I’m not as mad at Whitmer as a lot of folks are. She was there to get stuff done for her state, and she got ambushed with an Oval Office appearance. Trump did that (including praising her) on purpose - she scares the crap out of the GOP and he was hoping to wound her politically.
Sadly Though good intentioned She got played
They love doing it to women. Ask Jane Fonda.
That’s exactly what happened
And the photo of her in that room, she looked like a hostage!
He did a great job of it.
She was getting funding for the ice storm that devastated Michigan. She wasn’t doing it because it’s a purple state. She was doing her job, protecting Michigan.
Trump and the GOP just denied relief to North Carolina! Do you think they’re going to grant any relief to Michigan?!
#BigGretch 💙✌️ We had a major ice storm 2 weeks ago. There are still people without power. Was the most beautiful thing I ever witness. But was scary as hell. I live way back to the Huron forest. Trees were literally cracking and splitting. And falling. So Dangerous.
A *huge*, historical ice storm. Started Friday night; by Sunday, we were learning the extent. Whitmer asked for federal assistance three days after it started. Crickets. Spoke to Trump about FEMA funds two days later. No response. Went to DC this week. T does not like "that woman from Michigan."
Seriously?? Trump didn't approve disaster assistance?? He approved it for Beshear in Kentucky *before* the floods hit.
On April 4, she said they "need to fully assess damage first." (Remember, Biden said "we are ready to help" with CA wildfires early on, helped ongoing.) radio.wcmu.org/local-region...
Following that, midweek, her office released a statement saying there was a conversation. This week, state representatives started making statements in support of seeking emergency relief. Whitmer went to Washington. 1,000s still without power, some still trapped by ice & downed trees/pwr lines.
Just got a no for Washington State. Gov. Ferguson said they have 30 days to appeal.
I experienced the same thing in northern Oakland County on New Year’s Eve in the late 1980s. I lived on the edge of a mature oak and maple forest and the noise was incredible. You needed a VCR video camera back then.
I agree with this take.
Thank you for that. I believe you’re correct. She did what she had to do for her constituents and trump did that intentionally to destroy her.
I think it worked, for me. She should have been smarter and tougher than to let herself be maneuvered into that position.
What I really appreciate about her going to DC was she put her state above her political career. If more people in office did that, we wouldn’t be in this mess to begin with.
Gretch is my gov! and I am proud of her courage. There was a devastating ice storm 2 weeks ago in the northern half of the Lower Peninsula. It was in the forecast for the Upper Peninsula but missed us. The Mackinac Bridge was closed for several days after because of large chunk of falling ice.
x.com/mackinacbrid...
Ice built up in the steel suspension cables 200 feet above the water.
I totally agree. Even the look on Whitmer's face spoke volumes.
I felt for her.
Not only is she worried about the auto industry here, but she's also looking for disaster relief for the northern counties in the Lower Peninsula. If you haven't seen the ice storm damage from a couple of weeks ago, it's nuts. The electrical infrastructure is all but destroyed in many areas.
Michiganders will tell you to from her sparse accomplishments here and past few years of neglect to expect very little, if anything, from Big Wretch.
A missed opportunity to do something courageous. @sarahlongwell25.bsky.social's take:
Interesting take.
They’re not scared of her after this visit. They’re laughing at her.
It’s ok. There are three Michigander women who would be just as good, if not better, on the national stage. Mallory McMorrow, Dana Nessel, Jocelyn Benson.
@dananessel yes they would be
Same. We have entered the era of grotesque asks and manipulation from the most corrupt, disgusting administration.
Wow. Circular firing squad gathers again. Whitmer is one of our better players. Allow her the off day for Pete’s sake
She has enough of a solid reputation that she can recover from this! I'll admit it shook me into asking, WTF, when I first saw it!
But you have to go in person to get funding? Is that a thing under trump?
He might have invited her to come discuss it w him. Big Gretch is my Guv. She's the type who does whatever it takes to help us Michiganders The photo is awful. Sometimes things like that happen when you're out there day after day trying to help the people in your state
It is in line with his desire to degrade and publicly humiliate people who ask for his help.
Esp a Dem
She hurt herself.
Or, maybe she wanted to meet Bill Mahr
The fact that she had to tell him that "Yes, the great lakes ARE connected " made me think..she's pretty good. I like passive aggressive Gretch!
And they connect to the world. A ship could travel from New Zealand all the way to Duluth MN or Chicago IL.
Now I expect one of his incoherent ramblings saying this.
It’s elementary school geography. I taught it to my kids when we were homeschooling & used a literature-based curriculum. We read this charming book (along with 3 others by the same author) & filled in a map to trace the journey. Maybe I should send a copy to the WH. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paddle-...
Well it worked
Thank you for this insight I really look to you for balance
I think if she ran with Newsom in 2028 we'd have a shot at winning and putting this country back together
No, they’re both toxic now. They capitulated, imagine that you can talk to people who want to beat you to death, and pretend that this isn’t a coup.
They are both toxic now? What are you talking about? He surprised her and turned it into a press event...she was there on behalf of Michiganders...hmmm? That's her job! my Gov runs the 5th largest economy in the world...Cali will do trade on it's own and bypass the Moron in the house
If Whitmer was surprised that Trump turned her visit into a press event to show her conceding to him, then she is a bad politician. Newsom invited bullies onto his podcast as if the jerks weren't going to spin those sessions into fodder. Bullies revel in cruelty; they can't be reasoned with.
Neither has a political future now. There's no political market for what they are selling. I live in Michigan. Was a big Big Gretch fan. Gave $2k to MI D candidates in '24. Marched on the 5th. I feel so betrayed by Whitmer, Peters, and Slotkin that I don't plan to support Ds in the midterms.
Voting for the GOP?
... or just not voting ... I am hearing that alot lately ...
Not voting is like not getting a cast on a broken leg. Yes, it might get better if you don’t move around, but chances are you inhibit your own range of motion & end up in pain.
Yup. This is the big problem facing MI Ds again. They refuse to acknowledge it and change course. Worse they misread Trump's win as a need to win Trump voters as opposed to winning ant-MAGA. The marches last weekend should have been a wake up call. CC: @slotkin.senate.gov, @debbiedingell.house.gov
There's no GOP...only MAGA...so no :/ I think this is what breaks so many "I miss my Dad's GOP" Democrats. They want the political environment to be something it's not where they can look serious by being bipartisan. 1/3
That's a cartoon version of things that I hear too often from young people
Are you saying that I am describing a cartoon and that I'm young or naive?
I don't know anything about you as a person. What I'm saying is that the #NeverDem movement has a cartoon view in which they understand what MAGA are but the people who deal every day all day w/it are too clueless to see what the #NeverDem kids claim to deeply understand
I'm not a kid and not a never dem. I do expect success and will no longer let my vote be taken for granted. Additionally, I am certain that I am more familiar with MAGA, Dark Enlightenment, Christian Nationalist and their precedent movements such as the John Birch Society than most.
In politics if the fascists are willing to vote for someone they consider flawed but useful, while their opposition will only vote for perfection, the fascists win every time #NeverDem is a classic GOP vote-suppression op
They cannot accept that, at best, the other party is a personality cult of a man who paints his face orange. At worst, the other party is a fascist, theocratic movement. They are incapable of accepting and reacting effectively to the reality of the moment. 2/3
I will vote for any candidate who supports the Constitutional order, the rule of law, human rights, public health, science, and national security that fights for liberal democracy globally. It would also help if they are authentically a good person. 3/3
That may be shooting yourself in both feet. Voting isn’t a statement, it is a choice between available options. 30% of voters choosing not to vote is how we got Trump & GOP in power. Perhaps run for something yourself or find someone to support.
Or convince the party that I have supported not to take me for granted. Americans like fighters. It's what Ds cannot or will not understand. They want the old political environment and are not adapting. @runforsomething.net and @indivisible.org are trying to change things. I'm unelectable.
It is going to take more than refusing to vote. Gathering people to pressure the party & those in office can work. Tactical visits to offices with video can be effective. Convincing an entire party is done person by person.
Thus working with others as pissed off as I am and voting with my donations. I have been to three events in MI in the last month, including the march in Detroit. Nobody there wants bipartisanship or more talk. They want action. Ds ignore that energy at their peril.
Blah blah...she has no choice! She has to go with the constituents that voted him in...don't know why they did... and honestly don't believe they did vote for Satan... but here we are #WerePhucked
Why do you think GOP is afraid of Whitmer? She’s already caved to trump multiple times since he took office.
Multiple times?
It wasn’t just her visit to trumps oval, Whitmer has put out tweets validating his tariffs, she posted last week a tweet that was straight up nationalism and ass kissing. Just like she bent the knee for Duggan’s endorsement & ditched no fault at his request, Whitmer caves when all is said & done.
I think it worked, sadly.
She's term-limited and who knows what she may or may not run for next.
I love her. But I’ve voted for women in primaries and for presidents and none of them win. I’m a “white guy from the Midwest” voter now. We need wins. Pritzker, Walz, Beshear, buttigieg, lots of options.
It's heartbreaking for me as a woman but you're right
cc: @medenomy.bsky.social
She said she was there for a meeting but they surprised her with a press conference. They did that on purpose.
Trump is a master of stagecraft.
Exactly what you'd expect from a reality tv star.
She is my Governor, and I would vote for her again if I could.
Mine too, and I agree
I'm an independent in MI who votes D, donated money last cycle, and has gone to three protests in the last month in Lansing, Ann Arbor, and Detroit. I feel betrayed by Whitmer, Slotkin, and Peters. They take us for granted and I have no interest in supporting them further.
Okay then: How do you think you will feel when you get: Gov. John James Sen. Mike Rogers Sen. Tudor Dixon ????? Certainly they'll NEVER betray you. Think it through, buddy. The purity tests people did on Harris worked out so great too. Look at the fascists running things now.
If MI Ds govern on the premise that what's best for the state is working with Trump, then James and Rogers are better choices...or Governor Ted Nugent and Senator Kid Rock for that matter. Fighting fascism is not a purity test. It's the minimum requirement for my vote because it's a core value.
This is profoundly sad. Totally faulty reasoning that Whitmer, Slotkin, or Peters are ushering in fascism or sitting back waiting for it to wreck our democracy. B/c obviously James, Rogers Nugent, Rock are ALL currently 100% IN on fascism. Your thinking is EXACTLY what brought us Trump's fascism.
You are so wrong and you cannot see it. Collaborators cement fascist and authoritarian movements. Please read Hannah Arendt and Timothy Snyder and then maybe you'll understand what's really going on and where we are in the historical examples. 1/3
Furthermore, from a purely functional example of bully psychology, Trump has given us a long history of abuse. Loyalty is a one way transaction with him dictated by power imbalance. Trump backed off of tariffs because Canada coordinated with the EU and Japan to tank T-Bills. 2/3
If MI Ds want to sell us on the premise that what's best for our state is our relationship with Trump, then their opponents are far better choices. If that's the logic they are promoting, then they are not the logical choice. People want fighters. Only fighters from here on out. 3/3
Michigander here. Independent, been voting Democrat for a long time. We donated to the Harris campaign and door knocked (for the first ever time). You can have your purity tests all you want. But first and foremost, my current elected politicians have to run the government to serve 1/
their constituents. The ice storm was widespread and catastrophic. She needed to do what it takes to get the money for us. If you want the action you described, get enough like minded people elected so they actually have the power to do something. D's in the minority have little power realistically.
Mitch McConnell was in the minority many cycles and was extremely effective in stopping D agendas. There's always a way if you fight. Whitmer, so far, has gotten nothing. The ice storms are not the biggest issue facing MI. 1/5
Curious why?
Everyone is being manipulated by the Felon in chief. Don’t rise to the bait.
Why are people so scared of him? I don’t get it. Everyone’s afraid to say anything bad about him
Well, except the governor of Maine.
And we saw what happened there. Cutting all federal funding towards their public schools.
She took him to court
Optics play a big part in influencing people. Without complete disclosure, people will assume the worst.
*If one is a Dem. IOKIYAR tho
She should have coughed for a few times, and said she was feeling under the weather--and the freaky germaphobe fascist wouldn't have let her anywhere near the Oval Office.
"coughed a few times" My bad.
That itself isn't the problem. It's that she tried to hide herself out of SHAME. She should have went to the cameras and told them exactly why she was there, and turn it into a campaign stunt for Michigan. She choked.
Who does she think she is, anyhow!?! A Republican?
Yes, she could have been more savvy. But let’s not give Trump the satisfaction of hanging this around her neck
I agree. You could tell as he talked at her, he is no match for her. He knows it, she knows it, and he knows she knows. I'm sure someone had diaper duty when that conversation was done.
You're never mad at anyone centrist or center right. 🤷🏻
I support big Gretch. She was trying to help our state.
My concern is that there is too much hate against those who don't do "Democrat" the way others do. This rage against all others that don't agree with them all the time is making all Democrats look like haters. Whitmer's activities don't go against core Democrat policies, so let her do her thing.
Amen.
Good point, well stated. However, “Democratic policies,” please. When you use “Democrat” that way, you are doing GOP’s work for them. Thank you.
I'm not sure I understand what you mean: I should use the term "Democratic policies" rather than just "Democrat" because the term is used derogatively by rebublicans?