LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Gov. Gretchen Whitmer used a different venue but the same catchphrases and cognitive dissonance to deliver her “Road Ahead” update to Michiganders on Wednesday.

Most noteworthy in her comments from the Detroit Auto Show included the contrast between what Whitmer said and what Whitmer has done during her tenure.

MORE NEWS: Red (Dye) Alert: FDA Removes Additive from Food, Pills

While Whitmer waxed on about the Chinese government potentially taking auto jobs from Michigan, she failed to mention that her administration has given hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer funded incentives to Chinese companies to set up shop here in Michigan. The money from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) gave taxpayer money to projects like Gotion in Big Rapids, Ford BlueOval in Marshall, and a yet-to-be-determined project in Genesee County. A previous megasite project in Clinton County’s Eagle Township has been scrapped due to community pushback.

That pushback appeared lost on Whitmer in Wednesday’s address. “There’s an ongoing, global competition to build the future of the auto industry,” Whitmer said. “Other states and nations, like China, are gunning for Michigan auto jobs.”

What’s Whitmer’s plan?

Whitmer said that with the job fund and road bonding plan phasing out, better replacements are needed to help Michigan’s “auto ecosystem.”

“If we do not act, that could be our future,” Whitmer said, pointing to the European auto industry. “One where we allow companies subsidized by the Chinese government to sell at a loss and crush the core of our economy.”

She proposed a new “Make It in Michigan” job fund to compete with other states. She also proposed more money for low-income housing and brownfield redevelopment, transit buses and trains, and “fixing the damn roads” with long-term solutions. “Let’s take on China together,” Whitmer said.

State Senator Aric Nesbitt (R-Porter Township), who announced his gubernatorial run on Tuesday, blasted Whitmer’s plan on social media saying “she still doesn’t have a plan.”

 

MORE NEWS: Report on Lower Quality of Teachers for Minority Students Refuted by High Teacher Evaluations

Nesbitt’s fellow GOP senators said Whitmer is “calling for more of what we’ve seen from her the past six years -higher taxes and more corporate welfare.”

Whitmer’s potholes.

Whitmer’s own road ahead may be tougher than she likes now that the House has secured a GOP majority. House leaders have called for audits and more transparency in government departments. That includes the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), Whitmer’s pet bureaucracy.

In an exclusive two-part series, Michigan News Source showed the alleged corruption within he MEDC and her allies.

A fork in the road.

Whitmer, who co-chaired Vice President Kamala Harris’ failed presidential campaign, said she is willing to work with President-elect Donald Trump. “Michiganders elected both me and Donald Trump twice, just two years apart,” she said on Wednesday. “We all swore an oath to the people we serve, and the people expect us to find common ground.”

Her comments are in stark contrast to the rhetoric she used when she campaigned for Harris and eventually lost Michigan’s 15 electoral votes to Trump. During the campaign, Whitmer called Trump “deranged.” The state’s Democratic party chair Lavora Barnes called Trump a “threat to our nation” after the second attempted assassination attempt against him. In 2020, Whitmer did not hide her “8645” sign behind her on a national television interview. In restaurant slang, “86” refers to “kill” or “nix” while 45 referred to Trump, who was the 45th president at the time.

Familiar Whitmer catchphrases.

Whitmer offered familiar phrases but very little specifics for how her remaining two years in office will look.

“This is my seventh year as governor, but I’m still guided by the values I first ran on back in 2018… the same values I was taught growing up in a bipartisan household,” Whitmer said. “In the Whitmer house, compromise was a good thing. You see, I want to get things done. Things that make Michiganders’ lives better. And I’ll work with anyone who’s serious about solving problems. And I’ll stand up to anyone who gets in our way.”

Gov. Whitmer mentioned she is looking forward to working with both Democratic and Republican leaders in Michigan’s House and Senate. While the Senate maintains its Democratic majority, the House flipped Republican on Jan. 1.