How bad a governor is Gretchen Whitmer? Let’s just say what everyone with a memory or knowledge of Michigan’s past already knows — she’s historically bad.
In fact, she’s the worst Michigan governor since World War II, with the possible exception of Republican Kim Sigler, who served a single term before getting knocked off by Democrat G. Mennen “Soapy” Williams in 1948.
And that’s not because of Whitmer’s handling of the state’s response to the interminable COVID-19 pandemic, although surely she has mismanaged that. Whether her policies “saved lives” we will never know, but she certainly has destroyed businesses, damaged public education, ruined peoples’ livelihoods, and injured their physical and mental health. The recent WalletHub report documented this as well as any study done so far — it ranked Michigan dead last out of 50 states and the District of Columbia in how well we have emerged from our war with the coronavirus. It didn’t have to be this bad — the incoherence, unpredictability, and internal contradictions of Whitmer’s unilateral mandates have been apparent to all, even while she didn’t follow her own edicts.
Michiganders learned that she doesn’t abide by the same arbitrary rules she’s imposed on every resident of Michigan. She shunned masks when she’s with her friends. She was caught red-handed violating her own social distancing guidelines.
She ordered us not to travel, not to see our families, not to leave our homes, only to hop on a private jet and fly down in secret to Florida to visit with her supposedly ailing father, the well-known retired insurance executive, Dick Whitmer.
After trying to cover up her Florida junket, Whitmer refused to answer the most basic questions about it. She wouldn’t tell us when she left, when she returned, how she got there, or most importantly, who paid for her trip. The reluctant news media, which wanted to protect her, finally was embarrassed into digging up the truth. That didn’t look pretty, either.
Of course, Whitmer is a woman, and some of her apologists contend that any criticism of the governor is rank misogyny. But, compared with Whitmer, Jennifer Granholm was a combination of Winston Churchill and Joan of Arc.
Ironically, Granholm did better with a far worse hand than Whitmer. Granholm inherited a bad Michigan economy and it never got better than mediocre before it disintegrated completely in the 2008-10 Great Recession. But, even though she had far less government experience than Whitmer, Granholm had a better temperament, and she didn’t come into office with a chip on her shoulder — embittered, as Whitmer was, by 14 years in a legislative minority. Whitmer never learned how to be a legislator; instead, she carved out a niche as a bomb-thrower, aiming a steady stream of invective at her Republican opposition. Whitmer sponsored only three bills that became law during her tenure, but she stored up resentment that she has unleashed in a “revenge tour” during her two and a half years as governor.
Fact is, Whitmer hasn’t handled much of anything with competence. She was dragged kicking and screaming to a deal with the Legislature on auto insurance rate reform. She mishandled her negotiations with the state House and Senate on the 2019-20 budget, then set an all-time record for line item vetoes that wreaked havoc with state government finances for six months afterwards. She shuffled appropriations between departments in unprecedented fashion, extending “executive privilege” as it was never intended and has only done long-term damage. Angry that the Republican majority in the Legislature wouldn’t negotiate with her on raising the state’s gasoline tax (which she swore in her 2018 campaign she would not do, at least by 45 cents a gallon), she undertook to rack up millions of dollars in debt by floating bonds to “fix the damn roads” without legislative input. Without warning, she continues a steady stream of vetoes, even of bills with almost unanimous Democratic legislative support.
Line 5? Whitmer has taken a nebulous situation and made it worse. Criminal prosecutions in the Flint Water Crisis? The governor and her attorney general sidekick, Dana Nessel, are screwing the pooch there, too. And has any governor expressed less interest in the state’s economy than Whitmer? That’s been a key component of every Michigan governor’s agenda during the past six decades. Nobody can forget Jim Blanchard’s mantra of “Job, jobs, jobs!” From Whitmer? Crickets.
But clearly Whitmer has been luckier than good. She is being bailed out now by waves of anti-COVID stimulus money from Washington that should solve the state’s fiscal problems for years to come, unless she bungles that, too. And she’s been fortunate in her enemies. First, Donald Trump, whose long-running unpopularity in Michigan after his narrow 2016 surprise win provided a perfect foil for Whitmer. This governor does best playing off perceived antagonists, whether they are legislative Republicans or a bombastic, polarizing politician like Trump, who delighted in giving Whitmer as good as he got. But now Trump is gone, and she can’t use his obstruction or incompetence in the White House as an excuse for her own failings.
Now, she seems to have gotten a second break — the nature of her Republican opposition if or when she seeks re-election next year.
The record number of faceless Republicans lining up to take on Whitmer — whether they’re somewhat well-known names like James Craig or Mike Cox or zeros on the Voter ID scorecard like Tudor Dixon, Kevin Rinke, Ryan Kelley, Garrett Soldano, Ralph Rebandt, Austin Chenge, Evan Space, and Bob Scott — remind us to paraphrase the old Ronald Reagan joke, i.e. “There must be a pony in there somewhere,” In other words, a credible, well-rounded GOP nominee with some financial resources.
But there is no George Romney or John Engler or even Rick Snyder in sight in this group. And no incumbent governor in Michigan history, of either major party, has EVER been defeated when seeking election to a second four-year term. Yes, after Sigler, Democrat John Swainson lost to Romney in 1962, but those were in the days of two-year terms. Yes, Democrat Jim Blanchard lost in 1990 to Engler, but Blanchard had already WON a second four-year term. A 1990 win would have given him a THIRD term. Bill Milliken and Engler won all three times they ran for four-year terms. In fact, their first re-elections were by bigger margins than their initial wins. Ditto Granholm. Snyder also won re-election in 2014, before he was term-limited.
So, even though she doesn’t deserve it, Whitmer is almost a lock to be re-elected next year.
The Michigan Democratic Party must realize it’s got a turkey to protect and have resorted to a “Gray Davis Strategy” — that’s where a political party, say, the California Democrats in 2002, unleashes a torrent of pre-primary negative ads against possible Republican candidates who want to unhorse an unpopular incumbent Democratic governor. In fact, the California Dems actually paid for attack ads against the perceived strongest GOP candidate in the Republican field, bolstering the weakest. It worked, at least temporarily. The strongest GOP candidate fell short in his primary, and Davis managed to win in the general election. He lasted a year before a famous recall campaign ousted him from office and replaced him with Arnold “The Terminator” Schwarzenegger. This year, Michigan Democrats haven’t spent any cash in a still-to-take-shape Republican primary — yet. But, based on the deluge of press releases released by the Democrats’ front office in Lansing that demean every conceivable candidate in the GOP field, that would be a logical next step in a Whitmer re-election campaign.
The Democrats can probably save their money.
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This is one time when I sure hope you are wrong, Bill
I love ya, Bill, but clearly, you should retire.
You’ve written some crap before, but this is the worst.
Whitmer is a dictator. She has taken over the government in Michigan and God help you get rid of this bitch
Oh Bill, even with your comments it is not possible for me to believe or support the current crowd of Republicans at the local, state and national level.
Amen, just proves edcation in mi is an abject failure. Time for “pay for performance” contracts with pay adjusted down by 2x the percent below top 20%! Instant fix.
Bill, I take it from this commentary that you don’t think Whitmer has done a good job as Governor…
Whitmer is a dictator.
Baloney. Take line 5. Embridge dumped almost a million gallons of oil in the Kalamazoo river. We are supposed to trust them anywhere? No. I’ll gladly vote for Gretchen again.
Even though she violated the Constitution and destroyed Michigan’s economy?
Bless your heart.
I pray you never get what you want, for your sake. For the same reason how Bukharin wondered how the shooting of the Russian monarch along with his family, as well as the family pets, eventually wound up with Bukharin himself getting shot.
Hysterical, is this Whitmer
Well it would not be the only time you have been on the other side of what the voters. Courageous Opinions! LOL. I would have guessed you might have liked her efforts to fix the roads.
Interesting viewpoint about Big Gretch. I think Whitmer is way ahead of Granholm in relating to politics and her Party.
The whack jobs in the Republican Senate caucus make Big Gretch look like Harry Truman. She has skillfully beat them at their game with joy. Perhaps Republicans don’t like that much? The Republicans in our Legislature are a disgrace especially Shirkey. He is way over his head. Thank him if she wins in a landslide.
Rick Snyder poisoned an entire city. How can he not be the worst Governor in Michigan history?
That’s REALLY screwing the pooch.
Whatever Whitmer’s defects, they pale in comparison with our Covid-denying, gun-loving, democracy-hating GOP legislature. Giving that group a lock on state government would be a disaster.
There is one word Bill that
Describes your Article ,PATHETIC!
She has done a Fabulous
Job !
The EPA and the Democrats in Flint poisoned an entire system, you Communist lunatic.
Decades of democrat corruption, mismanagement and greed. That’s what led directly to the poisoning of innocent Flint residents. Why aren’t the roots of the disaster exposed? The idea of Snyder poisoning his victims is the big wet dream of the party of Jim Crow. Let’s get real!
Terrance, if the state hadn’t cut taxes so dramatically after 2000, and then cut revenue sharing (and state support for universities) instead of cutting their own “state government” programs (Legisaltive budgets have increased dramatically)…the city would not have had to be put into receivership, opening the door for a financial manager who cared not one bit for the people of the city. Even the special committee Snyder appointed to review his actions agreed with all of that…and that racism of a virtually all white administration played a significant role in the disaster. Read that report, and you will have a very different view than that pushed by those who care not one bit for urban problems that they often created with their decisions.
First; Why do you not ask the question of GM when they departed the Flint Water System because it was corroding their test engines? Second; why did Flint want to leave the Detroit Water System? This is the big one, broke. This process was going on for years and everyone put their head down the dark hole hoping things like operation and pension cost would just disappear. Or better receive a State bailout. Always great when someone says why did they cut taxes at State level. Maybe because cities and this state can not manage a darn thing and this includes the past and current administrations. No rainy day fund! More money and they piss it away as fast as they can. Like an extra dollar in taxes when everyone fills up their gas tank. Then, they will say we have to raise taxes to support increases like State Pensions because everyone received pay increases! The teacher pension fund which is way under funded will just continue to grow Borrowed money to fix roads where did money magically disappear! You can just rattle off case after case of pissed away money!! All everyone does is blame someone else for the level of incompetence. Why do you not ask why Medicaid pays for 40% plus of births in the State, year after year. Which, by the way, is becoming confidential data!! Hide everything you do not care to admit or willingly to discuss is a bigger problem! Or things like FOIA which UofM refuses to respond to. In the private sector you work on cutting cost and in the public sector you see how big you can grow the structure to demand more tax money. Have a good day! Rattled on enough!
I almost forgot. Heil Whitler!
Clearly an inaccurate and partisan article. Her COVID response saved thousands of lives and was an example of true decisive leadership. Her ability to reach equality in funding for children in public schools is a fantastic achievement on a goal that has alluded the State for decades. Despite a pandemic and blatant obstructionism by an obstructionist legislature there is road construction going on all over the State. Indeed, she is one of the best governors Michigan has had in decades and that is why you correctly observe that she is likely on the way to reelection. The support of insurrection by the Republican Party and a fair reapportionment system resulting from the people’s decision to take that process out of the hands of the excessively partisan legislature may even give her a chance at taking back control of the legislature for her party. Please unsubscribe me from your continued dribble.
No she didn’t. She killed thousands of senior citizens by putting COVID-positive patients in nursing homes as exposed by the Michigan Auditor General.
She violated the Constitution with her COVID restrictions which were struck down by the state Supreme Court.
Nothing they did for COVID 19 helped save lives. There are no facts that anything worked. The only facts are that it caused major economic impacts and lost jobs.
Let’s turn the headline upside down. It should read:
“Ballenger may be Michigan’s worst journalistic political commentator,
but he is likely to keep publishing his nonsense.”
LMeizlish
I forget, how many cities has Whitmer poisoned again ?
Benton Harbor.
What have you got against now-deceased decades ago one-term Michigan governor Republican Kim Sigler who was replaced by “Soapy?”
Thank you, Bill, for having the courage to tell it like it is. She is awful.
I agree Sarah, and so would all of the small business owner’s left without a business due to Getchen’s policies. What a mess she has made of our State.
You are right on!
Evening Flintstone Bill. My mother in law was hired by Sigler to work at the Michigan School for the Deaf. Her father like my dad’s father was a sit down striker at Chevy in the hole. My ma in law is still living and 96. Such an FDR democrat she says , “ I was hired by the Governor before “Soapy”. As a blue dog democrat, your sentiments are shared by the folks that elect governors and presidents in Michigan. Independent voters. I’d be interested in your thoughts on Benson. I hear disgust from independent voters about the SOS service. From patrons seeking birth certs in our office for drivers license needs I know she’s more wobbly than Whitmer for a return to office. Disagreement doesn’t mean division. Slainte’!
A hood, original article with historical insight. Well done, sir! I always look forward to your pieces.
Snyder poisoned the people of Flint and people died. I am unsubscribing. Your report is out of touch and irresponsible. Not worth reading.
That was the Democrats in Flint and the EPA. Snyder had nothing to do with it.
Turn. The. Media. OFF.
They have lied to you about Flint from the onset.
Another original article that is Right On Point!! The Gretch that stole the robust economy, forced restaurants into extinction, caused the early deaths of those she rammed into nursing homes, IS the worst Governor that Michigan has ever seen. She exhibits a total absence of leadership, foresight, planning, and any scheme that she finally does devise is very poorly executed.
But frankly, the current republican ‘leadership’ isn’t much better. The word lame comes to mind. They haven’t a clue about what to do, and when they finally do determine what to do, they implement their ‘plan’ with the enthusiasm of someone with cognitive difficulties. (for example….the current white house Resident) Much huffing and puffing; little if any capability of follow through.
The GOP has a recent history of ineptitude. Why else would they let the Gerrymandering and Marijuana proposals make it to the 2018 ballot, when they could have tweaked them to their liking in the legislature? Did they not know that both would pass overwhelmingly? Were they not aware that by letting these donkeys out of the barn that a massive herd of jackasses would proceed to the polls, and while there, give us the three witches? (Thanks for this label, Ron!)
And just who does the Party of the Pachyderm provide for a 2022 goober-natorial candidate? A RINO!! The only thing missing from Craig’s head is the Horn. There is virtually NOTHING in his record that can be VERIFIED that would give credence to his conservative claims. What does his record reflect? Smarmy statements concerning Shelby Township Police Chief Robert Shelide. Read the following article and listen for yourself: fox2detroit.com/news/detroits-craig-excoriates-shelby-township-police-chief-says-he-should-be-fired-for-inflammatory-posts
Remember 1986? Wayne County Executive Bill Lucas was anointed to ride the elephant to victory, but took the wrong turn on the way to the zoo. Of course, he was never picked to win, just to fill the slot for the state’s highest office that year. The establishment was well satisfied with the Boy Governor, just as they are now with the Gretch. Why else have the funds not been ponied up to for a recall?? If the wise-one can fund Stan Grot to recruit precinct delegates on the Keweenaw Peninsula, surely he could find the funds to send the Gretch packing early.
So what’s the solution? Someone to run that is not a part of the Republican Establishment, who has quite a few pennies in his pocket along with the willingness to spend them, can excite the base (Goldwater Conservatives; Reagan Democrats), along with dissatisfied independents (Ross Perot Types), and virtually anyone negatively affected by the Gretch’s reaction to COVID-1984.
Shouldn’t be too hard….but don’t hold your breath. Donald Trump is registered to vote in Florida, not Michigan.
Not only will the worst governor in the stated history be reelected, the way the GOP is handling this they will lose the legislature, too.
If they were trying to lose what would they do different from what they are doing now. They can’t even get election reform done.
Someone who would vote for her again is too stupid to have a right to vote.
I live in TX, you should be ecstatic with your governors response to covid… Bottom line, she saved lives, probably someone you care about. I can’t speak about her other decisions but that one was spot on, and history has proven it to be fact.
Down here in TX, we have an arrogant governor, Mr. Abbott… What an unmoral compass he has proven to be. Greed is a horrible thing to have in the governors office, Instead of what Witmer did, he was more concerned about satisfying his constituents, opening up business as soon as possible.. Basically, we had a governor who chose to put peoples lives in danger in the long run because of wealth and greed.. That is what happened in TX, several people died due to the original outbreak and then to make matters worse, we were the first to fully open again. Now because of Mr. Greg Abbott, we are overwhelmed with new cases every day, we are essentially back to square one. In fact, today’s stats are (1034 new cases on 9-24 for little Tarrant county where I live), can’t image what the whole state is reporting… BTW, Abbott is against the covid-19 vaccine, often fighting against any mandate trying to get people vaccinated. Bottom line, this is truly the reason only slightly more than 50% of our TX citizens have been vaccinated.
So to sum it up, 49% are smart enough not to follow Abbott, hopefully that will reflect the next time he is up for re-election…
You should move to MI; your kids could have drag queens for story hour. Not to mention if there is another pandemic your elderly loved one in a nursing home could become infected and die as Whitmer would want recovering elderly patients to be placed in the nursing home with them. She killed over 2,000 elderly citizens by doing so last time.
Michigan voters are the dumbest in the nation, dumber than California voters. They are always willing to reward failure, and will often blame others before they blame their own government. Even in the face of Democrat incompetence. They like failure. They like being stupid. They like to vote in idiots. They like to be tortured by corrupt Democrats that have done nothing for this state. They are complete masochists.
If Whitmer wins I’m moving to Texas for good and never coming back again. I feel like burning all my Michigan sports apparel as well as any memorabilia I have of this state because I feel ashamed to have grown up in a failed state that only wants failure.
“Engler won all three times they ran for four-year terms. In fact, their first re-elections were by bigger margins than their initial wins. Ditto Granholm.“
Even so, Engler won re-election in 1994 and 1998 because they were red wave years. 2010 and 2014 were red wave years as well.
Blanchard won re-election because 1986 was a blue wave year, and Republicans didn’t turn out in protest of Reagan’s amnesty.
Granholm won re-election in 2006 because it was not only a blue wave year. 2006 in general was an awful year for Republicans nationwide, the Bush Jr. administration received tons of backlash for Iraq and Afghanistan, which energized the Democrats to turn out that year in droves.
Amen, just proves edcation in mi is an abject failure. Time for “pay for performance” contracts with pay adjusted down by 2x the percent below top 20%! Instant fix.
Much to the chagrin of your detractors, your analysis turned out to be spot on. I congratulate you. That said, it’s still mind boggling to me that despite Whitmer’s absolute shit record, Michigan voters would choose her over anything else, even an inanimate object…like a chair leg, for example.
I can’t write what I really think of the TRASH we have right now as Governor in Michigan. It would be censored. She’s a lousy Governor who doesn’t believe in parents right to choose schools, have a say in what their children are taught, is open to a sanctuary state, and CRT being taught in schools. In fact, her friend, the State Attorney General believes “that drag queens make everything better”. They both likely won because of the abortion proposal on the ballot.