Battleground Michigan: Saving Lives, Beating Trump
Listen: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher
IN THIS EPISODE:
Garlin Gilchrist, Michigan's lieutenant governor, talks to us about life on the frontlines in a battleground state that is dealing all at once with the COVID-19 crisis, armed protesters storming the Capitol demanding the lifting of stay-at-home orders, and ensuring a safe and fair Fall election in a state Trump won by just 10,704 votes. [8:15]
Gilchrist, a 38 year-old political rising star, also shares with us the story behind his unlikely path from Microsoft software engineer to second-in-command state leader, the first African American to ever hold the position. Gilchrist is chair of the recently created Michigan Coronavirus Taskforce on Racial Disparities, one of the first taskforces of its kind in the country.
We also talk about how the indifference coming from the White House in the face of catastrophic human suffering reveals the lack of a shared “social contract” when it’s the lives of people of color that are being disproportionately affected, and we discuss the implications for progressive politics and policy.
References:
Garlin Gilchrist - @Garlin and @LtGovGilchrist
Gretchen Whitmer - @GovWhitmer
Dr. Joneigh Khaldun - @DrKhaldun
Ron Meloni - Audio Clip
Michigan Coronavirus Taskforce on Racial Disparities - Executive Order 2020-55 (Covid-19)
The Atlantic Monthly // Adam Serwer - The Coronavirus Was an Emergency Until Trump Found Out Who Was Dying