Gretchen Whitmer responds to calls by some Democrats to vote ‘uncommitted’ in Michigan’s primary on Tuesday
Gretchen Whitmer, the Michigan governor, pushed back on calls to not vote for Joe Biden over his handling of the Israel-Gaza conflict, saying on Sunday that could help Trump get re-elected.
“It’s important not to lose sight of the fact that any vote that’s not cast for Joe Biden supports a second Trump term,” she said on Sunday during an interview on CNN’s State of the Union. “A second Trump term would be devastating. Not just on fundamental rights, not just on our democracy here at home, but also when it comes to foreign policy. This was a man who promoted a Muslim ban.”
Whitmer, who is a co-chair of Biden’s 2024 campaign, also said she wasn’t sure what to expect when it came to the protest vote.
Rashida Tlaib, a Democrat who is the only Palestinian-American serving in Congress, urged Democrats last week to vote “uncommitted” in Michigan’s 27 February primary.
Yeah, I do. I had that particular counterfactual in mind when I wrote. It’s not like we don’t get bad outcomes with representative democracy as well. The stances on reproductive care, marriage equality, and policies on marijuana have traditionally been either contrary to majority view or else hit back and forth as a spotlight issue.
One should not have to say bundle positions on Israel, abortion, guns, and drugs. Voting for the president like getting cable vs satellite. And the electoral college definitely worsens that, and probably the supreme court as well.
Not saying referendums are perfect. Just saying we in the US aren’t giving a thoughtful referendums process enough of a chance in my view, and the two-party process is such that one party going off the rails causes the other party to be a forced choice.
As a disclaimer, I’m a progressive liberal and I like Biden, and I think Trump is atrocious and fascist and his inner circle are appalling for continuing to support him.