Powerful women. Legal weed. Fair electoral maps. Automatic Registration. Easy voting. If you live in Michigan, you have a chance to vote for almost everything Republicans despise on November 6.
You’ve probably heard that Trump’s fluke success across the Big Ten states of Michigan, Iowa, Ohio, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania doesn’t seem fated to be repeated by Republicans. But we have to remember that it was largely overblown anyway, especially in Michigan.
“Donald Trump won Michigan in 2016, though he drew only slightly more votes than Romney — 2.28 million,” conservative Nolan Finley notes. “The difference was the lackluster showing of Hillary Clinton, who won fewer Michigan votes (2.26 million) than any Democratic presidential candidate since Al Gore in 2000.”
Studies have shown Trump’s narrow win in Wisconsin wouldn’t have been possible without the state’s masterful voter suppression. Of course, that leads Pennsylvania, where Republicans haven’t even been able to produce a decent candidate for governor or Senator.
Everything that went wrong in 2016 hasn’t been fixed but in Michigan we’re fighting back with a ticket that’s almost entirely women, except for our Lt. Gov. candidate Garlin Gilchrist from MoveOn.org and the great Sam Bagenstos, who’ve you’ve heard on the show. Sam is the kind of guy who could be on the Supreme Court today if Hillary Clinton had gotten just a few more votes in each precinct in Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio.
Gretchen Whitmer leads that ticket the same way she led the fight to win Medicaid Expansion in this state. Because of her, some 700,000 Michiganders have gained coverage and her opponent who sued to try to kill the Affordable Care Act a record 9 times is pulling a turn fit for pro wrestling and pretending he suddenly cares about health care.
We talk a lot about whoever owns the language and framing of a debate is winning and Whitmer is doing just that. We wanted to talk to her about what she’s learned from running for governor, what worries her most, and how she deals with polls that often make no sense.
Intro sound clip of Gretchen Whitmer prior to her final debate with Bill Schuette courtesy of the inimitable Graham Davis::
Gretchen Whitmer on Twitter: @GretchenWhitmer
Gretchen Whitmer’s campaign website: GretchenWhitmer.com
Donate to the Whitmer campaign HERE.
The Good — In 2018, this isn’t your parents’ GOTV
James Hohmann at The Washington Post: To win the Midwest, labor-backed coalition pursues minorities who haven’t voted before in midterms
LaTosha Brown and Cliff Albright at The New York Times: How to Turn a Person Into a Voter
The Bad — The U.S. Senate
Jennifer Bendery at The Huffington Post: Senate’s Out? Nobody’s Around? Perfect Time To Advance Trump’s Court Picks, Says GOP.
Ron Brownstein at CNN Politics: Small states are getting a much bigger say in who gets on Supreme Court
The Shrugly ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ — Hate and fear and caravans, oh my : (
Progressives Everywhere‘s Candidates of the Week (via @JordanZakarin): Congressional candidate Janet Garrett (OH-14).
Donate to Janet Garrett at Progressives Everywhere HERE.
The show notes for Episode 19 of The GOTMFV Show are at http://www.eclectablog.com/2018/10/do-something-every-day-with-special-guest-gretchen-whitmer-candidate-for-michigan-governor.html
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The GOTMFV Show Facebook page is HERE!
Music clips
Intro and transition music: You Dress Like an Asshole by Not The 1s
Progressives Everywhere intro/outro: They’re Everywhere by Jim’s Big Ego
Flint Water Crisis Update intro: Unclaimed by Mike Wagner/Total Strangers
Outro music: Complain (from the movie Bob Roberts) by David Robbins & Tim Robbins
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