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.

    • xmunk@sh.itjust.works
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      4 months ago

      This is a primary. Voting for Biden won’t make it less likely that Trump will be elected.

      • can@sh.itjust.works
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        4 months ago

        So they’re not even the official candidates yet? Just how long is your election cycle?

          • TheDoozer@lemmy.world
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            4 months ago

            That’s not really true. Primaries weren’t rigged in the Rupublican primaries in 2016. They voted Trump in despite what the RNC wanted. It was the Dem’s primary that was rigged (and turned a bunch of people off of voting in the main election, and it seems those people still haven’t learned anything).

            • CaptainSpaceman@lemmy.world
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              4 months ago

              Everyone says they didnt want him, but an idiot demagogue is a useful fool.

              Altrrnate theory: They didnt know who would beat Hillary, so they played as many candidates as possible until they figured it out.

            • Eldritch@lemmy.world
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              4 months ago

              How were the Dem primaries rigged. I still see lots of people claim this to this day. But no one has ever presented evidence. I voted for Sanders in 2016 and 2020 primaries. But legitimately more people voted for Clinton in 2016. She also won more delegates. She won fair and square. Now do I think there needs to be a better process? Absolutely. But in the system democrats have used for the last 30 to 40 years Sanders lost fairly despite a strong showing.

              • TheDoozer@lemmy.world
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                4 months ago

                The superdelegates, which in 2016 made up about 15% of the delegates, were not elected and are not beholden to any voters, they just chose whichever candidate they wanted, and 604 out of 651 went for Clinton immediately, which meant Bernie started off at an immediate disadvantage.

                There’s this idea that if it’s technically possible to succeed, that the system is not rigged (see racism, sexism, etc). But that’s ridiculous. If someone starts off at a major advantage over their competition, the system is rigged for them. If, in the general election, one candidate started off with 75 electoral votes because some unelected people just decided they liked that candidate, I imagine we would call that system rigged in favor of that candidate (even if it is technically possible for their opponent to win). Not only that, but starting off at such a deficit for what would already have been considered a close race is likely to make those who might have voted for Bernie just not bother showing up.

                So yes, I’d say the primary was rigged against Bernie. And the Democrats seem to agree, because they got rid of superdelegates for the initial vote, because everyone was pissed.

                • Eldritch@lemmy.world
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                  4 months ago

                  The DNC used that system FOR DECADES. They didn’t implement it in 2015 to snub Sanders. And as shitty as it was. It was better than what they had before. This, this is why no one rightfully takes you seriously. Or shows any respect. Hyperbolic, disingenuous BS.

            • SaltySalamander@kbin.social
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              4 months ago

              Please explain to me, in detail, how the '16 Dem primaries were rigged. Bernie was literally on every single ballot, right alongside Hillary.

              • TheDoozer@lemmy.world
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                4 months ago

                I responded in detail to the comment before yours (you and I posted within a minute of each other), but in a word, superdelegates.

        • xmunk@sh.itjust.works
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          4 months ago

          Yea, neither Biden nor Trump have the official party endorsement yet. Presidential elections in the US usually last between two and five years depending on how you define them.

        • Semi-Hemi-Demigod@kbin.social
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          4 months ago

          The news starts talking about the next election the day after the election so our election cycle is permanent at this point.

      • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        Neoliberals never let a silly thing like facts get in their way.

        They’re just republicans who don’t want the cool kids to hate them.

        The fucked up part is theyre the only other option this election, and they know it.

        It’s not good enough for them that Biden is better than trump, they want 100% support for all the fucked up shit Biden is doing as well.

        • protist@mander.xyz
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          4 months ago

          they want 100% support for all the fucked up shit Biden is doing as well

          Who are you even talking about?

        • Uranium3006@kbin.social
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          4 months ago

          And they yell at us for not putting up with their putrid shit. Whatever happened to “push Biden left”

          • a lil bee 🐝@lemmy.world
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            4 months ago

            You have? Like, it’s been a clear influence in the policies of his administration. I’m my opinion, it would be pretty short sighted to turn that influence into disdain.