously described the cover-up following the break-in as a “cancer on the presidency.” Dean was squirrely and corrupt, but it’s a great phrase and works perfectly to describe the political darkness that is descending on Michigan. It might be time for those Michigan Democrats who still believe in America and the Constitution to revisit their party allegiance before it’s too late.

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