From MAGA Matt Hall’s violent past to Trump’s upcoming & unwelcome visit, this week has shown just how deep Republicans can sink
LANSING — The week started with another exposé showing just how dysfunctional the MIGOP is; then, MAGA Matt Hall and widely-disliked former Governor Rick Snyder spent all week proving it. It’s become clear that despite using his connections to financially support the most far-right-wing radicals in the MIGOP, Rick Snyder and his failed governorship are still subject to attacks…from those very same members. Meanwhile, MAGA Matt Hall’s history of violent, racist threats came to light in a bombshell article in The American Independent, begging the question of if he is fit to serve as a leader, or even a member, of the state legislature.
Democrats, on the other hand, spent the week working to pass vital legislation and standing in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the UAW who are fighting for a fair contract, despite news that Trump is coming to Michigan next week to lie about his heinous record on labor. At the end of the day, it’s crystal clear which party has the middle class’s back when the rubber meets the road.
Let’s take a closer look at what happened this week:
It’s been a terrible week for disgraced former Governor Rick Snyder who has been trying to fundraise for the most extreme members of the MIGOP. First, he was met with a flurry of protests for attending a “civility” event at Oakland University:
Michigan Advance: Oakland University groups call out former Gov. Rick Snyder headlining ‘civility’ event
- “It’s troubling to say the least that our university would invite former Gov. Snyder to campus as an authority on civil political discourse,” said Jeff Insko, member of CASE-OU. “Treating Snyder as an authority on civility whitewashes his role in some of the worst environmental and social injustices in Michigan in decades. Not only is he responsible for poisoning the citizens of Flint and denying tens of thousands of Detroiters their basic right to water, he also forced through the Line 5 oil tunnel plan in the Straits of Mackinac at a moment when the planet is on fire.”
Then, even his own party didn’t want him! The next day, Snyder and his buddy, MAGA Matt Hall, were the subject of a press conference exposing their corrupt ties – hosted by none other than Michigan House Republican Freedom Caucus Chair Steve Carra, who slammed Snyder and Hall, saying, “the trajectory our leadership is on is the wrong course.”
Also this week, The American Independent exposed incredibly disturbing emails sent by GOP House Minority Leader Matt Hall during college, filled with racially-tinged threats to commit violent acts against another student:
The American Independent Michigan GOP state Rep. Matt Hall emailed death threats in 2001 when he was a student
- House Minority Leader Matt Hall, a Republican who represents a southwest Michigan district around Kalamazoo, is a graduate of Western Michigan University. During his time there, according to police records obtained through a public records request, he admitted to sending death threats to a student at a college in Maryland, where his girlfriend was studying.
- In one email, Hall wrote: “YOU BETTER NOT GO TO THE CHRISTMAS PARTY TOMORROW NIGHT! JUST A WORD OF ADVICE!! THE SOUTH WILL RISE AGAIN AND WE DON’T LIKE YOUR KIND TREATING LADIES LIKE [redacted] WITHOUT DIGNITY. SHE IS A FINE LADY YOU DON’T NEED TO BE SAYING SHIT ABOUT HER! WE ARE GOING TO IMPOSE OUR SOUTHERN WAYS ON YOU! I’VE GOT A SHOTGUN RIFLE AND I JUST PUT A BULLET IN IT WITH YOUR NAME ON IT!”
The entire MIGOP also continues to make headlines as party infighting and an embrace of extremism tears them apart from the inside out. MLive’s scathing report on the tensions in the party proves unequivocally that they have fallen lower than ever:
MLive: Michigan’s GOP is ‘a doggone mess’: inside a party torn by infighting and paranoia
- As infighting has reached a fever-pitch in some parts of the state, Karamo’s state party has found itself navigating increasingly contentious relationships with the same activists that catapulted her to power.
- “The most unfortunate thing about this whole summit and other recent distractions surrounding (the Michigan Republican Party) is that a Republican’s chances of winning Michigan in 2024 get diminished each hour of each day that (the state party) plays in the weeds,” the Oakland County Republican Party leaders wrote.
- Karamo has no problem stoking division for politicians she’s ascribes as “Grey Poupon.” She bristled at the news Michigan’s most recent Republican governor, Rick Snyder, would help lead House Republicans’ fundraising for the 2024 election, telling MLive in June the selection was “horrific” and “disturbing.”
This is all coming the week that Republicans head to Mackinac for a conference that’s become a who’s who of extremism. The complete shift from this once-respectable event proves that the MI GOP has fully abandoned any thoughts of delivering for Michiganders. Instead, they’re choosing to elevate election deniers, conspiracy theorists, and presidential candidates running on eliminating Social Security and Medicare. Michigan Republicans may pretend to care about Michigan families and their needs, but don’t be fooled, they’ll sell the middle class down the river the second they get the chance.
Michigan Democratic Party Vice Chairs Sen. Erika Geiss and Rep. Jason Morgan called Mackinac attendees/organizers out for their continued embrace of MAGA extremism:
At the same time, current frontrunner for the Republican nomination for president Donald Trump announced he was descending on Michigan next week. There’s no doubt he’ll use this visit as a cheap photo op to pretend to care about workers while ignoring his lengthy record of selling them out. Thankfully, Michigan Democrats won’t let anyone forget exactly how disastrous the Trump administration was for labor:
The Messenger: Michigan Reps Dingell, Stevens Say Trump Is Not Welcome in Detroit
- Michigan Reps. Debbie Dingell and Haley Stevens sent Donald Trump a very clear message while speaking to reporters on Tuesday: He is not welcome in Michigan.
- “Trump is going to come to Michigan and skip the Republican debate. It its very clear exactly what it is, which is the former president exploiting the hard working men and women who are the backbone of the American economy,” Dingell said. “And he’s doing it to disguise his true anti-worker sentiment in his record.”
Check out the wall-to-wall coverage that Democrats got calling out Trump’s anti-worker history HERE.
It’s not just us – union leaders were also clear about how dangerous another Trump presidency would be for their members:
AP: Trump says he always had autoworkers’ backs. Union leaders say his first-term record shows otherwise
- Union leaders say Trump’s record in the White House speaks for itself. Union leaders have said his first term was far from worker-friendly, citing unfavorable rulings from the nation’s top labor board and the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as unfulfilled promises of automotive jobs. While the United Auto Workers union has withheld an endorsement in the 2024 presidential race, its leadership has repeatedly rebuffed Trump.
- “Just look who Trump put in the courts,” said Dave Green, the UAW regional director for Ohio and Indiana. “Look at his record with the labor relations board. He did nothing to support organized labor except lip service.”
Democrats work hard delivering for Michiganders every week. This week, we had the added bonus of the MIGOP showing everyone exactly how disastrous they are all by themselves, no assistance from us required. Can’t wait to see what next week brings!
Signing off,
Michigan Dems
###
