What’s up with Gretchen Whitmer, the governor of Michigan?
Gretchen Whitmer is the governor of Michigan. Till COVID struck, I’d never heard of her, but then I don’t live in Michigan or near it. COVID has given her a fame of sorts, because she has clamped down on the citizens of her state harder than any other governor (and that’s saying something).
Prior to this – and maybe even now – Whitmer was a rising star in the Democratic Party:
In February 2020, she was selected to give the Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s 2020 State of the Union Address. She is the national co-chairwoman of the Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign.
Looking at that Wiki bio, I don’t see anything in particular that would distinguish her from other liberal Democrats in terms of predicting that she would have a more draconian COVID response than the others. And yet here we are:
Among the complaints was that Whitmer had prohibited sale of seeds and other garden supplies at a time when vegetable gardens need to be planted. Executive Order 2020-42 is titled, “Temporary requirement to suspend activities that are not necessary to sustain or protect life,” and it is quite specific about which activities are and are “not necessary.” Stores with “more than 50,000 square feet” (e.g., Walmart, Lowes, Home Depot) are ordered to close areas of the store “by cordoning them off, placing signs in aisles, posting prominent signs, removing goods from shelves, or other appropriate means” that sell carpet or flooring, furniture, and “garden centers and plant nurseries.” So if grandma went to Walmart for groceries and hoped to pick up some tomato plants or cucumber seeds while she was there — sorry, grandma! You could get a thousand-dollar fine and 90 days in jail for disobeying Whitmer’s orders.
Posting photos from a Walmart in Grand Rapids showing the now-banned seeds cordoned off with yellow tape, one Twitter user declared, “@GovWhitmer has banned us from growing our own food. This is [bleeping] insane.” Another user posted a photo indicating that it’s now apparently forbidden to sell American flags in Michigan. Barbecue grills, lawn chairs — anything in the garden section is now streng verboten in Michigan. References to Whitmer as a “dictator” proliferated on social media over the weekend as Michigan residents came to grips with the consequences of the governor’s draconian order.
There’s much more at the link. It explains that the vast majority of Michigan’s deaths are in Detroit and the rest of the state has been doing rather well, but the rules are for the entire state. The arbitrary and illogical nature of the rules is staggering; they seem to have been designed merely to flex the state’s muscle, showing the people who’s boss – because they don’t seem to have much connection to actual control of the disease.
And then of course there’s this:
Last month, the governor actually threatened the licenses of medical professionals who prescribed the anti-malarial drug hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) for coronavirus patients. A week later, however, Whitmer was trying to secure supplies of HCQ from the federal strategic stockpile. Erratic, arbitrary, deaf to criticism — she has thoroughly botched Michigan’s response to this crisis, and yet, despite her blatant failure, there is talk that Whitmer is on the list of potential running mates for presumed Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
I think the latter is because (a) she’s a woman, and a fairly attractive one; and (b) as previously mentioned, she’s been a big Biden supporter.
The more interesting question to me is why Whitmer has had such a terrible reaction to the threat of COVID. It’s not just because she’s a female Democrat; there are others who fit that description and I haven’t heard much if anything that distinguishes their responses.
I don’t have an answer to my own question because I know very little about her, and if any of you have some insight please feel free to explain. But my observation is this: many people both in public and private life, but particularly in public life, are interested in gaining power over others. And many will use a crisis to increase that power, which they enjoy wielding.
It’s not always possible to tell in advance who these people will be. But there will be such people, and Whitmer is one of them. Their stance doesn’t come from having greater intelligence or skill or foresight, and they can be more insecure or less insecure. One of the roots might be the need to control. Another is a lack of interest in protecting liberty. The two together make a very bad combination.
[ADDENDUM: A petition to recall her has gained a lot of signatures. People don’t want Nurse Ratched as governor.]
Yes indeed. The little Hitlers among us are always attracted to a life in politics. Here’s hoping the movement to recall her proceeds at high velocity.
Trump called her Half Whitmer.
Do they have maximum brain cell limits for Dems?
I know a lot of folks here read Instapundit, so I assume most saw this, https://www.zdnet.com/article/nyu-scientists-largest-u-s-study-of-covid-19-finds-obesity-the-single-biggest-factor-in-new-york-critical-cases/
It’s hard to tell if it is anything conclusive, or not. The article even points out some of the theory’s flaws. Not a bad sample size, but all from NYC. The speculation is it is inflammation + over 65 that may be the biggest determinants if a COVID patient ends up needing hospitalization. Obesity often = inflammation, but the hypothesis proposed is the inflammation itself is the culprit.
I think, maybe, she’s sort-of a Kirsten Gillibrand type. Her parents, both attorneys, were quite involved in Michigan, democrat politics and my guess is her family had some money based on her parents’ career trajectories. Her father was CEO of blue cross – blue shield for quite awhile.
She certainly seems ambitious, and, based on her family background and her own career is likely a true believer, vis a vis the Democrat Party.
It is also true that Michigan has been hard hit by COVID. However, like a lot of states, including New York, the severity is primarily centered around one, large, urban area while 90% of other residents live in areas of minimal risk. One can understand her being concerned for citizens’ welfare and the ability of hospitals to to handle patients, but a systemic approach centered on counties and their unique profiles would make much more sense.
I looked up Michigan law and there is a provision to recall the governor. Wisconsin has such a law so it doesn’t surprise me that MI does.
She should be recalled.
It is fairly common for Michiganders to have a “cabin,” or more elaborate, second home in the sticks. Michigan has a lot of natural beauty, more coastline than Florida, as well as a fair amount of interior lakes of various sizes.
Most Michiganders take the outdoors seriously; hiking, boating (power, human and sailing), fishing (ice and water), hunting, cycling, skiing (cross country and downhill), snowmobiling, ATV’ing… It seems like every driveway has a boat, jetskis and snowmobile.
I spoke with some friends who live on interior lakes in scenic areas where many city folks spend their summer weekends. Two friends, in two different parts of the state. They only moved there permanently from the city themselves about a year ago. They both reported that all the city folks are sheltering at their country homes and some of the year round residents are taking issue with that. A legitimate concern is local, hospital care if the city folk bring the virus with them. But some are also concerned about resources.
I watched her response to the State of the Union live. She did a good job speaking, but a terrible job “responding.” She basically kicked off saying she was going to ignore the State of the Union (orange man bad) and talk about herself and the Democrat party. She didn’t even note when things she was talking about overlapped with the President’s address. It was very staged.
All the Dems have to do to beat Trump is not be insane.
They are unable to do it.
Old Chinese Proverb: “Of what value is power if you cannot exploit it?”
Corollary: “As with muscles, to prevent flaccidness power must be frequently exercised vigorously”.
Actually, I made those up.
C.S. Lewis, God in the Dock: Essays on Theology (Making of Modern Theology)
Arbitrary use of political power is addictive. Once tasted, the user wants more. My governor Kim Reynolds, a Republican, has avoided draconian measures. One can buy anything available in stores that are deemed essential. That includes….
GARDEN SEEDS!
Cornhead,
There is already an online movement to recall Governor Whit-less; however, there isn’t a formal recall petition yet. One of the requirements is to gather at least 700,000 valid signatures in a 60 day period; which simply cannot happen while we’re under martial law.
KRB
These kinds of things have been accumulating for weeks now and those pointing them out have been shouted down even by some supposed conservatives or at least Republicans.
The C.S. Lewis quote above and the Ben Franklin quote on security vs liberty have never been more relevant.
A Dictator has to Dictate.
My own state with a Dem Gov has not been so draconian, yet. Even our Pot shops are open.
What’s wrong with her? Well, she’s a 2d generation lawyer and legacy pol who has squatted in elective office since the age of 29. She’s had a few years in law practice, her latter stint almost certainly devoted to rainmaking and / or lobbying. She’d never held an executive position until 15 months ago. She’s 48 years old. She understands how business is done in the state capitol and that’s about all. If she has a nimble mind and a quick-study capacity, it’s not in evidence.
The echt Democratic pol resume is that of Debbie Wasserman Schultz. She’s the next ratchet down.
I have a suspicion that the problem here is that Whitmer has no idea how other people live and employs a staff who are just like her. I think most gentry liberals are like that.
If Mr Biden is the Presidential candidate and chooses Gov Whitmer, he will get 90% of the vote in Michigan! Everyone there will want to get rid of her. Fortunately, she will reduce the vote for the Biden ticket in every other state, as nobody will want her near them.
Whitmer should talk to Tara Reade about Biden’s wandering fingers before she angles to be his VP.
LYNN HARGROVE: She left our pot shops and abortion clinics open.
Shut down our churches, garden centers, lawn services, etc.
Governess Whitmer got elected because of 1) the pot vote which was on the ballot and 2) a Republican candidate everyone on the party saw as another RINO.
I am convinced that if Biden selects here for VP, he will definitely lose this state.
We would not gain by her removal, we’d get her Lt Governor Gilchrist who is probably worse.
We are livid here in this state.
The emergency powers she is operating under call for “reasonable” measures.
Professor Briggs (of MI) say it well.
https://wmbriggs.com/post/30298/
We are Michiganders who have one of those second homes, a cottage in the west side of the state, on Lake Michigan. Our main residence is about an hour and a half away. We basically moved out here three weeks ago because in terms of social distancing you can’t get much safer. I fit at least four of the high-risk categories for the virus and we think this is the best place for us to be. The local (excellent) grocery store takes our order by email and my husband picks it up in their parking lot. The employees couldn’t be nicer. Things may be different in the elegant resort towns farther north because the vacationers they attract are perceived to not always play nicely with the local people. (Just a theory.)
This week we have to go back home for part of a day so that I can get treatment at two different medical facilities. Perhaps we should carry a letter from a doctor so that we can avoid punishment if (it’s difficult to imagine, but . . . ) we’re stopped and informed that under the Governor’s rule we shouldn’t be traveling between our own two homes.
A friend who also has a cottage is—was—in the process of remodeling it. He says he hoped to employ a carpenter, a plumber, an electrician, and a painter, all of whom could have worked at safe distances from each other. But the Governor has forbidden this potential boon to several people who certainly need the work.
Another irony is that our neighbors up here are from Chicago, and the edicts do not touch them. They are free to come and go between here and there just as they please.
It is very true that there is a big difference between the Detroit metropolitan area and the rest of the state. It’s especially true in the case of the virus, which is rampant there but not outstate, even in the second-largest metropolitan area, Grand Rapids. There has always been an east-west divide in the state, with political power centered in the east and flowing from there to Lansing. The Governor is of the east, geographically, politically, and culturally. I hope she can be persuaded to recognize that different parts of her state could be treated differently in response to the danger the virus presents. I think Drs. Birx and Fauci have referred to a “granular” approach, and that seems reasonable for our state.
While the Democrats are not Nazis, the mindset it, in many ways, the same. The acquisition of power over others.
http://www.scifiwright.com/2010/10/who-goes-nazi/?fbclid=IwAR2uumVBn6jyQBdxXAjargthJEu-3215i3awNwW7gDm10dhTdDg_z9xRsuQ
What’s the bet she was lined up to be Biden’s “woman” on the ticket?
Is that still an option?
Whitmer a fairly attractive woman? According to whose standards? Shrieking lunatics who march around boasting of their mental instability while topped off with “pussy hats”?
Ok. Yeah, I guess you were citing a Democrat constituency.
But “attractive” according to the standards of any normally discerning or functioning heterosexual male? Well, not so much. I would however consider casting her in the role of Satanica, High Priestess of the Island of Lesbian Catwomen, if I were ever in the business of making such a movie.
Attractive? Well if she had red hair and went to Mr Makeover (nope, even he has his limits). 🙂
Attractive?
We refer to her as “The Forehead” and at times she bears an uncanny resemblance to Bruce Jenner as he currently portrays himself.
Whitmer is a pet of Detroit mayor Duggan who is a machine creature if there ever was one. Both are Democrat hacks to put it simply who think they know better than you. Detroit is the main voting block for the Dems here in Michigan so they have to look good here
i’ve met lt. gov. gilchrist. he is definitely worse. an affirmative action case would be the last Dem governor of michigan for 20 years tho
Neo correctly stated some days ago that patients in NY hospitals were allowed to treat COVID patients with HCQ. I subsequently heard Dr. Oz claim that Gov. Cuomo had made it illegal for doctors to treat outpatients with HCQ, presumably to protect the rheumatoid and lupus patients who need the drug. It was Dr. Oz’s wish that a great many doctors would violate that law, though I’m sure many won’t.
I had stated incorrectly here, that the vast majority of S. Korea COVID patients had gotten HCQ treatments, whereas in reality patients were split into two treatment groups. One group got HIV drugs, lopinavir and ritonavir, and the second group got HCQ.
______
I’ve been interested in the pre-existing conditions issue. The CDC.gov site made mention of the issue without any real elucidation. A commenter here stated that hypertension is at the top of the bad conditions list. I did find this at Business Insider about Italy’s hospital stats. It does appear that hypertension is a big problem.
I’ve gotten a little hooked on the MedCram videos by Dr. Seheult about COVID-19, that commenter Liz recommended. He has one on the ACE2 receptor on cell membranes which is how SARS-CoV-2 viruses attach to cell when infecting them. The ACE2 receptor is also involved in the biochemistry that helps regulate blood pressure.
My blood pressure is elevated, but not full blown hypertension.
DNW; om:
Boy, you guys are a tough audience.
She’s fairly attractive in the physical sense, I think, by objective standards. What’s the problem with these photos?
Your mileage may differ.
Doesn’t completely surprise me that many of Democratic politicians have done so much of this but it’s quite a few Republicans also. And so much of the citizenry going along with it simply proves that the march through the schools and colleges has won.
I’ve always been a little cynical but these last few weeks I’ve gone from cynical to disheartened to disillusioned. Next stop bitter.
I think the Dems really think that ‘bossy’ women are the way to go in winning elections. Look at HRC and the squad. IMHO, for a national election it does not work. Ideally, if people vote for a female candidate (nationally) they want a calm, capable, compassionate and strong person. HRC had a lot of negatives and ultimately she lost the election because of her personality. She was not strong and sharp. She was mean and incompetent. Warren was too hysterical when she was compassionate and became very annoying.
Whitmer is currently getting glowing multi page news pieces and is a Democrat darling, because she appears tough, while she is just being ‘bossy’ and dumb., Also, she is from Michigan. Whitmer is not a good look for the regular voter, and she will be the VP on the ticket.
She’s attractive for a politician.
Not super model attractive.
Rufus T. Firefly on April 13, 2020 at 3:48 pm said:
I know a lot of folks here read Instapundit, so I assume most saw this, https://www.zdnet.com/article/nyu-scientists-largest-u-s-study-of-covid-19-finds-obesity-the-single-biggest-factor-in-new-york-critical-cases/
That goes along with a lot of the breathless “healthy person who died of Covid in their 30s/40s” obituary reporting on the front pages of the liberal media outlets. I mentioned here several weeks ago that in 90%+ of these deaths the patients were obese, although that took a little internet digging for many (on local news sites or social media). Sites like yahoo and usa today took to using old photos of the deceased when they were 10 years younger and 80 pounds lighter or if these were not available, they’d crop photos of the people just below their faces to minimize their heft. It’s almost as if the media suspected obesity was a big factor (since they were greedily collecting and sensationalizing these young patient deaths and saw a connection), and wanted to hide it from the public while pushing the idea that these young victims were all completely healthy and totally fit in every way.
Neo:
Tongue in cheek, although I suspect she has quite the selection of black shorts (a Roderick Spode in drag). 😉
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roderick_Spode
Yep – “the forehead” nails it.
Yes, here in WA a relatively young man in his late forties died a few weeks back and they showed a picture of him and he was quite heavy. Obviously makes it no less tragic but I wonder how many truly healthy people under 50 have died in the US. Probably some but as a percentage of the dead I bet it’s very small number.
om,
In my younger days (and maybe it little older, too) we used to have what we called golfer hot. A female golfer was attractive for a golfer not so much from a Hollywood standpoint but from a golf perspective yes. Politicians are the same.
Not the most mature or PC thing but it’s what guys did (and still do just more carefully now).
I agree with Neo. Gov. Whitmer is downright gorgeous on the Madeleine Albright and Barbara Mikulski scale.
Griffin:
P.G. Wodehouse called them “hearty girls” or “hockey knockers.” As in field hockey. Are those the golfer hot gals? He has quite a few golfing stories btw.
om,
There are a lot of women golfers with very athletic bodies and great muscle tone (legs especially)but not exactly the most beautiful facially. Not all unattractive just not real attractive. So it’s a trade off. I feel guilty even typing these things in mixed company.
On attractiveness I go back to ye olde John Lennon who sings:
You can shine your shoes and wear a suit
You can comb your hair and look quite cute
You can hide your face behind a smile
One thing you can’t hide
Is when you’re crippled inside
Michigan has a population of about 10 million. Around a third of that is in Detroit, which has been a disaster for years and years and years. The last Republican mayor of Detroit, I believe, left office in 1962. So, the Michigan Democratic Party is, by default, dominated by people who have have learned they can fail spectacularly without any negative consequences.
That doesn’t breed great leaders.
Mike
I live in Michigan. I am not inclined to blame the governor, or the president. As one who has no responsibilities like this, I am no one to judge the leaders who do. I cannot imagine the pressures on them. Whitmer has been more strict, and other governors more lax, but that’s federalism. If she has gone too far, I trust the legislature, which Republicans control, to moderate things. From the little things I hear, though, she has stirred the hornet’s nest.
She’s fairly attractive in the physical sense, I think, by objective standards
Attractive (if annoying) pols might be Tulsi Gabbard, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Kamala Harris. Attractive (non annoying) pols might be Kristi Noem or Nikki Haley. Keep in mind, you lose a lot of points for bottle blonde hair, and few women over 30 have naturally blonde hair. This Whitmer dame looks witchy.
Some of the photos of Whitmer are better than others – just like for everyone else.
However, she should lose that blue dress.
Our electoral system is not designed to actually filter for who would be a good leader. Instead, we select those who can do well at donor dinners, look good on TV, and have the right contacts.
CR, no malice, but you are part of the problem.
If you can’t see the lack of leadership on her part, or the instinct to ride roughshod over Constitutional rights, then please refrain from voting again.
And if you trust the legislature in Lansing, I suspect you are not from around these parts, or you haven’t been paying attention.
“This Whitmer dame looks witchy”
She has the look of some ceramic devil doll prop that might appear in the plot of one of those 1950s horror movies that used to run on Saturday afternoon TV in the 1960s thru 80s.
I’ll tell you, she bears a a striking resemblance as the living-breathing version of Natasha Fatale, you know – Rocky & Bullwinkle. Some of her thinking also bears a resemblance. Where was Frostbite Falls, again?
“Vat about Moose?”
So, the Michigan Democratic Party is, by default, dominated by people who have have learned they can fail spectacularly without any negative consequences.
I don’t think most Michigan Democrats cut their teeth in Detroit. The current governor is from Lansing, the preceding Democratic governor from the Detroit suburbs, the one prior also from the Detroit suburbs, and the one prior from Port Huron and the area around Ann Arbor. The current (Democratic) Senators include one from Lansing and another from the Detroit suburbs. Democratic predecessors of these two include one from Flit and one from Detroit. The Democratic predecessors of these two were from Detroit – when it was a satisfactory place to live.
The political order incorporates tremendous inertia in this country, and a pathway forward for Detroit would require creative thinking of a sort you seldom see. I suspect a Republican governor who actually laid out a plan would get stunned silence or vociferous opposition.
Step one would be incorporating a metropolitan authority in the four counties around Detroit to assume certain functions, most prominently law enforcement. It would be important that the new metropolitan force go to school under Wm. Bratton.
Step two would be building a schools division in the local sheriff’s department which would (1) provide security officers for schools in return for a capitation and (2) operate day detention centers to which incorrigible youths could be remanded by school principles (in return for a capitation).
Step three would be turning the staff, plant, and equipment of each public school in Detroit over to a philanthropic corporation elected by a mail in ballot held among stakeholder bodies. Conjoined to that, you’d incorporate a school fund for the residents of the former Detroit school district. The school fund would be financed in part by a grant from the state treasury and in part from property and sales taxes in the former Detroit school district. Each custodial parent in the service catchment would receive a voucher with a given redemption value for each child they had; parents could also apply for a supplementary voucher if their child tested such that he was determined to be a candidate for labor-intensive instruction; the distribution of such supplementary vouchers would be subject to rations and queues. A parent could send her child to any school which would take him, with a guaranteed place at the Sheriff’s departments schools if no one else would. The child could be registered for school at the county or municipal clerk’s office. A parent could enroll their youth at a school participating in the voucher program (which schools would be debarred from charging tuition, charging fees, or expecting donations) or could turn in their vouchers for some degree of cash compensation (which would be a function of their direct tax payments and the number of children they had of school age) and use the proceeds to send their child to a tuition-financed school or to homeschool them. All youngsters would have to sit for regents’ examinations for quality control and the schools performing most poorly on league tables would be shuttered by the state courts each year.
Step four would be a state-run beautification program for the Detroit municipality. The object would be to knock down all the decrepit buildings and haul the debris away.
Step five would be a state law requiring transparent compensation for all public employees, Detroit especially. That would include financing insurance programs entirely out of assessments on stated employee compensation, high deductibles for insurance programs, and defined contribution retirement programs.
Step six would be limits on the compensation paid public employees. Mean compensation per FTE for any government could not be in excess of 110% of mean compensation per worker in the private sector in a given geographic catchment. Incorporated affiliates of any government (e.g. the water authority) would have similar limits, but derived from industry standards. Also, no employee of a given government could receive a salary and benefits package in excess of the 96th percentile of the local private sector. Any bonus granted in excess of that would have to be voted on every year after a public hearing dedicated to the question, with the yeas and nays recorded.
Step seven would be suspending the imposition of property taxes in slum neighborhoods, and financing core city governments with a combination of county grants, municipal sales taxes, and property taxes in the more affluent areas.
Step eight would be restoring the system of civil service examinations, and, conjoined to that, allowing something close to termination at will for public employees. It’s important that the occupants of public sector jobs be people who’ve performed well on examinations. It’s not important they be tenured.
Step nine would be replacing the Detroit city council with a board appointed by the county government. The residents of Detroit would still elect state and county legislators, but not their own municipal council.
Yeah, I know. Fat chance for any one of these measures.
@ Neo
In response to your question. Objectively speaking, and dropping the “devil doll” routine for a moment, the answer ius that her eyes are misaligned, and her face mannish.
That is not a knock on her character; but that is equally alarming. Trying to give a straight answer here, to a legitimate question.
I live in Grand Rapids, Michigan. My husband is a physician. We were not planning on going to our second home on Lake Michigan any time soon but we were outraged at the executive order prohibiting us from going there. We pay huge taxes on that property. Will we be reaccredited on a pro-rata basis for the time period we are forbidden to go there? Also, what people don’t understand is how contradictory and illogical Whitmer’s latest order is, if you look at the whole picture. Abortion clinics, Alcohol and Pot are essential and stores/clinics can remain open. But just about everything else must close or be subject to fines. If you are in a store to buy essential groceries, you can’t buy paint or gardening supplies that are also sold there. These are products that are available in that very same store which is already following Whitmer’s restrictions on social distancing and reduced capacity in their establishments . It is scary to see the mindless twits on Facebook and other social media defending these policies without seeing the hypocrisy.
Scott – The post at John C Wright’s blog is actually by Dorothy Thompson, written in 1942. I’ve read it several times, as it is a perennial on some circuits.
Some passages resonate today, of course, which is why Wright reprinted it 10 years ago, and people keep linking to it. (Contrary to Wright’s concern, the original is still available here – https://harpers.org/archive/1941/08/who-goes-nazi/).
Thompson makes a superficially convincing case.
Except, we won’t be going to any big parties to try it out, so you will have to do some post-hoc analysis of your friends or public figures.
(Note that her sample is drawn completely from a single social circle, including the servants. Did she actually know any Nazis, or any of the laboring proletariat that were the focus of a lot of Hitler’s propaganda?)
Her armchair psychology is great if you are writing a book and need to draw some characters, but she fails one basic test: were any of her predictions correct?
Well, since Hitler didn’t win the war, we won’t ever know.
Better to look at the clinical trial from Germany.
“They Thought They Were Free” by Milton Mayer
Hartmann gives some of his own biography, to illustrate why he thought Mayer’s book was the real goods. All the excerpts are by the reviewer, but he quotes liberally from Mayer’s book.
https://www.thomhartmann.com/blog/2005/11/they-thought-they-were-free
Mayer himself explained the process as it happened in Germany, and which ought to be recognizable here.
After quoting Niemoller’s famous lamentation:
Also, she consistently finds opportunity to criticize Trump and the federal government’s response at every opportunity and has appeared regularly on all the liberal tv shows. Meanwhile, she denies she is taking shots or is focused on anything other than the people of Michigan. It is ugly. Meanwhile, our unemployment program is grievously slow to respond and she asks for grace in response. Hmmmm. What is good for the goose,….
Now the kicker: this review was written in 2005, and ends with dire warnings about the overwhelming political dominance of conservatives, and the kowtowing to them in the media. And Gore was robbed.
(He complains that Gore lost to Bush because of voter fraud, and that recounts in Florida would have given the election to the Democrats. Even PBS admitted that was wrong – https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/media-jan-june01-recount_04-03 although Wikipedia does its best to resuscitate the case in Gore’s favor. What everyone agrees on is that the Florida elections were a mess.)
Hartmann ends with this:
Everybody thinks the other guy is Hitler.
Welcome to Gramscii’s Antifa.
AesopFan:
The blue dress was very very unfortunate. But I bet it looked a LOT better at home in front of the mirror.
I have had that phenomenon occur.
Sometimes a blue burqua is better.
“Inside every liberal is a totalitarian screaming to get out.” — David Horowitz
“The burden of self-deception has grown too heavy, and some minor incident,…. collapses it all at once, and you see that everything, everything, has changed and changed completely under your nose.” – Mayer
The #WalkAway movement, I think, exemplifies the “minor incident -> collapse of self-deception” — some little something that isn’t all that important in and of itself, but pulls the curtain aside and reveals all the rot that you never really added up before.
Trump’s election, and now the virus, is a MAJOR incident for some people.
For others, well, the Harmanns never look in the mirrors.
Blurb on Hartmann’s sidebar:
Our job is to make sure our own mirrors are unclouded.
Aesop Fan:
That last quote could be from the Babylon Bee; Paul Krugman is the epitome of the stopped clock effect.
More great thoughts from the man with his own curtain:
https://www.thomhartmann.com/blog/2020/04/america-has-big-decision-make-how-do-we-end-shelter-place
Suddenly, borders are a problem.
As Trump pointed out today, the media and Democrats (BIRM) all complained loudly when he banned flights from China at the end of January, when the House was still pushing impeachment as the crisis du jour, and later from Europe.
When he floated the idea of isolating New York City, pearl necklaces burst from the clutching.
Now the same people complain that he didn’t stop the flights from China at the beginning or middle of January — when there were no cases and no deaths (and China and WHO were lying about everything including “and” and “the”).
I would like to have seen what they would have printed then — the screeds about how Trump is a Nazi!!!! Dictator!!! Authoritarian!!! racist-homophobe-misogynist-evil-demon-lord would have reached stratospheric heights.
So now, he was wrong NOT to be a Nazi!!!! Dictator!!! Authoritarian!!! racist-homophobe-misogynist-evil-demon-lord because “this can only be done at the federal level.”
And, once again, the major responsibility for preparation for disasters lies with the governors of each state, which are physically and population-wise more like the countries he touts as having done things right.
Pardon me if I do not take this man seriously.
We have returned to the period of kings, dukes and duchess… with their copying presidential executive statements and pretending they can make law with writs… these technically have no power… but who will notice?
These are only to tell other agencies what a governor would like done
they have no power of law… as governors cant make law..
they have usurped powers they do not have..
“What’s the problem with these photos?”
Damaged goods, that’s what.
You can see it in her eyes.
Principiis obsta and Finem respice – ‘Resist the beginnings’ and ‘consider the end.’ But one must foresee the end in order to resist, or even see, the beginnings.
well, cant even get people to read the right things so that they would see it
they argue that it isnt what it is till its way too late to argue..
we can read papers openly at the UN and other places about replacement immigration to make up for the loss of the population, blame it on money, and ignore who is being exterminated and how the policy gets more extreme till post birth abortion is on the menu… but wont bother seeing, even from history, that the evil we are taught to love, is evil.
I think he did this to get them to step in it…
Trump claims ‘total’ authority, over govs, to reopen economy
https://apnews.com/ba9578acf23bdb03fd51a2b81f640560
ok.. NOW let them protest that he didnt do what they were supposed to do..
this is not time to invent the pushmepullyou..
Though this is going to get interesting…
What is the point of a president if such is not the point?
She’s got big boobs, big belly with prominent navel, even through the blue dress, and is very hippy. Only one of those is a positive.
But she’s also stupid. Else why would Biden think of choosing her? C talents hire D talent.
Bill:
By dressing for their bodies, women can accentuate the negative or the positive. That blue dress accentuates the negative for Whitmer. With the right undergarments and the right dress (she has on neither!), she would look 500% better.
She certainly looks better here.
She might marginally, look more attract in a tight red deress that features her breasts, and bangs that hide the billboard fore head. Otherwise… not attractive to a heterosexual male
Frozen face. Could be a face lift too many or too much Botox.
Scary.
Amen on the bangs, Parker. They would really help to soften her look.
This post has brought out a lot of Michiganders. My father, who lived in many places once told me that there was something special in the character of Michiganders that made them loyal and true friends. It has been many years since I lived in Detroit but I do agree with my dear old dad – after all, my wife of many years is one! 🙂
All you Michiganders out there take heart. Better days are coming. Looking forward to returning for a visit someday.
Neo, I tend to find the soulless black vortex of her eyes ruins any sense of beauty.
I suspect Governor Twitmer (another name I’ve heard used for her) figures the more damage done to the economy the worse it will for the Demon Trump, because he’ll get the blame.
I live mostly in Michigan and usually I don’t hear much commentary about the governor. Not this time. She isn’t well thought of by other people I hear opine and everyone has noticed that her restrictions don’t make sense.
But if she’s focused on national politics she probably doesn’t care. Again, wrecking Michigan will help the democrats defeat Trump, she thinks, and you can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs. Soon enough it won’t be her problem.
Now I obviously can’t predict the future and maybe all this is making her really popular among people I don’t talk to in person. But I doubt it. I figure people will tolerate this nonsense for a while, with good grace at the start, then less.
Eventually, people will start ignoring these decrees, angrily and I think rightfully. Lawsuits will follow and the 2020 campaign will have an issue to discuss- were appropriate actions taken during the pandemic?
For Half-Whitmer, I’d say no. Trump look better, and Biden is invisible.
By dressing for their bodies, women can accentuate the negative or the positive. T
The majority of women in this country fall into one of two categories: (1) fat slobs and (2) those who spend a mint to look worse than they would if they did little or nothing.
Do it properly.
https://www.amazon.com/CZZPTC-Womens-Classic-Leather-Pointed/dp/B07V8F3G59
https://www.garnethill.com/essential-three-quarter-sleeve-linen-dress/womens-fashion/dresses/559624?gtmPageName=PDPProdCar-ItemClick
https://www.fabulousafter40.com/latest-hairstyles-for-women-over-40/
https://tinatang.com/blogs/career-crush/brief-history-of-lockets-tinatang-jewelry
https://www.glassesusa.com/tortoise-small/muse-m8071/39-p9500.html?promo=yousave55&gclid=CjwKCAjwvtX0BRAFEiwAGWJyZDMETv9mBCzQlTs6sewWJOJ2MkHEZuR1pltPzxFho_B4TMvtEV-yMBoClw8QAvD_BwE
The Democrats (in general) believe in the power of government to do good. Combined with this, they are disdainful of the capacities and wisdom of the American public. This is a part of their ideology. They are elitists and they believe that the public’s role is to serve them. This is the mindset that leads them to make such extreme and unbalanced policies.
The Democrats (in general) believe in the power of government to do good.
Actually, they believe in using administrative agency rulings and judicial decrees to injure and harass their enemies.
I think “fairly attractive” is an accurate description.
Two words of the post were devoted to her looks, because looks are of course an important aspect of politics now that so much of it takes place in the media.
But the post was about this governor’s apparent abuse of power, and her political connections. I found the post quite interesting because I didn’t know about those political connections — thanks for that.
And yet many of the comments are about her looks. People feel completely comfortable making rude and over-the-top statements about this person’s looks.
I find that disconcerting.
The upstate/downstate cultural/political split in states is very common. Most states have one big city that’s a blue cesspool, with close to half the state’s population in the metro area, and the rest of the state is more conservative. Even New York fits that, but also Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, etc. Sometimes two far apart, like Pennsylvania. They call the region in between Philly and Pittsburgh “Pennsyltucky.” It’s like the town/gown split in college towns. Ohio is unusual in having several medium-big cities instead of one dominant one.
Most states have one big city that’s a blue cesspool,
Not most states. Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Georgia, Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, Washington state, and Hawaii have that settlement pattern. Maryland and California have a bipolar pattern.
I think “fairly attractive” is an accurate description.
Attractive to whom?
People feel completely comfortable making rude and over-the-top statements about this person’s looks.
The moderator made an aesthetic judgment. We’re disputing that. We’re not slamming her to her face. She has gal pals. Let them tell her to her face.
I’m from Michigan, too. Mostly. I’ve not lived there for a long time. But I think that what goes on there does affect me.
The only Michigan-politics story that I have to tell is about the time that Howard Wolpe gave the commencement address at my alma mater the year before I graduated, I believe it was. The whole thing, being outdoors, was interrupted by a cloudburst, so I held an umbrella for him as we all retreated to the gym.
Thus, I’m out of touch with state politics. But I feel bad when I hear about such developments as these.
I tried out one press-conference replay from each of Govs. Whitmer and Noem for comparison. They both have reasonably good-sounding voices, to me. Cuomo often has a fingernails-on-chalkboard quality in my ear.
Not most states.
Yeah, I didn’t do a count, but I said sometimes it’s two as with PA. But the point is that the big city/small town rural split is virtually in every state, nothing particularly about Michigan (and I grew up there). Maybe states like Iowa, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Montana, Idaho don’t have that issue, but they’re the minority.
My dad would call the Michigan governor a ‘handsome woman’. Its not a compliment.
There’s definitely a soulless look to her eyes though. That’s the key. All other factors can be mitigated by makeover or personality. But you need a soul for that.
Neo compared her to Nurse Ratched. But for the Harry Potter crowd, it would be like being governed by Professor Dolores Umbridge.
The seed rule is just pure petty, soulless evil. With a side of fence post stupid.
Yeah, I didn’t do a count, but I said sometimes it’s two as with PA. But the point is that the big city/small town rural split is virtually in every state,
I’m going to be picky with you. You have an urban-rural split in every state, but the balance between them varies a great deal, as do the coarse properties of the cities in question.
1. The dense tract development around the Pennsylvania portion of greater Philadelphia conjoined to that around greater Pittsburgh encompasses about 1/3 of Pennsylvania’s population (about 3.5 million in the five counties around Philly, and 1.2 million in the three counties around Pittsburgh). About half of Penna’s population is core city / surburban and about 1/2 is exurban, small town, and rural. The 3d and 4th tier cities aren’t notably blue – the twelve metropolitan counties housing these cities in Penna split 8-4 for Trump. In New York, those sorts of cities are bluer, in Ohio and Michigan they are not.
2. Most states don’t have any 1st tier cities. There are 14 states who do not have any 2d tier cities, either.
3. In about 25 states, the majority of the population is exurban, small town, or rural. In another four, there is close to a 50-50 split.
4. Note some states where the Democratic Party is competitive and / or in an advantageous position in spite of an urban deficit. (Montana, New Mexico, West Virginia, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine).
I am contemplating (seriously) going for a walk.
My governess said I can get some fresh air.
That’s an accepted activity, unlike working for a living or freely associating, or going to church or a gun store.
I might knock on a few doors and ask those on the other side of the door what they think of their fascist dictator governess now.
I figure I’ll probably get snitched.
I’m calling a couple lawyers in advance, see what their response will be and how much it will cost me.
Besides the $1000 fine and bail. I’m not rich.
Rehearse how I respond to the officer (Oathkeeper/Oathbreaker?).
Determine to carry as usual or not.
I was going to join Operation Gridlock in Lansing tomorrow, but I’m beginning to see it as a “cheap” gesture.
No cost, no effect.
I’m astonished by the repulsive comments about the Governor’s appearance. Apparently the inner Uber-sexist is as easily triggered in some as the inner fascist is in others. (And I am no fan of hers, see post far above.)
Insane.
Mittenstate, in every war, the physical attributes of the enemy are often, almost invariably, mocked in caricature or exaggeration.
This is war. She is the enemy.
I’m astonished by the repulsive comments about the Governor’s appearance.
She’s unattractive. We’re obligated in your mind to pretend otherwise?
Of course nobody made fun of Trump’s hair, skin color, weight, way of speaking, etc.
I mean it’s not like anybody had big naked balloons of Trump or anything.
I’m astonished that uber-sexist has about as much heft (no body shaming here) as being called a racist. I’m so triggered and hurt, or maybe not. What we need is a fascist/communist (progressive) with a pretty face, oops, we already have AOC. And AOC is such a intellectual powerhouse too. Feel better now?
I understand why some are upset with the Demon Seed Look comments some of us, me in particular, have made with reference to Whitmer.
Apart from the already mentioned fact that the door was opened for such replies, there is the fact that those objecting to this mockery are standing on principles of universal respect, civil boundaries, and common humanity rejected by the appetite entities of the left themselves; except as rhetorical flourishes to be trotted out when convenient.
Otherwise it’s those lousy gap toothed Neanderthals, Jeebus worshippers, and deplorables clutching at their guns, Bibles, and an immoral and privileged past where they were not forced to share the unending pain of existence that every right thinking proressive feels, and knows is the cost imposed on life by an unfeeling and uncaring nature.
So, ok. If you want to pretend that the self announced soulless have souls, and play a survival game with two sets of rules, convinced that it will make the world a better place, then you are welcome to do so. Your religious convictions may require you to do so.
But for those of us who believe that reciprocity is the first principle of a rational natural morality, and who take those who proclaim that ” the personal is the political” at face value and as meaning what they say, you are barking up the wrong tree.
I don’t like quoting movies, but in this case I think it is more apt than citing the Lon Fuller/Herbert Hart debates on Natural Law and morality as it relates to positive law.
There is a scene in the movie “Hombre”, where Dianne Cilento, having already endangered the fleeing stage coach passengers by revealing their hideout to pursuing robbers in an act of misguided compassion, lectures Hombre (Paul Newman) who is the only man among them competent with a gun and able to defend himself and others, on his moral duty. She informs him that people better deal with each other on the basis of need, not merit.
Eventually she is shamed into potentially laying her own life on the line to get done what she wants done. At which point, he resignedly picks up the burden of rescuing the bigoted, smug wife of the corrupt Indian agent, and dies in the process of saving them all: as the worthless, self centered, and cowardly passengers, cannot even cover him competently.
I don’t wish any harm to Whither. But she is not some blundering naif who is being kicked at because her impoverished mother and father could not afford a fashionable party dress.
As far as I am concerned, petty tyrant progressives, bureaucrat, or executive, can live and die by their own “the personal is the political” rules.
If that destroys the concept of a common-humanity based civility, at least insofar as it applies to them, then so be it. They deserve no more based on their own premisses and life philosophy.
Hope this helps.
DNW: “Hope this helps.”
Magnificent!
Mittenstate said,
“I’m astonished by the repulsive comments about the Governor’s appearance. Apparently the inner Uber-sexist is as easily triggered in some as the inner fascist is in others. (And I am no fan of hers, see post far above.)”
Yeah. Well, I can’t speak for everyone here by my own person Give A F#$k-o-meter needle hasn’t moved since I was called sexist and fascist (and racist, but you didn’t make that accusation) for who I voted for. If I’m going to be blamed and screamed at anyway, after all.
When they can abide the rules of civility, I’ll consider reciprocating. But for now, for the foreseeable future, I’m done with civility. The only way to bring civility back is to make them beg for it back.
Have not had time to read all the comments. I may be repeating a previous comment. My opinion of Whitmer is that she reminds me of the typical Home Owner’s Association scold that gets on the board or becomes president and then imposes her :”superior” ideas about how people should conduct their lives. In fact, she reminds me of a couple of HOA scolds I’ve encountered down through the years. These types are everywhere among us. We don’t know it until they get a bit of authority. Then it becomes clear that there are quite a few would-be dictators lurking out there.
Apparently the inner Uber-sexist is as easily triggered in some as the inner fascist is in others. (And I am no fan of hers, see post far above.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKF8YxWWhI4
Gov. Kristi Noem of South Dakota on her response to Covid-19 is the polar opposite of Gov. Whitmer. Smart with a lot of common sense, this is leadership.
https://www.redstate.com/alexparker/2020/04/14/kristi-noem-statewide-trial-hydroxychloroquine-coronavirus-south-dakota/
BTW; She is attractive.
Artfldgr on April 14, 2020 at 12:09 am said:
I think he did this to get them to step in it…
Trump claims ‘total’ authority, over govs, to reopen economy
https://apnews.com/ba9578acf23bdb03fd51a2b81f640560
* *
Artfl is correct, I think Trump does this a lot – floats an idea, gets the politicians and press to react, then they do what he wanted them to in the first place but now it’s THEIR idea.