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.

  • phillaholic@lemm.ee
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    9 months ago

    How can you vote for someone you’ve been accusing of genocide for months?

    These stupid purity tests need to end. You can’t cut ties with someone over single issues with insanely complex situations. Especially when the alternative is not possible on top of wouldn’t be different.

    • TokenBoomer@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      These stupid purity tests need to end.

      Are you saying we should vote for Trump? Because…screw purity tests.

        • phillaholic@lemm.ee
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          9 months ago

          Both sides of the line support Israel. Either you’re saying it in bad faith or need to take your head out of the sand. Anti-Israel isn’t on the ballot. If you want a full fledge war in the Middle East, feel free to not vote Biden and give the GOP the conflict they’ve been wanting since the bush admin.

          • TokenBoomer@lemmy.world
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            9 months ago

            You’re confusing me. If I’m getting a genocide either way, then it doesn’t matter if I vote Biden or Trump.

            • sailingbythelee@lemmy.world
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              9 months ago

              Yes, you are confused, and you are also trying to confuse the issue with false equivalence. The outcomes of a Trump presidency and a Biden presidency are not going to be the same, either in the Middle East or more broadly.

              • TokenBoomer@lemmy.world
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                9 months ago

                So we can stop the genocide by voting for Biden? Which vote stops the genocide? Or, do we want the genocide, but not if Trump’s doing it? Or, do we not want the genocide, but it’s okay if Biden’s doing it? Or, is genocide bad regardless of who is President?

                • sailingbythelee@lemmy.world
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                  9 months ago

                  You are being obtuse intentionally, I assume, to make a point. Withdrawing support for Israel is not one of the options. Your choices are status quo or fascism. And if you choose not to choose, then you are still making a choice. Trump can be elected by a combination of active support and negligence on the part of those who could stop him.

                  • TokenBoomer@lemmy.world
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                    9 months ago

                    write this down …

                    For some of us who have empathy, a genocide is more important than an election. Some nebulous, abstract, distant fever dream future, where Trump is president is immaterial to the actual current conditions in Palestine.

                    Hope that’s acute enough for you.

                • phillaholic@lemm.ee
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                  9 months ago

                  Show me a federal election that a green candidate has won. The goalposts haven’t been moved, they never were in a place where green could win in the first place.

                  • HACKthePRISONS@kolektiva.social
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                    9 months ago

                    you said it wasn’t on the ballot. now you seem to understand it is on the ballot and are looking for an excuse not to vote against war.