![]() So it’s like there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason.” She added, “We have a lot of jobs that just by the nature of the work are social distancing. “And yet private businesses can’t do that. MCC president Roseanne Ponkowski told Vox that on her way to Lansing, some rally attendees saw Michigan Department of Transportation workers planting trees and flowers along the highway and in the capitol. #OperationGridlock /7Q7niiNFUF- Malachi Barrett April 15, 2020 I mean, none of that makes any sense.”Ĭhants of “recall Whitmer,” “USA” and “lock her up” outside Michigan Capitol. Seely told Vox, “Do you want people to leave their homes and risk infecting themselves and other people to get a lottery ticket? But I can’t go to the hardware store and buy grass seed for my lawn, buy a gallon of paint so that I can find myself doing a home project so I don’t go absolutely insane being locked at home. ![]() They can’t buy lawn fertilizer from Home Depot, visit siblings, or get their hair done, but lottery tickets are still for sale and liquor stores remain open. Some rally attendees complained to Fox News that Whitmer’s order seemed arbitrary. “If you’re not buying food or medicine or other essential items, you should not be going to the store,” Whitmer said in a press conference earlier this month. They can still sell other goods deemed essential. A confusing crackdown on home improvement supplies was a major factorĬonservatives in Michigan were already growing agitated with Whitmer’s aggressive response to the virus when she took another step that seemed nonsensical: Big-box hardware stores (larger than 50,000 square feet) were told they must close off aisles dedicated to paint supplies and lawn care until the end of April. And while those Vox spoke with in Michigan said that they understood how serious the coronavirus pandemic was, his message is clearly resonating with some conservatives and having a real-world effect on their attitudes and actions - potentially putting them and others at risk. He’s consistently downplayed the pandemic and attempted to pin the blame on governors, particularly those of blue states (including Whitmer). Michigan is seeing the challenges of getting public buy-in for social distancing policies firsthand, and Trump’s messaging on Fox and in daily briefings mirror the divide. A recent study of Fox viewers found they reported being more skeptical of mainstream media reports about the virus and less likely to participate in social distancing. And the symbiotic relationship between President Trump and Fox News has contributed to this difference in attitudes. Morning Consult found that most Americans were practicing some form of social distancing in March, with Republican men being the least likely to say they were doing so. Still, surveys show that national attitudes about the government response to coronavirus are polarized around party ID and political attitudes. Party has nothing to do with this system, out of principle and our civil liberties.” “We would have protested this executive order if it was an independent governor or a Republican governor. Seely, who denounced the “jackasses” who brought weapons to the event, said the movement isn’t about partisanship. MCC spokesperson Matt Seely told Vox that the extension of the stay-at-home order made many Michiganders “nuts.” Last week, Whitmer responded by extending the state’s stay-at-home order through April 30, but she has also joined a coalition of Midwestern governors working together to determine an end to stay-at-home restrictions.īut a vocal subset of conservatives and libertarians have started to rebel, led in part by the Michigan Conservative Coalition. As of the morning of April 16, there were more than 28,000 confirmed cases in the state, resulting in over 1,900 deaths - the third most in the country. The state has been one of the hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic. Nationally, Whitmer has received some attention as a potential vice presidential pick for presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden. Whitmer’s handling of the coronavirus receives a favorable review from 71 percent of Michigan residents. ![]() Some attendees wore Make America Great Again hats and waved Confederate flags, and others carried AK-47s on the steps of the state capitol. ![]() Gretchen Whitmer’s executive stay-at-home order, organizers say, but some drivers got out of their cars and the event took on a flavor of a Trump rally, with some demonstrators, including members of militia groups, protesting close together while chanting slogans like “lock her up,” referencing the governor. “Operation Gridlock” wasn’t intended to go beyond people driving around and honking their horns in opposition to Gov. A political divide over the response to the coronavirus pandemic was on stark display Wednesday in Lansing, Michigan, where about 3,000 conservative demonstrators rallied against the Democratic governor’s policies. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |