They say that in building and maintaining a brand, messaging is vitally important.

The Guv didn’t stray too far from that lesson tonight.

{The Right Michigan rundown from her (second) Statewide Huwan Virus Town Hall continues below the fold.}

As I mentioned before, staying on message is vitally important.

Gov. Whitmer gets it.

The media, whose job is apparently now to maintain widespread panic on a statewide level, gets it.

Now, you need to get it.

Gov. Whitmer used the following sound bites multiple times previously. She used them again multiple times tonight where it essentially became a drinking game.

“We’re all in this together.”

“We all must do our part.”

“We’ll all need to pitch in to win this.”

A little too collectivist for my tastes, but let me delve a little, into some of the back and forth that took place tonight.

The Huwan Virus Town Hall took place in Lansing for the governor’s end. And at the respective local news sets for the local television stations here in Southeastern Michigan; Fox 2, WDIV (Channel 4) and WXYZ (Channel 7). Got to maintain that “social distancing”, you know!
Here are my abridged notes from this evening’s town hall.

The questioning started with Devin Scillian from WDIV, to Huel Perkins from Fox 2, to Carolyn Clifford from WXYZ and then continued to rotate in that same order.

They began by letting Gov. Whitmer make an opening statement where she restated “We’re all in this together”, Acknowledging that there is currently hardship taking place across Michigan. Stated that we are going to be facing challenges and that some sacrifices will have to be made.

She continued by explaining since this is a very highly contagious virus where we must pull out all of the stops, while simultaneously shredding our rights in the process. You’ll thank me for saving your life, or the life of someone you love, later in the future.

Do you ever wonder if anyone had informed her what something like Pneumonia has been doing to our state for decades???

Unlike Devin Scillian’s uncharacteristic softball questioning, Huel Perkins threw the governor a hardball question and asked her why Lansing isn’t promoting the Huwan Virus recovery numbers as much as the other information it disseminates to the public.

The governor was visibly uneasy at answering that question (her body language gave it all away). Giving people any semblance of hope contradicts that message that she is attempt to convey. Must maintain fear…next question.

After a few round of more softball questions, if went back to Huel Perkins who asked the governor about her position regarding hydroxychloroquine. Again, the governor appeared very uneasy at answering that question as well, and tossed the answer over to Dr. Khaldun.
I’ve got to say this much, Dr. Khaldun has got a much better poker face that Gov. Whitmer.

They went on about “unproven statements” and the “confusion” regarding the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine as the source of any misinterpretation with the general public.

Carolyn Clifford started throwing a few hardballs of her own and asked about the economic anxiety facing the state. But hey, when the first-time UI number shoot up to 311k, up from 128k the previous week, why would anyone in Michigan be anxious?

The governor tried to allay that by telling people that work is being done to beef-up Michigan’s UI website. She has also made it much easier to file for UI by removing many of the onerous reporting requirements.

 

Devin Scillian finally got around to asking about the “social distancing” order from the governor. She went off about it being a common sense, and that if you do not obey her SS-orders, that you are risking the lives of others.

He got another good one in when he was asking about how essential/non-essential jobs were determined. The governor started going into the weeds attempting to explain how that briar patch came about, when he brought up why the Michigan Lottery wasn’t shut down?

Hoo Boy! If you want to see her reaction go from a calm demeanor to deer-in-the-headlights, that’s the one right there! Handing cash to a cashier and receiving a paper lottery ticket in return?!? Germs!!! Not to fear, she told Devin Scillian she’ll be looking into why that was.

Huel Perkins asked her if she would be considering something like the curfew imposed by Mayor Neeley up in Flint, as an enforcement mechanism behind “social distancing”.

While she said that others violating it was putting others at risk of contagion, she wanted to use “peer pressure” first, and would then see where to go from there.

Carolyn Clifford went to a whiffle-ball question asking the governor about the effects this is having on Michigan’s economy. The governor couldn’t have looked any less concerned (got to stay on message, you know). The governor attempted to downplay that unfolding train wreck, by claiming that NOT taking aggressive steps now, would be even worse for the economy in the coming weeks.

Huel Perkins had one of the last questions asking the governor when we would see the finish line? She couldn’t have possibly have given an out a vaguer answer pertaining to the metric that her administration is using to claim that everything is officially over.

She even let drop the ominous warning that there might be a “second wave” of the Huwan Virus, like they’re experiencing over in Europe.

Look, even in NASCAR, someone waves the Checkered Flag to let you know that the race is over. Why she couldn’t in this instance…well, I’ll touch on that below.

She wrapped things up by contrasting what is happening right now with the tired “Arsenal of Democracy” analogy.

Reminded us of “Pitching in to win”.

That “we must all do our part”.

And that “we are all in this together”.

Okay, getting away from the farce of Gov. Whitmer’s Huwan Town Hall, I’m going to get serious and bottom line things to wrap up my post this evening.

Gov. Whitmer has got 11 days left under her emergency powers.

During that time, she and just about every media outlet here in Michigan, have whipped up so much apprehensiveness among Michigan’s population regarding what is transpiring, that it is pathetic.

I’ve given the latest unemployment filings above.

BLS should release the overall number sometime Friday Morning.

People, we’re not trending towards recession territory, it’s looking more like depression.

The governor has “cancelled” school for the year.

What does that really mean?

Nobody really knows. Not even Gov. Whitmer herself (a fact she had acknowledged this evening).

She had lamented about the lack of computers and internet connectivity playing a significant role in her Executive Order released earlier today. Anyone want to take a wild guess which district she mentioned by name as having the worst problem with this?

But school districts are still able to set their calendars and offer instruction, students just cannot physically enter a building.

And those contagion numbers she just loves to play up (again, staying on message)?

As of 3:00pm today Michigan is looking at 10,791 reported cases, and out of those reported cases 417 deaths. These are the people who were actually tested, because the lack of test and testing equipment was cited by Dr. Khaldun this evening, the number of infections is most definitely higher (most people will show no to moderate symptoms to the Huwan Virus and won’t even care). But just using those available numbers alone from the state, you’re look at a SURVIVAL RATE of over 96% STATEWIDE.

Think about that for a moment.

Gov. Whitmer has thrown our state into chaos educationally and economically speaking…and for what???

Under the guise of “public safety”, Gov. Whitmer has VIOLATED our Constitution Rights enumerated under the First, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Amendments. The Act she has often cited, PA 390 of 1976, doesn’t give her the authority to do any of that.

Next week, the Michigan Legislature will meet to decide the matter of extending Governor. Whitmer’s “Emergency Powers”, BY AN ADDITIONAL 70 DAYS!!!

How they actually intend on meeting in Lansing will be interesting in and of itself (try attending a local city/village council meeting, township/county board meeting in person to see what I mean).

If anyone has the means to put the brakes on Michigan before it goes and careens off of a cliff, it’s the Michigan Legislature.
Sadly, Speaker Chatfield and SML Shirkey have indicated a willingness to consider Gov. Whitmer’s request.

I don’t do this very often, but I would highly implore those of you reading this to contact your elected officials and tell them that Gov. Whitmer has done more than enough damage to Michigan by her reckless actions. I would also ask that you warn your family and friends about this potential extension and have them speak to their elected officials as well.

April 13th is coming up very shortly.

Would you rather address Gov. Whitmer’s deception or Michigan’s economic depression?

The choice should be simple.