Follow the Political Science: Whitmer Flip-Flops on Vaccine Mandate
LANSING, Mich. – Mere weeks after Gov. Whitmer expressed concerns to Michigan business owners over how President Biden’s vaccine mandate would affect employers in the state, she suddenly “clarified” her stance today, voicing support for the mandate.
“Governor Whitmer spent most of the pandemic issuing mandates, but when the political winds shifted, she opposed them. Now, suddenly, she’s back on the mandate bandwagon. What changed?” asked Tori Sachs, executive director of the Michigan Freedom Fund. “What political bargain did she strike with President Biden to justify endorsing this reckless mandate over her own concerns that it would negatively affect thousands of Michigan businesses and 48,000 employees of the state government?
A recent Detroit Regional Chamber poll showed 54% of registered voters opposed the vaccine mandate. On December 7, 2021, Crain’s Detroit Business reported Whitmer’s comments:
“I know if that mandate happens, we’re going to lose state employees,” Whitmer was quoted as saying. “That’s why I haven’t proposed a mandate at the state level. Some states have. We have not, we’re waiting to see what happens in court.”Whitmer added: “But we have a lot of the same concerns that you just voiced and it’s going to be a problem for all of us.”
