Radical leftist filmmaker Michael Moore called on Democrat Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer to close down the state to slow the spread of COVID-19 during an episode of his podcast “Rumble.”
“I hate to say this, because I voted for her for governor, but she has been scared by people who seek to do violence to her, who bullied her,” Moore said. “The business community — the Chamber of Commerce — who have insisted that she reopen everything and this has brought a tragedy upon this upon the state, and so I need everybody’s help in pressuring … Governor Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, to close things down.”
Moore added, “Do not listen to the business community. Yes, they are losing money. There are programs to help them with getting some of this money back, and what they can’t get back, there should be other programs that the Biden administration establishes so that these businesses don’t go bankrupt.”
As the lowest-wage workers in Michigan, the most vulnerable to government-mandated unemployment, continue to suffer, Moore, a multimillionaire, is advocating for lockdown policies that have been shown to be ineffective at significantly reducing the spread of COVID-19. A study published in December 2020, for example, found that “a full lockdown appears to have no significant gains on reducing the number of infections, compared to voluntary compliance with behavioral changes.”
Republican lawmakers have responded to the elitist calls for a lockdown in Michigan, explaining that small businesses are still trying to recover from the economic devastation from previous lockdowns.
“It’s clear that Michigan is a hot spot for COVID-19. To prevent further spread and save lives, the Biden Administration should adopt a surge strategy and increase vaccine allocation to Michigan instead of advocating for shutting down the economy,” said Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI). “Manufacturers, restaurants, and small businesses alike are still trying to recover from the mandated government shutdowns over the past year.”
Huizenga added, “Shutting down the economy again is not the answer.”
