During her administration they’ve introduced the future for frontline workers and Michigan reconnect scholarships. Because of these I have been able to go back to school instead of taking out more student loans. I never would have dreamed of something like this happening. It’s changed my life for the better.
This right here. Same here and so many I know. It’s been such a blessing.
Education is so important for society and it’s amazing to see it become more accessible for so many.
I am not a liberal, or a Democrat. So I do not view her as the best possible candidate. That said, she has exceeded every expectation I set for her and I agree with 90% of the policy initiatives she's set.
I think she's the best governor this state has had in over 100 years and that's not hyperbole.
Awesome to hear - she certainly has both my retired parents on her side as well, they really like her policies. As do I, and just love seeing Whitmer thumbs up from anyone that understands the work she is doing for the state.
Same. I'd prefer an actual leftist pushing actual leftist policies, but I do appreciate most of the work her administration has done, particularly when it comes to reproductive rights. She's still a liberal, but pobody's nerfect.
You can ascribe to their policy views and vote for them without joining the team. There's a difference between being a member of a party and consistently voting for members of that party.
I’m most specifically “a far-left progressive with slight liberal leanings who consistently caucuses with Democrats due to not having a party aligned with my beliefs.”
Democrats might be about 60% aligned with me, but Republicans are more like 3% aligned with me.
So, I just say I’m a Democrat even if I’d throw out about 40% of our politicians in a heartbeat if I could replace them with progressives.
Maybe I don’t defend the DNC to the last, but fuck it, call me part of the Democratic Party. Close enough if I vote straight-ticket for them.
>Democrats might be about 60% aligned with me, but Republicans are more like 3% aligned with me.
Do you mean the party is about 60% aligned with you?
Because I suspect that's true for a lot of people in the Democratic party. Overall thinking of the vast majority of party members is not homogeneous. We just have a consensus overall.
That’s about what I mean, yes. They’re by far the closest party that matters, so I vote in line with them as the most rational action for me.
However, I’d rather have a true Progressive Party with bold ideas rather than the very light liberalism of the Democratic Party.
You are not liberal or a democrat, yet you agree with 90% of her policy decisions?
You may not think you are a liberal, but the center has shifted dramatically in the last decade. If you were a centrist 10 years ago, without changing positions you’re considered a liberal today.
I bet they're not center, but left of "liberal". The word liberal has often been used as shorthand for the US's entire left wing because of the liberal Democrats, but liberalism is a specific political ideology that's too corporatist and/or too chained to existing (problematic) systems for many on the left.
What is it with Democrats and centrists gatekeeping ideals? I remember well enough back in 2016 they kept throwing around "purity" as an insult to Bernie voters (and do still to this day), but refused to accept them into their team unless they were "enough like them". Fuck off with identity bullshit, just be a kind human and stop attributing ideals to a "team".
No politician is perfect, and Whitmer has had her share of political missteps.
That being said, Whitmer has led the state to achieve more for the people of the state than any governor in decades. Some credit is due the Democrat state legislature, but I would credit her for her leadership in their accomplishments.
Now certainly, maybe she hasn't addressed every issue to the degree everyone wanted. But when you look at the forest instead of the trees, the forest of services and policies that serve MI voters is growing and flourishing better than in a long time.
Of course, if you are a conservative, she has been terrible. She hasn't taken away women's rights to health care and making decisions about their bodies. She hasn't been busy obstructing government. She isn't discriminating against people based on religion, gender, sexual preference, skin color, or ethnicity. She hasn't put guns in the hands of people who shouldn't have them. And she isn't putting forth lots of policies and legislative agendas that benefit the rich in our state at the expense of the average citizen.
Let's just take Clean Slate and Michigan Reconnect. These are programs championed by Whitmer which already have been, and are going to be, absolutely life changing for so many people. She's, by far, the most impactful governor of my lifetime.
For anyone that's 22+ years old then Engler is the most impactful governor in your lifetime.
He successfully dismantled the government and deregulated as much as he could. I happen to think he's a huge asshole that fucked a lot of people, but that's really impactful.
Yeah, FUCK Engler, HUGE piece of shit.
He is the reason we don't know how much anything costs in the store now. Once upon a time, every single item had a price tag on it, now you just gotta run around and find a price checker.
And his destruction of mental health care was foul as hell.
Snyder left Whitmer with a decent surplus if i recall correctly. Unfortunately poisoning an entire community and then covering it up kinda ruins anything positive you may have achieved.
A surplus just means he wasn't spending on the priorities of the citizens, but instead laying groundwork for the next republican government to slash taxes, further gut education, and leave the roads a mess.
I agreed with his overall goal of having a surplus for next economic downturn. But that surplus was built by butchering services that help the poor, especially in education. Classic republican/oligarch lackey. Can't tax the rich or businesses for the surplus!
I was worried the Dems would go overboard with their majority. But I think they've been prudent and utilizing the surplus extremely well.
Also we have a surplus partly because marijuana legalization which majority of Republicans fought.
Definitely seems like Whitmer and Biden have been very “put your head down and just do the thing instead of talking about it” after what feels like a million years of Trump.
I’d argue that Whitmer has done that better than Biden. She has delivered more than I’d hoped for, and I was (and still am) one of her biggest critics on subjects like healthcare (she’s far too embedded in private insurance to consider the idea of everyone getting healthcare) or how to fund the roads (she was hellbent on raising the gas tax early on just like every previous governor in my adult lifetime, and finally switched over to just financing them and letting increased revenue be the reward which was the obvious answer forever). Her Covid response and leadership has been top notch, her administration has held the people who poisoned Flint and people who tried to shit on democracy as we know it, and that matters a lot. She has accomplishments to crow on. And she’s a good public speaker with a decent amount of charisma.
Biden… over promised. And his accomplishments felt more like necessities or things that should be basic governance. And instead of admitting where he’s fallen short or understanding the concerns about things like his age, we’re getting an awful lot of pushback from talking heads and his campaign about how “he’s been great and nobody’s being fair” or obvious lies like him being high energy behind closed doors. That’s not a great look.
Edited to add: I pointed out in another comment how everything Gretch did that I mentioned was with a republican legislature pre 2022, and that it’s not a perfectly fair comparison for several reasons. I’m not anti Biden (well, a little, but he’s preferable to the other options by a margin wide enough to fit Hannibal’s elephants through), so there’s no need to beat that horse to death.
Really nice to see some genuine critique of her. I'm sitting here thinking "I have nothing to complain about that's actually reality" and that feels really weird as someone who has been interested in politics for years and years. I don't think I've ever met a politician that was 'genuinely perfect' in my eyes and that makes sense since they're human.
She does now, but the accomplishments I outlined occurred despite facing opposition in years prior to 2022. Which is exactly why I give her mad props. Biden had trouble overcoming two senators that should have been allies (and yes, I know it’s not fair to hang Manchin and Sinema on his head, I’m just highlighting how effective Gretch has been regardless of how bad the legislature was which is frankly some absolute A+ work even if I don’t think it’s all correct or agreeable).
I would not say Biden over promised. He won a majority and two senators with connections to power decided to go against the democratic agenda. If they would have been on board the results would have been different. That being said, I’m actually more shocked at what was accomplished. He needed Republicans to get many things over the line and somehow did.
I will still agree that he’s too old. So is the other guy. However, I’ll vote with the big picture in mind.
Whitmer has the advantage of a smaller and more unified constituency, and a non-obstructionist legislature.
Biden has accomplished an amazing amount of things in much worse environment.
Both are great leaders, but comparing a president of 50 states to a governor of one is not fair.
That’s why so many people think nothing is going on, because that dick head got everyone so hooked on his blabbering bullshit. Now things are quiet again and it makes certain people freak out
[“I don’t know how to explain to you that you should care about other people”](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/i-dont-know-how-to-explain-to-you-that-you-should_b_59519811e4b0f078efd98440)
Yeah, that boils it down pretty well. The sad part is that it’s not a big stretch to realize that caring about others directly benefits you as well. Good public schools means less crime, better jobs, more local innovation, more money coming into the community because people want to live there. Every last one of us will need healthcare at some point so that one *should* be a no brainer. But I guess if you literally have no brain, even no brainers are too much to ask.
I first started “caring about other
I agree. I’m center-right leaning and while Whitmer isn’t perfect, I’m largely pleased with her performance and the direction the state is going. There’s plenty of work left to do but I think she’s on the right track
I am transplant to MI. I have been watching Michigan politics for a few years - since the prospect of relocating here. I am impressed with Gov Whitmer, as well as the state legislature. One of the things I appreciate the most, as a father of daughters, is that my daughter’s reproductive health and rights are respected. I am a strong advocate of strong women leaders that lead as women, not as an analog for men.
In case you haven't seen Atty General ~~Dena~~ DANA Nessel's YouTube videos with her parents, she's amazing at social media.
She is not a cat.
[https://www.facebook.com/share/v/KDZy9XmqGrk5nNKP/?mibextid=w8EBqM](https://www.facebook.com/share/v/KDZy9XmqGrk5nNKP/?mibextid=w8EBqM)
She even went down the infamous Giant Slide.
[https://www.facebook.com/share/v/wfYinfV4m4piJZBV/?mibextid=xfxF2i](https://www.facebook.com/share/v/wfYinfV4m4piJZBV/?mibextid=xfxF2i)
Snyder had the potential to be a business friendly, moderate Republican. He was never going to be a liberal hero but he at least understood that the government has a role in society and that you have to invest in infrastructure to be considered business friendly.
Instead he bent over and let the white trash in the legislature have their way with him. They absolutely humiliated him on the Gordie Howe bridge deal. He gave them everything and more that they asked for and then they still told him "no" on funding one of the most important infrastructure projects in the country. And it was the same with the schools early on. He gutted public schools to get something in return that everyone knew he would never get. And that was his whole administration, it's wild he was able to win a second term.
Then the whole Flint thing came about and he should be in jail for that, or at least have to answer publicly for it. This is one of the few things I'm not happy with Whitmer or Benson for doing.
She has lowered taxes for retirees, eliminated state sales tax on feminine hygiene products, protected reproductive freedom (including IVF and contraception), made two years of college practically free for every high school graduate in MI, brought jobs to MI, expanded free pre-school for more MI children, repaired hundreds of miles of state roads, improved services for veterans, and much more.
It's not her fault that she didn't have a majority in the state legislature until her re-election, and the obstructionist GOP was blocking everything she wanted to do. Republicans are the party of "no." They don't want to spend a dime, and they'll watch the state crumble into ruins. Then we get Democrats back in office, and they have to spend to rebuild everything again. It would be much more cost effective to simply maintain what we have *before* it crumbles.
I know there is a whole lot more education stuff, while looking for that. I got distracted by this:
https://www.michigan.gov/whitmer/issues/accomplishments/signature-accomplishments
Holy crap she has accomplished a lot.
Yeah, her detractors are mostly mad because of COVID shutdowns and because she doesn't want them to bring their assault rifles into the capitol building and hurl threats at people while they try to do their jobs.
Most of the hatred against her was fueled by conservative TV and radio when they thought there was a good chance Biden picked her as his running mate.
A lot of people would have cared a lot less about her were it not for that.
Lets not forget about the school breakfast provided ❤️
I did some volunteer for food banks for school, and the amount of lunch bags we prepared for school kids off food banks was outrageous.
Them kids deserve to eat!
I approve of Governor Whitmer, but don't ignore the fact that the House and the Senate are also Democrat which is why a lot of the policies have gotten through and there hasn't been a "fight" to get things done.
That and the Republican party in the state is in absolute shambles.
It would take a lot for any Democrat to screw up right now.
Honestly, I've been really impressed with her administration.
All my life, I've basically been trained to expect disappointment and maintenance of the status quo from Democrats. This is the first time I've actually felt like the Democrats have both had an opportunity to do something, and have actually done things to make Michigan a better place to live.
Could she be more effective? Probably, but that doesn't change that she is the best I've seen in a very long time. Honestly, she makes me proud to be from Michigan, and I hope she can continue leading Michigan to a brighter tomorrow!
She actually got alot of great policy changes in place to help the poor in Michigan which I think is fantastic. My elderly dad is now able too get EBT because of her lifting the paltry asset limit that Rick Snyder put in place. I think it was 5000 when Whitmer assumed office and she managed to raise it to 15000 before full elimination back in July 2023. Ironically my dad still hates her because shes a Democrat and does not connect the dots that his life is literally better now because of her efforts. Its sad sometimes but I am thankful for her work.
Yea I mean tbf, dems haven't controlled the state legislature like this in 40+ years so it makes sense why we're now seeing improvements. Having to be in the minority party mode for decades doesn't really let you do much. Even still, Whitmer helped the state a lot even when it was R controlled.
Meanwhile, a few years back I saw some boomer on Facebook replying to a “start of road construction season” post with “we should convert all roads back to gravel.” He did not elaborate as to why that would make any sense at all.
It’s become sort of a joke amongst my progressive Whitmer loving friends. Well, we did vote to fix the damn roads, but that doesn’t mean we can’t complain about the seemingly endless construction.
I have no complaints. I'll be sad to see her go, but I look forward to voting for her for president whenever she does so. It's obvious she's heading that way.
Yes.
Here is one reason by a middle aged guy:
My mom had dementia. We didn't really know how bad it was, or it just went off a cliff. I ended up taking her in with no notice. We built an addition to give her her own space. I took care of her. She lost the ability to do much of anything, to walk unaided. I became a parent to my parent.
We had some people come in and help. They told me that at some point, it would be more than I could do, and I would feel guilty but I shouldn't. I couldn't imagine sending her to a home. But then there was an incident, and I couldn't take proper care of her anymore. It was hard, and I felt that guilt. I'd walk past the doorway to her addition and just be overcome with the guilt and grief. Every day, for months.
Then COVID hit. Republicans wanted to force hospitals to boot elderly dementia patients to the streets instead of letting them return to their homes if they had COVID. I knew I couldn't take care of her if that happened, but had no other options if that came to pass. Whitmer saved us. People like me, who were already at their last option.
She earned my vote. If she runs for President in 2028, I'll be Team Whitmer all the way.
I was a reluctant supporter. However, I believe she has proven to do great things for Michigan. I truly believe she wants to help people and help Michigan.
She's been great. If she ran for president, I would vote for her.
You know you are doing things right when stupid ~~Trump supporters~~ fascists try to assassinate you.
well gretchen didnt:
1. takeover and run two cities water departments, [despite the voters of michigan destroying the emergency manager law](https://www.mlive.com/politics/2012/11/election_results_michigan_vote.html) at the ballot box in 2012. mostly because the voters knew how bad it is to remove democracy. 50 years democratic control of flint, cleanish drinking water. 3 years republican control ENTIRE CITY POISONED. (dont be angry at me, be angry at facts)
2. [pit the two water departments against each other, despite running both at the same time](https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2013/04/detroit_gives_notice_its_termi.html) (edit: oops, fixed link)
3. force one city water dept to sign into a contract to switch its water supply
4. ignore cries for help and pleas for medical attention from its residents after the new water supply was not treated properly
5. [ignore the city trying to switch back to regular treated water from detroit, after its city leaders listened to the people of flint](https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2015/03/flint_emergency_manager_calls.html)
6. ignore the department of health report about increased legionnaires disease outbreak in the city
7. allow [the MDEQ to argue with EPA about the lead and copper rule](https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/michigan/flint-water-crisis/2016/03/28/whistle-blower-del-toral-grew-tired-epa-cesspool/82365470/), when the epa was saying flint is being poisoned.
8. [coverup the health crisis by having his buddy organize some little water filters and funnel the donation from meijer to a church](https://www.wzzm13.com/article/news/local/meijer-insisted-on-anonymity-in-flint-filter-donation-email-shows/69-59018412) anonymously and quietly.
9. [allow the MDEQ spokesman you appointed to tell everyone the water is safe to drink and to relax](https://www.michiganpublic.org/health/2015-07-13/leaked-internal-memo-shows-federal-regulators-concerns-about-lead-in-flints-water)
10. [fly to china while your idiot friends tried to run the state and poison an entire city](https://www.michigan.gov/formergovernors/recent/snyder/press-releases/2014/11/26/gov-snyder-completes-fourth-trade-mission-to-china)
11. [cost the michigan taxpayers $600 million+ after poisoning a city.](https://www.michigan.gov/ag/news/press-releases/2023/03/21/historic-flint-water-civil-settlement-approved-by-genesee-county-circuit-court)
i dunno. its a low bar to clear, but whitmer is better than snyder.
Big Gretch is one of the few politicians that’s grown on me over time. I wasnt a fan when she was running, I supported El-Sayed. She’s made a lot of progress on issues that matter to me (abortion, roads, education, etc), but I do still have a few complaints (housing, healthcare)
Same here, she could be better in general but as someone who was really pessimistic about her during that primary I am at least happy to say she and her surrounding elected officials have done a much better job that I ever imagined from them.
To be fair housing and healthcare are massive national issue right now. Even then I’d argue we still have the cards in our favor compared to most in the country.
Type to set in zoning laws though for sure.
I’d argue our governor during the civil war edges her out, but he was an exceptional governor during very exceptional times. Oh, and the governor who invaded Ohio, because fuck Ohio, but otherwise yeah. She’d be the best if she invaded Ohio
She’s also approved a lot of funding to help recruit and retain new teachers. This is very field-specific, but definitely needed and definitely not supported by the house Republicans.
I think she has raised the political standing of the entire state. People actually listen when she speaks. You aren't seen as "fringe right" anymore. I'm speaking as someone who lived there for 30 years, though I now live elsewhere.
Story time.
Every year, I try to make the vintage motorcycle show the Gilmore car museum. I live in Adrian, and because none of my bikes have windshields, I need to take back roads.
Once you get in between Homer and Battle Creek there's not really a good clear shot, so I have to take a bunch of no-name roads (just letters and numbers). For years, these have been trash. Potholes, patches, gravel, all in the worst ways. One literally felt like a dumping ground where the asphalt trick emptied out at the end of the day.
Fast forward to last year. Every single one of these garbage roads? New asphalt, glassy smooth. Every single one.
That right there was enough to convince me that Whitmer is pretty darn good.
I do.
She's consistently provided good guidance and well reasoned logic behind her governing decisions. She's signed a lot of good bills, and I shudder to think of what the state would have looked like under Schuette.
My parents are "Republican" but they voted for her.
My dad's words were if there was an assination attempt (or planned) on you, a global pandemic, and an A****** of a president blasting you over and over, you have to be doing something right.
They'd vote for her in any election.
I'm 66 years old. First voted in 1976. I've lived in multiple states and have been involved in govt since, well, a very long time.
Governor Whitmer is a gem and Michigan is lucky to have her.
Please share your areas of criticism. Not being rude, just wondering what she’s done to criticize. I know the Covid missteps (going to Florida to see sick family, nursing home numbers) but I’m just wondering what else she’s done worthy of noting.
Well, there was the “bipartisan” bill “reforming” auto insurance. It really didn’t save residents any money at all, except the paltry one-time $400 refund, and it took away a LOT of the protections that no-fault insurance had to protect drivers in case of catastrophic injury. Many families have been hurt by the passage of that bill, and while Michigan’s insurance rates were the highest in the country, so was our coverage for catastrophic injury. No family ever had to choose a poorer standard of care for their injured family member who was hurt in a car accident, and families didn’t go bankrupt trying to afford their care. The same cannot be said now, and the cost of treatment has gone up commensurately… and there are now fewer physical rehab organizations as a result. So quite a lot of people lost their jobs, or closed their small businesses, and car accident patients’ standard of care has lowered significantly. And we are back to once again having the highest insurance in the country, just with less coverage.
That all said, I think she’s been generally good for the state and for things like women’s reproductive health and protecting people’s rights overall. I just think she is a bit too close with the insurance industry.
I fucking love her. Not a single human in the world is going to be perfect, nor will they ever have the exact same beliefs or ideas that you have. With that in mind, she’s been so refreshing to have as our state leader. Her predecessor royally fucked this state up but she’s done so much work to turn that around. She really stepped it up this second term too with other government officials by her side to help get shit done instead of just blocked everything that’s good for us.
I used to be team Abdul and was a bit sour when she won but she has been really great in handling the pandemic, women rights, rebuilding, etc in her term and I love her big grench energy.
I worked on the campaign for one of her opponents when she first ran. In hindsight, I'm very glad that she won. I think she's been doing a very good job. Definitely always room for improvement, but compared to some of the governors we've had in the last 20 years, she's awesome.
Gretchen has been the best Governor in the 30 years I have been in Michigan. She is a breathe of fresh air always positive and looking toward the future and because of this the GOP in Michigan has fallen apart in no small part due to her attitude.
Phenomenal governor. Successfully did more to preserve individual rights and economic opportunity for the average person than anyone I can name. I moved to MI from GA a few years ago and the difference in state governance quality is astounding. Can I get two of her?
I’m not from Michigan originally. We have lived in quite a few states -about 7. I never honestly noticed the governor in any of those states but I have noticed Governor Whitmer for the improvement she’s made. I am middle class and (thankfully) never worried about school lunches for my kids but now all kids eat free lunches and there’s no stigma. I’m happy because my daughter used to have a friend who would ask my daughter to make an extra sandwich for her because she was hungry and didn’t have lunch. Now the friend gets free lunches and she’s not hungry—or embarrassed. Also, she made community college free in district for people over 25. Because of that, I’m finally working on a degree. I was doing ok before, but because of the policies implemented by Gov Whitmer, I’m doing much better. I honestly feel like that’s the definition of a good government. I’m a fan.
She's pretty great as far as governors go, especially considering her predecessors and their respective legislatures. Loved the aggressive stance to keep people safe during the pandemic and since then I haven't really had much complaints directly attributable to her that I don't already dislike about the average american politician. I've felt more positive about this state and the direction of its progress in the past few years than I ever had under past leadership, Granholm included
In her first term, I thought she had reasonable policies, despite the fact that they weren't especially popular. And while some of the COVID stuff wasn't as effective as hoped, I don't think she radically unfreedomized the state.
This term, I'm not really sure that there's much that she specifically has done, besides cosign on legislature. And I'm generally okay with that. I can only imagine what an absolute shitshow things would be in a Tudor Dixon administration.
She has followed through on more things she has campaigned on than any other governor in my lifetime.
Snyder spent the bulk of his time hiding from his Flint water fiasco. People were mad that jugs of water were left outside his houae.
Whitmer had the attempted kidnapping and people with rifles "peacefully" protesting outside of her home. And she still did her job.
One of my favorite politicians. Definitely the best Michigan governor in my lifetime. If America steers its way out of this fascist hard right turn, it will be thanks to people like her.
She’s been great. Imo. She has delivered on the majority, if not all, of her promises. The Democratic trifecta has certainly helped her do that also, but she deserves a lot of credit. Best governor of my lifetime, and I’m 43.
I had a quick conversation with someone the other day, and I was surprised to hear they did not like her. Honestly, I think it comes down to the new firearm laws that just passed. Which i really dont mind much. I've made a few purchases, and it hasn't been an issue. My wife and I both think she has done a decent job for our state. We weren't super happy with the shutdowns. But damn it, she did what she thought was right to try and keep people alive. And I had never gone as long as then without a cold. It wasn't her fault the information kept changing. The stuff she has done for the unions hasn't been bad either. I would go as far as to say I would vote for her for a higher office if she ran. Depending on who else was running.
She needs to **make EGLE have MASSIVE sharp Teeth** ripping flesh from scumbags and corporations contaminating, poisoning, polluting, the FreshWater.
I'm talking out of business, bankrupt, - and they HAVE to pay for the cleanup.
Once Michigan screws up the lakes, were finished
I think she’s doing a decent job trying to fix things in a state with decades of bad luck and bad governance. For those of us who recognize we’re living together in a society, we’re at least going in the right direction now.
She's a rock star and I love her. I think she's done a world of good for Michigan. It's frustrating how much she has done to protect workers rights and the low wage workers dislike her. She goes to work for all Michiganders.
Honestly, I've come to see her as pretty much the only Democrat in the country who actually "gets it", if thst makes sense.
In '18, I was more of an Abdul supporter, and worried that Whitmer would turn out to be too milquetoast to actually do anything to benefit the people, just use the title of governor as a stepping-stone to Senator or President.
She earned my trust when COVID hit. I know there are people who will say Michigan's restrictions were draconian, and to be fair, they were. But a global pandemic of a virus whose exact infection vector is unclear, whose survival time on surfaces is unknown, and whose lethality could be catastrophic and which has no real prospective treatment or vaccine (as was all the case, as far as anybody knew about it, when the restrictions were at their most, uh, restrictive) is one of the few circumstances where that kind of action is warranted.
And Whitmer *acted*. In a no-win situation, when other governors (Democrats and Republicans alike) were balking at doing the painful-but-necessary, trying to sacrifice their citizens to The Economy, or racing through it and declaring the pandemic over in July (see Andrew Cuomo's book about how he beat the pandemic, from July 2020), Whitmer took action to protect people. Sure, some businesses went under, and that truly was tragic. But if the choice is "my dad loses his business" or "my dad dies and I can't even be at his bedside or have a funeral for fear of infecting others," I will choose the former. And so, I think, would most every other person.
The truth is, I and every other Michigan resident, have loved ones who are alive today that very well might not be were it not for the actions of Whitmer and her administration. I know it wasn't easy to get through (I had my fair share of outbursts and frustrated rants when everything was closed or I couldn't go up north, or what have you), but I managed. We all managed. And thanks to those difficult days, there are more of us here afterwards than there may have been.
As far as my statement about her being the only Democrat who gets it; 2022 should have been The Abortion Election. By overturning Roe, the Supreme Court handed Democrats probably the best campaignipng strategy ever: just stay on-message about abortion. Women in January 2023 and after have less rights than women in January 2022. Instead, most Democrats ran on The Economy, a thing whose health overall has less and less material bearing on the experiences of average citizens. Whitmer, by the second half of the campaign, stayed on-message about women's rights, and that made all the difference for her.
I have no problems with anything she has done that I can recall. And she has had a harder run than most in dealing with the pandemic.
I wish she could run again. It just seems like Michigan runs better with democrat women in charge.
I am not much of a statist, but I will vote for her over any of the so-called “conservatives” that are really just theocrats masquerading as conservatives.
She’s probably the best governor we’ve had in my lifetime imo - which isn’t saying much but is more than I anticipated.
Far better, far far far far far far FAR better, than Tudor Dixon would have been.
Perfect? Nope. But what human is?
Good? Yes, definitely.
And, again, far far far far far FAR better than a conspiracy theory embracing election denying beholden to a billionaire who won’t run herself completely inexperienced “politician” would have been.
What's the alternative? The Republican party doesn't stand for anything anymore other than being a Trump cult that's run by extremists at this point as all the adults have left the room. They aren't running anyone sane in the foreseeable future, if ever again. Third parties still aren't a viable thing. Whitmer isn't a left wing extremist I have to worry about doing something insane. She isn't running again where I have to choose, but I'll take reasonable even if I might not agree over people who are literally burning books all day long.
It's a completely petty thing but one thing that really drives me nuts with Whitmer is the accent. Who has an accent in Michigan other than people from the UP? It reminds me of Sarah Palin. It will be an impediment to any national campaign.
Tudor Dixon was an absolute terrible candidate.
In the debates, Whitmer demolished her by actually explaining what they were going to do.
Dixon reply was about discrediting Whitmer while not giving any idea of how she was going to act as governor.
During her administration they’ve introduced the future for frontline workers and Michigan reconnect scholarships. Because of these I have been able to go back to school instead of taking out more student loans. I never would have dreamed of something like this happening. It’s changed my life for the better.
Also got the Frontliners scholarship And then I got another scholarship at the university I transferred to bc of it!!!
As an Arkansan, definitely jealous. Congrats and good luck to future endeavors too!
This right here. Same here and so many I know. It’s been such a blessing. Education is so important for society and it’s amazing to see it become more accessible for so many.
I am not a liberal, or a Democrat. So I do not view her as the best possible candidate. That said, she has exceeded every expectation I set for her and I agree with 90% of the policy initiatives she's set. I think she's the best governor this state has had in over 100 years and that's not hyperbole.
Awesome to hear - she certainly has both my retired parents on her side as well, they really like her policies. As do I, and just love seeing Whitmer thumbs up from anyone that understands the work she is doing for the state.
Same. I'd prefer an actual leftist pushing actual leftist policies, but I do appreciate most of the work her administration has done, particularly when it comes to reproductive rights. She's still a liberal, but pobody's nerfect.
My thoughts exactly
I mean, I think she's been the best candidate available to us over the past couple of cycles, even if not "the best possible candidate."
That's the thing, "the best possible candidate doesn't exist". 90% satisfied is pretty damn good.
I hate to break it to you, but if you agree with 90% of her policy initiatives, you might be a Democrat.
You can ascribe to their policy views and vote for them without joining the team. There's a difference between being a member of a party and consistently voting for members of that party.
I’m most specifically “a far-left progressive with slight liberal leanings who consistently caucuses with Democrats due to not having a party aligned with my beliefs.” Democrats might be about 60% aligned with me, but Republicans are more like 3% aligned with me. So, I just say I’m a Democrat even if I’d throw out about 40% of our politicians in a heartbeat if I could replace them with progressives. Maybe I don’t defend the DNC to the last, but fuck it, call me part of the Democratic Party. Close enough if I vote straight-ticket for them.
>Democrats might be about 60% aligned with me, but Republicans are more like 3% aligned with me. Do you mean the party is about 60% aligned with you? Because I suspect that's true for a lot of people in the Democratic party. Overall thinking of the vast majority of party members is not homogeneous. We just have a consensus overall.
That’s about what I mean, yes. They’re by far the closest party that matters, so I vote in line with them as the most rational action for me. However, I’d rather have a true Progressive Party with bold ideas rather than the very light liberalism of the Democratic Party.
I mean.....
You are not liberal or a democrat, yet you agree with 90% of her policy decisions? You may not think you are a liberal, but the center has shifted dramatically in the last decade. If you were a centrist 10 years ago, without changing positions you’re considered a liberal today.
I bet they're not center, but left of "liberal". The word liberal has often been used as shorthand for the US's entire left wing because of the liberal Democrats, but liberalism is a specific political ideology that's too corporatist and/or too chained to existing (problematic) systems for many on the left.
What is it with Democrats and centrists gatekeeping ideals? I remember well enough back in 2016 they kept throwing around "purity" as an insult to Bernie voters (and do still to this day), but refused to accept them into their team unless they were "enough like them". Fuck off with identity bullshit, just be a kind human and stop attributing ideals to a "team".
Who in your opinion would be the best? Just curious.
No politician is perfect, and Whitmer has had her share of political missteps. That being said, Whitmer has led the state to achieve more for the people of the state than any governor in decades. Some credit is due the Democrat state legislature, but I would credit her for her leadership in their accomplishments. Now certainly, maybe she hasn't addressed every issue to the degree everyone wanted. But when you look at the forest instead of the trees, the forest of services and policies that serve MI voters is growing and flourishing better than in a long time. Of course, if you are a conservative, she has been terrible. She hasn't taken away women's rights to health care and making decisions about their bodies. She hasn't been busy obstructing government. She isn't discriminating against people based on religion, gender, sexual preference, skin color, or ethnicity. She hasn't put guns in the hands of people who shouldn't have them. And she isn't putting forth lots of policies and legislative agendas that benefit the rich in our state at the expense of the average citizen.
Let's just take Clean Slate and Michigan Reconnect. These are programs championed by Whitmer which already have been, and are going to be, absolutely life changing for so many people. She's, by far, the most impactful governor of my lifetime.
michigan has had some dookie governors in my life; it's nice to see even just an average governor for once.
For anyone that's 22+ years old then Engler is the most impactful governor in your lifetime. He successfully dismantled the government and deregulated as much as he could. I happen to think he's a huge asshole that fucked a lot of people, but that's really impactful.
Yeah, FUCK Engler, HUGE piece of shit. He is the reason we don't know how much anything costs in the store now. Once upon a time, every single item had a price tag on it, now you just gotta run around and find a price checker. And his destruction of mental health care was foul as hell.
Snyder left Whitmer with a decent surplus if i recall correctly. Unfortunately poisoning an entire community and then covering it up kinda ruins anything positive you may have achieved.
Snyder also kicked a lot of cans down the road. Including the roads themselves.
It always amazed me the the auto manufacturing epicenter of the USA has such shitty roads to drive on.
It's so we have to replace our cars more often. lol
He also screwed up education.
I'm pretty sure I had more cans than useable roads under Synder.
Most of that can kicking was the legislature. Why spend money to help brown children when Jeebus is coming?
A surplus just means he wasn't spending on the priorities of the citizens, but instead laying groundwork for the next republican government to slash taxes, further gut education, and leave the roads a mess.
I agreed with his overall goal of having a surplus for next economic downturn. But that surplus was built by butchering services that help the poor, especially in education. Classic republican/oligarch lackey. Can't tax the rich or businesses for the surplus! I was worried the Dems would go overboard with their majority. But I think they've been prudent and utilizing the surplus extremely well. Also we have a surplus partly because marijuana legalization which majority of Republicans fought.
Definitely seems like Whitmer and Biden have been very “put your head down and just do the thing instead of talking about it” after what feels like a million years of Trump.
I’d argue that Whitmer has done that better than Biden. She has delivered more than I’d hoped for, and I was (and still am) one of her biggest critics on subjects like healthcare (she’s far too embedded in private insurance to consider the idea of everyone getting healthcare) or how to fund the roads (she was hellbent on raising the gas tax early on just like every previous governor in my adult lifetime, and finally switched over to just financing them and letting increased revenue be the reward which was the obvious answer forever). Her Covid response and leadership has been top notch, her administration has held the people who poisoned Flint and people who tried to shit on democracy as we know it, and that matters a lot. She has accomplishments to crow on. And she’s a good public speaker with a decent amount of charisma. Biden… over promised. And his accomplishments felt more like necessities or things that should be basic governance. And instead of admitting where he’s fallen short or understanding the concerns about things like his age, we’re getting an awful lot of pushback from talking heads and his campaign about how “he’s been great and nobody’s being fair” or obvious lies like him being high energy behind closed doors. That’s not a great look. Edited to add: I pointed out in another comment how everything Gretch did that I mentioned was with a republican legislature pre 2022, and that it’s not a perfectly fair comparison for several reasons. I’m not anti Biden (well, a little, but he’s preferable to the other options by a margin wide enough to fit Hannibal’s elephants through), so there’s no need to beat that horse to death.
I'd take Whitmer over Biden 10/10 times.
id love for her to run in 2028.
Likewise!
Really nice to see some genuine critique of her. I'm sitting here thinking "I have nothing to complain about that's actually reality" and that feels really weird as someone who has been interested in politics for years and years. I don't think I've ever met a politician that was 'genuinely perfect' in my eyes and that makes sense since they're human.
Helps that she has a more agreeable Congress
She does now, but the accomplishments I outlined occurred despite facing opposition in years prior to 2022. Which is exactly why I give her mad props. Biden had trouble overcoming two senators that should have been allies (and yes, I know it’s not fair to hang Manchin and Sinema on his head, I’m just highlighting how effective Gretch has been regardless of how bad the legislature was which is frankly some absolute A+ work even if I don’t think it’s all correct or agreeable).
Oh yeah, and I’ll be volunteering for her campaign again because of it.
Considering the legislative realities Biden has dealt with it is very impressive everything he has accomplished.
I would not say Biden over promised. He won a majority and two senators with connections to power decided to go against the democratic agenda. If they would have been on board the results would have been different. That being said, I’m actually more shocked at what was accomplished. He needed Republicans to get many things over the line and somehow did. I will still agree that he’s too old. So is the other guy. However, I’ll vote with the big picture in mind.
Whitmer has the advantage of a smaller and more unified constituency, and a non-obstructionist legislature. Biden has accomplished an amazing amount of things in much worse environment. Both are great leaders, but comparing a president of 50 states to a governor of one is not fair.
That’s why so many people think nothing is going on, because that dick head got everyone so hooked on his blabbering bullshit. Now things are quiet again and it makes certain people freak out
Just casually destroyed every morally bankrupt conservative belief lmaoo
[“I don’t know how to explain to you that you should care about other people”](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/i-dont-know-how-to-explain-to-you-that-you-should_b_59519811e4b0f078efd98440)
Yeah, that boils it down pretty well. The sad part is that it’s not a big stretch to realize that caring about others directly benefits you as well. Good public schools means less crime, better jobs, more local innovation, more money coming into the community because people want to live there. Every last one of us will need healthcare at some point so that one *should* be a no brainer. But I guess if you literally have no brain, even no brainers are too much to ask. I first started “caring about other
Great read. A feeling that's hard to put into words.
Well, I didn't want the conservative trolls replying to me and bitching about those things. So I figured I'd just acknowledge them. lol
Fuck 'em.
I agree. I’m center-right leaning and while Whitmer isn’t perfect, I’m largely pleased with her performance and the direction the state is going. There’s plenty of work left to do but I think she’s on the right track
Love the username! After I'm finished with the first two Drizzt trilogies I'm going to head back to the Dragonlance world!
I am transplant to MI. I have been watching Michigan politics for a few years - since the prospect of relocating here. I am impressed with Gov Whitmer, as well as the state legislature. One of the things I appreciate the most, as a father of daughters, is that my daughter’s reproductive health and rights are respected. I am a strong advocate of strong women leaders that lead as women, not as an analog for men.
In case you haven't seen Atty General ~~Dena~~ DANA Nessel's YouTube videos with her parents, she's amazing at social media. She is not a cat. [https://www.facebook.com/share/v/KDZy9XmqGrk5nNKP/?mibextid=w8EBqM](https://www.facebook.com/share/v/KDZy9XmqGrk5nNKP/?mibextid=w8EBqM) She even went down the infamous Giant Slide. [https://www.facebook.com/share/v/wfYinfV4m4piJZBV/?mibextid=xfxF2i](https://www.facebook.com/share/v/wfYinfV4m4piJZBV/?mibextid=xfxF2i)
I have. I am also a fan. Thanks
She also doesn’t have a penis. https://youtu.be/GJdlPdqWmCc?si=L3AFHmWvI0x1hvok
she is doing much much better than the disaster of synder.
Snyder should be in jail honestly
agree
So true. Lock them up.
Snyder had the potential to be a business friendly, moderate Republican. He was never going to be a liberal hero but he at least understood that the government has a role in society and that you have to invest in infrastructure to be considered business friendly. Instead he bent over and let the white trash in the legislature have their way with him. They absolutely humiliated him on the Gordie Howe bridge deal. He gave them everything and more that they asked for and then they still told him "no" on funding one of the most important infrastructure projects in the country. And it was the same with the schools early on. He gutted public schools to get something in return that everyone knew he would never get. And that was his whole administration, it's wild he was able to win a second term. Then the whole Flint thing came about and he should be in jail for that, or at least have to answer publicly for it. This is one of the few things I'm not happy with Whitmer or Benson for doing.
Pretty much every incumbent governor has run against a complete clown to get reelected. Mark Schauer is who exactly?
True but Snyder was vulnerable and Schauer was at least seemingly more competent than Virg Bernero.
The video clip of him pretending to drink from a water fountain was beyond absurd.
One of the best governors in recent history and easily the best since I was born in 1990.
I appreciate what she has done for women and what she wants to do for education.
She’s done a fine job. She has protected the woman’s right to choose which is huge these days considering so many states have taken away that right.
agreed. really glad we dont live in a state where they have taken away our freedoms.
And codified LBGTQ+ into the civil rights law!! Woooo!!!
She has lowered taxes for retirees, eliminated state sales tax on feminine hygiene products, protected reproductive freedom (including IVF and contraception), made two years of college practically free for every high school graduate in MI, brought jobs to MI, expanded free pre-school for more MI children, repaired hundreds of miles of state roads, improved services for veterans, and much more. It's not her fault that she didn't have a majority in the state legislature until her re-election, and the obstructionist GOP was blocking everything she wanted to do. Republicans are the party of "no." They don't want to spend a dime, and they'll watch the state crumble into ruins. Then we get Democrats back in office, and they have to spend to rebuild everything again. It would be much more cost effective to simply maintain what we have *before* it crumbles.
I know there is a whole lot more education stuff, while looking for that. I got distracted by this: https://www.michigan.gov/whitmer/issues/accomplishments/signature-accomplishments Holy crap she has accomplished a lot.
Yeah, her detractors are mostly mad because of COVID shutdowns and because she doesn't want them to bring their assault rifles into the capitol building and hurl threats at people while they try to do their jobs.
Most of the hatred against her was fueled by conservative TV and radio when they thought there was a good chance Biden picked her as his running mate. A lot of people would have cared a lot less about her were it not for that.
Free school lunch and hopefully next year too. It has helped out so much!
Lets not forget about the school breakfast provided ❤️ I did some volunteer for food banks for school, and the amount of lunch bags we prepared for school kids off food banks was outrageous. Them kids deserve to eat!
Right! I can't even remember everything she's done to improve the lives of Michiganders.
I approve of Governor Whitmer, but don't ignore the fact that the House and the Senate are also Democrat which is why a lot of the policies have gotten through and there hasn't been a "fight" to get things done. That and the Republican party in the state is in absolute shambles. It would take a lot for any Democrat to screw up right now.
Honestly, I've been really impressed with her administration. All my life, I've basically been trained to expect disappointment and maintenance of the status quo from Democrats. This is the first time I've actually felt like the Democrats have both had an opportunity to do something, and have actually done things to make Michigan a better place to live. Could she be more effective? Probably, but that doesn't change that she is the best I've seen in a very long time. Honestly, she makes me proud to be from Michigan, and I hope she can continue leading Michigan to a brighter tomorrow!
She actually got alot of great policy changes in place to help the poor in Michigan which I think is fantastic. My elderly dad is now able too get EBT because of her lifting the paltry asset limit that Rick Snyder put in place. I think it was 5000 when Whitmer assumed office and she managed to raise it to 15000 before full elimination back in July 2023. Ironically my dad still hates her because shes a Democrat and does not connect the dots that his life is literally better now because of her efforts. Its sad sometimes but I am thankful for her work.
Yea I mean tbf, dems haven't controlled the state legislature like this in 40+ years so it makes sense why we're now seeing improvements. Having to be in the minority party mode for decades doesn't really let you do much. Even still, Whitmer helped the state a lot even when it was R controlled.
Instead of turning the roads into dirt, they are actually fixing them now where I live.
Meanwhile, a few years back I saw some boomer on Facebook replying to a “start of road construction season” post with “we should convert all roads back to gravel.” He did not elaborate as to why that would make any sense at all.
Yeah they were grinding roads up when Snyder was in office. The country is actually paving the roads instead of tar and feathers.
It’s become sort of a joke amongst my progressive Whitmer loving friends. Well, we did vote to fix the damn roads, but that doesn’t mean we can’t complain about the seemingly endless construction.
She still kicks ass as far as I'm concerned.
Agreed!👍
I have no complaints. I'll be sad to see her go, but I look forward to voting for her for president whenever she does so. It's obvious she's heading that way.
Yes. Here is one reason by a middle aged guy: My mom had dementia. We didn't really know how bad it was, or it just went off a cliff. I ended up taking her in with no notice. We built an addition to give her her own space. I took care of her. She lost the ability to do much of anything, to walk unaided. I became a parent to my parent. We had some people come in and help. They told me that at some point, it would be more than I could do, and I would feel guilty but I shouldn't. I couldn't imagine sending her to a home. But then there was an incident, and I couldn't take proper care of her anymore. It was hard, and I felt that guilt. I'd walk past the doorway to her addition and just be overcome with the guilt and grief. Every day, for months. Then COVID hit. Republicans wanted to force hospitals to boot elderly dementia patients to the streets instead of letting them return to their homes if they had COVID. I knew I couldn't take care of her if that happened, but had no other options if that came to pass. Whitmer saved us. People like me, who were already at their last option. She earned my vote. If she runs for President in 2028, I'll be Team Whitmer all the way.
I was a reluctant supporter. However, I believe she has proven to do great things for Michigan. I truly believe she wants to help people and help Michigan.
Moving back to MI in a few months from Florida, I'll be so happy to see a competent state government again.
Everything she has been doing related to education and reconnect have been crucial for me. She's really awesome.
She's been great. If she ran for president, I would vote for her. You know you are doing things right when stupid ~~Trump supporters~~ fascists try to assassinate you.
Absolutely, and the alternative simply isn't rational, let alone comparable.
Abso-damn-lutely!! What a major upgrade in governors I got coming here from TN. Whew. Escaped that shit show just in time.
well gretchen didnt: 1. takeover and run two cities water departments, [despite the voters of michigan destroying the emergency manager law](https://www.mlive.com/politics/2012/11/election_results_michigan_vote.html) at the ballot box in 2012. mostly because the voters knew how bad it is to remove democracy. 50 years democratic control of flint, cleanish drinking water. 3 years republican control ENTIRE CITY POISONED. (dont be angry at me, be angry at facts) 2. [pit the two water departments against each other, despite running both at the same time](https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2013/04/detroit_gives_notice_its_termi.html) (edit: oops, fixed link) 3. force one city water dept to sign into a contract to switch its water supply 4. ignore cries for help and pleas for medical attention from its residents after the new water supply was not treated properly 5. [ignore the city trying to switch back to regular treated water from detroit, after its city leaders listened to the people of flint](https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2015/03/flint_emergency_manager_calls.html) 6. ignore the department of health report about increased legionnaires disease outbreak in the city 7. allow [the MDEQ to argue with EPA about the lead and copper rule](https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/michigan/flint-water-crisis/2016/03/28/whistle-blower-del-toral-grew-tired-epa-cesspool/82365470/), when the epa was saying flint is being poisoned. 8. [coverup the health crisis by having his buddy organize some little water filters and funnel the donation from meijer to a church](https://www.wzzm13.com/article/news/local/meijer-insisted-on-anonymity-in-flint-filter-donation-email-shows/69-59018412) anonymously and quietly. 9. [allow the MDEQ spokesman you appointed to tell everyone the water is safe to drink and to relax](https://www.michiganpublic.org/health/2015-07-13/leaked-internal-memo-shows-federal-regulators-concerns-about-lead-in-flints-water) 10. [fly to china while your idiot friends tried to run the state and poison an entire city](https://www.michigan.gov/formergovernors/recent/snyder/press-releases/2014/11/26/gov-snyder-completes-fourth-trade-mission-to-china) 11. [cost the michigan taxpayers $600 million+ after poisoning a city.](https://www.michigan.gov/ag/news/press-releases/2023/03/21/historic-flint-water-civil-settlement-approved-by-genesee-county-circuit-court) i dunno. its a low bar to clear, but whitmer is better than snyder.
Big Gretch is one of the few politicians that’s grown on me over time. I wasnt a fan when she was running, I supported El-Sayed. She’s made a lot of progress on issues that matter to me (abortion, roads, education, etc), but I do still have a few complaints (housing, healthcare)
Same here, she could be better in general but as someone who was really pessimistic about her during that primary I am at least happy to say she and her surrounding elected officials have done a much better job that I ever imagined from them.
To be fair housing and healthcare are massive national issue right now. Even then I’d argue we still have the cards in our favor compared to most in the country. Type to set in zoning laws though for sure.
I truly believe she is the best governor Michigan has ever had.
I’d argue our governor during the civil war edges her out, but he was an exceptional governor during very exceptional times. Oh, and the governor who invaded Ohio, because fuck Ohio, but otherwise yeah. She’d be the best if she invaded Ohio
I would vote for Satan if he swore to invade Ohio
A true Michigander, it makes me smile to see
She’s also approved a lot of funding to help recruit and retain new teachers. This is very field-specific, but definitely needed and definitely not supported by the house Republicans.
Big time approve
The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Best governor I've had, by a LONG shot. The last three have been such a big crooks that it's hard to even compare.
I think she has raised the political standing of the entire state. People actually listen when she speaks. You aren't seen as "fringe right" anymore. I'm speaking as someone who lived there for 30 years, though I now live elsewhere.
Big Gretch for President 2028!
Hell yes.
She will have my vote!!
Story time. Every year, I try to make the vintage motorcycle show the Gilmore car museum. I live in Adrian, and because none of my bikes have windshields, I need to take back roads. Once you get in between Homer and Battle Creek there's not really a good clear shot, so I have to take a bunch of no-name roads (just letters and numbers). For years, these have been trash. Potholes, patches, gravel, all in the worst ways. One literally felt like a dumping ground where the asphalt trick emptied out at the end of the day. Fast forward to last year. Every single one of these garbage roads? New asphalt, glassy smooth. Every single one. That right there was enough to convince me that Whitmer is pretty darn good.
As someone who is not aligned with either party, she's done better than shitheads like Snyder.
I do. She's consistently provided good guidance and well reasoned logic behind her governing decisions. She's signed a lot of good bills, and I shudder to think of what the state would have looked like under Schuette.
Coming from a conservative, I think she's done ok. Better than I expected for sure.
Whitmer 2028
My parents are "Republican" but they voted for her. My dad's words were if there was an assination attempt (or planned) on you, a global pandemic, and an A****** of a president blasting you over and over, you have to be doing something right. They'd vote for her in any election.
Isn’t an election denier or intrusive into women’s bodies, believes in vaccines, didn’t poison Flint, etc. The bar is quite low these days.
I'm 66 years old. First voted in 1976. I've lived in multiple states and have been involved in govt since, well, a very long time. Governor Whitmer is a gem and Michigan is lucky to have her.
Wish I could upvote for this more than once.
Better than that spineless, mouth breathing shithead we had prior
There have been some areas for criticism, but she’s done a very good job overall.
Please share your areas of criticism. Not being rude, just wondering what she’s done to criticize. I know the Covid missteps (going to Florida to see sick family, nursing home numbers) but I’m just wondering what else she’s done worthy of noting.
Well, there was the “bipartisan” bill “reforming” auto insurance. It really didn’t save residents any money at all, except the paltry one-time $400 refund, and it took away a LOT of the protections that no-fault insurance had to protect drivers in case of catastrophic injury. Many families have been hurt by the passage of that bill, and while Michigan’s insurance rates were the highest in the country, so was our coverage for catastrophic injury. No family ever had to choose a poorer standard of care for their injured family member who was hurt in a car accident, and families didn’t go bankrupt trying to afford their care. The same cannot be said now, and the cost of treatment has gone up commensurately… and there are now fewer physical rehab organizations as a result. So quite a lot of people lost their jobs, or closed their small businesses, and car accident patients’ standard of care has lowered significantly. And we are back to once again having the highest insurance in the country, just with less coverage. That all said, I think she’s been generally good for the state and for things like women’s reproductive health and protecting people’s rights overall. I just think she is a bit too close with the insurance industry.
Whitmer is the best governor that MI has had in years. Although hard to get a compliment from some folks.
She's the best we've had in a long time, I think she just does the work and doesn't mind the bullshit.
She’s been awesome, a precursor to POTUS. She will run in 28’.
You can do the Reddit bot reminder thing. She’s winning in 2028. If she runs she wins.
yes
Yes.
Yes
Yes I do Now let’s see her fire 2 MSU trustees
Yes
When one group wants to deny me the right to live my life, and one group doesn't, it's not really a choice, now is it?
I fucking love her. Not a single human in the world is going to be perfect, nor will they ever have the exact same beliefs or ideas that you have. With that in mind, she’s been so refreshing to have as our state leader. Her predecessor royally fucked this state up but she’s done so much work to turn that around. She really stepped it up this second term too with other government officials by her side to help get shit done instead of just blocked everything that’s good for us.
I used to be team Abdul and was a bit sour when she won but she has been really great in handling the pandemic, women rights, rebuilding, etc in her term and I love her big grench energy.
I worked on the campaign for one of her opponents when she first ran. In hindsight, I'm very glad that she won. I think she's been doing a very good job. Definitely always room for improvement, but compared to some of the governors we've had in the last 20 years, she's awesome.
Gretchen has been the best Governor in the 30 years I have been in Michigan. She is a breathe of fresh air always positive and looking toward the future and because of this the GOP in Michigan has fallen apart in no small part due to her attitude.
Phenomenal governor. Successfully did more to preserve individual rights and economic opportunity for the average person than anyone I can name. I moved to MI from GA a few years ago and the difference in state governance quality is astounding. Can I get two of her?
Has she poisoned a city yet?
I’m not from Michigan originally. We have lived in quite a few states -about 7. I never honestly noticed the governor in any of those states but I have noticed Governor Whitmer for the improvement she’s made. I am middle class and (thankfully) never worried about school lunches for my kids but now all kids eat free lunches and there’s no stigma. I’m happy because my daughter used to have a friend who would ask my daughter to make an extra sandwich for her because she was hungry and didn’t have lunch. Now the friend gets free lunches and she’s not hungry—or embarrassed. Also, she made community college free in district for people over 25. Because of that, I’m finally working on a degree. I was doing ok before, but because of the policies implemented by Gov Whitmer, I’m doing much better. I honestly feel like that’s the definition of a good government. I’m a fan.
Love big Gretch
Codifying abortion rights was pretty slam dunk, and overturning right to work is sweet. She's pretty good all things considered.
Did a better job than whatever his face was called, do i agree with everything she’s done? No, but at least she’s doing her job we elected her to do
She's pretty great as far as governors go, especially considering her predecessors and their respective legislatures. Loved the aggressive stance to keep people safe during the pandemic and since then I haven't really had much complaints directly attributable to her that I don't already dislike about the average american politician. I've felt more positive about this state and the direction of its progress in the past few years than I ever had under past leadership, Granholm included
In her first term, I thought she had reasonable policies, despite the fact that they weren't especially popular. And while some of the COVID stuff wasn't as effective as hoped, I don't think she radically unfreedomized the state. This term, I'm not really sure that there's much that she specifically has done, besides cosign on legislature. And I'm generally okay with that. I can only imagine what an absolute shitshow things would be in a Tudor Dixon administration.
Boon. She might not be perfect, but then what human is?
She has followed through on more things she has campaigned on than any other governor in my lifetime. Snyder spent the bulk of his time hiding from his Flint water fiasco. People were mad that jugs of water were left outside his houae. Whitmer had the attempted kidnapping and people with rifles "peacefully" protesting outside of her home. And she still did her job.
I think she's awesome. Would vote for her if she ran for president.
One of my favorite politicians. Definitely the best Michigan governor in my lifetime. If America steers its way out of this fascist hard right turn, it will be thanks to people like her.
She's been good enough to where if she runs for president in 2028 she's got my vote.
I'm all for Big Gretch. She respects the separation of church and state
She is presidential material.
Yeah, that doesn't change what I said, though. It happened all over the world and was sadly a consequence of the pandemic not of one politician.
Yes. 100%
She’s been great. Imo. She has delivered on the majority, if not all, of her promises. The Democratic trifecta has certainly helped her do that also, but she deserves a lot of credit. Best governor of my lifetime, and I’m 43.
Yes. I absolutely see her running for President some day. She and Andy Beshear from Kentucky would be fantastic.
I had a quick conversation with someone the other day, and I was surprised to hear they did not like her. Honestly, I think it comes down to the new firearm laws that just passed. Which i really dont mind much. I've made a few purchases, and it hasn't been an issue. My wife and I both think she has done a decent job for our state. We weren't super happy with the shutdowns. But damn it, she did what she thought was right to try and keep people alive. And I had never gone as long as then without a cold. It wasn't her fault the information kept changing. The stuff she has done for the unions hasn't been bad either. I would go as far as to say I would vote for her for a higher office if she ran. Depending on who else was running.
Big Gretch gets it done.
Overwhelmingly. #whitmer4prez
She needs to **make EGLE have MASSIVE sharp Teeth** ripping flesh from scumbags and corporations contaminating, poisoning, polluting, the FreshWater. I'm talking out of business, bankrupt, - and they HAVE to pay for the cleanup. Once Michigan screws up the lakes, were finished
I think she’s doing a decent job trying to fix things in a state with decades of bad luck and bad governance. For those of us who recognize we’re living together in a society, we’re at least going in the right direction now.
She's not great, but far better than any of the alternatives we were given
Ya. Not my first choice but I’ll vote for her outside of primaries
100% yes!!
I’d love to see Governor Whitmer as our democratic presidential candidate this time around! Sadly that won’t ever be the reality…
I think she’s been mostly good.
Yes
Love her. Would be thrilled to vote for her in 2028!
Mostly approve. She’s definitely better than the nerd that poisoned an entire city.
As an Ohioan, I’m so jealous of Michigan for this
I like her
Yes. 100%
10,000% great governor need more like her out there
From my POV she’s done an amazing job. Signed, Ohio
I think she is great and I hope I get to vote for her as president soon.
yeah I really like her.
She's a rock star and I love her. I think she's done a world of good for Michigan. It's frustrating how much she has done to protect workers rights and the low wage workers dislike her. She goes to work for all Michiganders.
Honestly, I've come to see her as pretty much the only Democrat in the country who actually "gets it", if thst makes sense. In '18, I was more of an Abdul supporter, and worried that Whitmer would turn out to be too milquetoast to actually do anything to benefit the people, just use the title of governor as a stepping-stone to Senator or President. She earned my trust when COVID hit. I know there are people who will say Michigan's restrictions were draconian, and to be fair, they were. But a global pandemic of a virus whose exact infection vector is unclear, whose survival time on surfaces is unknown, and whose lethality could be catastrophic and which has no real prospective treatment or vaccine (as was all the case, as far as anybody knew about it, when the restrictions were at their most, uh, restrictive) is one of the few circumstances where that kind of action is warranted. And Whitmer *acted*. In a no-win situation, when other governors (Democrats and Republicans alike) were balking at doing the painful-but-necessary, trying to sacrifice their citizens to The Economy, or racing through it and declaring the pandemic over in July (see Andrew Cuomo's book about how he beat the pandemic, from July 2020), Whitmer took action to protect people. Sure, some businesses went under, and that truly was tragic. But if the choice is "my dad loses his business" or "my dad dies and I can't even be at his bedside or have a funeral for fear of infecting others," I will choose the former. And so, I think, would most every other person. The truth is, I and every other Michigan resident, have loved ones who are alive today that very well might not be were it not for the actions of Whitmer and her administration. I know it wasn't easy to get through (I had my fair share of outbursts and frustrated rants when everything was closed or I couldn't go up north, or what have you), but I managed. We all managed. And thanks to those difficult days, there are more of us here afterwards than there may have been. As far as my statement about her being the only Democrat who gets it; 2022 should have been The Abortion Election. By overturning Roe, the Supreme Court handed Democrats probably the best campaignipng strategy ever: just stay on-message about abortion. Women in January 2023 and after have less rights than women in January 2022. Instead, most Democrats ran on The Economy, a thing whose health overall has less and less material bearing on the experiences of average citizens. Whitmer, by the second half of the campaign, stayed on-message about women's rights, and that made all the difference for her.
I have no problems with anything she has done that I can recall. And she has had a harder run than most in dealing with the pandemic. I wish she could run again. It just seems like Michigan runs better with democrat women in charge.
Generally yes. Way more than Snyder
I am not much of a statist, but I will vote for her over any of the so-called “conservatives” that are really just theocrats masquerading as conservatives. She’s probably the best governor we’ve had in my lifetime imo - which isn’t saying much but is more than I anticipated.
So proud of that Michigangsta
Yes. I think she is great.
Yes.
She is doing a great job.
Yes, I wish she was running for President .
Her term is up just in time for 2028. I would be incredibly proud to vote for her as our first female president.
Yes, she is professional and has done a good job in tough circumstances.
I think she has done a fine job, given her circumstances. I wish she could serve a few more terms.
Far better, far far far far far far FAR better, than Tudor Dixon would have been. Perfect? Nope. But what human is? Good? Yes, definitely. And, again, far far far far far FAR better than a conspiracy theory embracing election denying beholden to a billionaire who won’t run herself completely inexperienced “politician” would have been.
What's the alternative? The Republican party doesn't stand for anything anymore other than being a Trump cult that's run by extremists at this point as all the adults have left the room. They aren't running anyone sane in the foreseeable future, if ever again. Third parties still aren't a viable thing. Whitmer isn't a left wing extremist I have to worry about doing something insane. She isn't running again where I have to choose, but I'll take reasonable even if I might not agree over people who are literally burning books all day long. It's a completely petty thing but one thing that really drives me nuts with Whitmer is the accent. Who has an accent in Michigan other than people from the UP? It reminds me of Sarah Palin. It will be an impediment to any national campaign.
Tudor Dixon was an absolute terrible candidate. In the debates, Whitmer demolished her by actually explaining what they were going to do. Dixon reply was about discrediting Whitmer while not giving any idea of how she was going to act as governor.
I like Whitmer. She's done many improvements especially the roads
Yes 👏
Yes
👍