Obama stumps for Whitmer in Detroit: ‘Tuning out is not an option’

DETROIT >> Thousands of people crowded into the Detroit Renaissance High School gymnasium Saturday to hear former President Barack Obama and other Democratic politicians speak at a rally to encourage Michigan voters to get out and vote on Election Day.

Obama spoke last, after a dozen other Democratic politicians took the stage to encourage attendees to vote. The nation’s 44th president asked that once people vote themselves or make a plan to vote, they help their friends and family do so as well.

“If you are here, you are likely to vote,” Obama said.

But for family and friends who may not be enthusiastic about going to the polls, they may need a hand to create their voting plan to ensure they make it to the polls, Obama said.

“This election requires every single one of us to do our part,” the former two-term president said. “I understand why you might be worried about the course of the country. Sometimes it’s tempting just to tune out, watch football, watch “Dancing with the Stars.” I’m here to tell you tuning out is not an option.”

Obama came to Detroit on Saturday to help turn out voters for Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in her bid for a second term against Republican challenger Tudor Dixon.

When attendees booed after Obama mentioned some of Dixon’s policy proposals, he shushed them immediately.

“Do not boo. Vote,” Obama said. “Booing doesn’t help. They can’t hear you boo, but they can hear you vote.”

The line to get into the rally wrapped around the high school, and the bleachers and floor of the gymnasium were packed full by the time Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan kicked off the rally just after noon.

Shawntel Green, 51, of Canton, said she waited in line for a little more than two hours, starting at 8:45 a.m., to see Obama speak. Green emphasized the importance of voting, especially as a Black woman.

“Obviously as an African American woman, with what my ancestry has gone through to have the right to vote, I want to preserve that right,” Green said.

Green said she planned to vote for Whitmer on Election Day. One of her main priorities is to make sure Dixon does not get elected, she said. She’s also passionate about the three proposals on the ballot, especially Proposal 3 on abortion rights in Michigan. As a labor and delivery nurse, Green said she wants to ensure women have the right to control their own bodies.

In addition to Duggan, the other Democratic politicians who spoke at the rally included: Attorney General Dana Nessel; Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson; U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., Michigan Supreme Court Justice Richard Bernstein; Rep. Kyra Bolden, D-Mich., who is also running for the Supreme Court; U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence, D-Mich.; and U.S. Sens. Gary Peters and Debbie Stabenow.

Tlaib encouraged attendees to reach out to five people they know to ask them to get out and vote. She said people trying to suppress voters in Detroit are “messing with the wrong city.”

“Nothing stops Detroit,” Tlaib said. “We cannot allow all of that noise to stop us from working. … If you’re not going to vote for yourself, vote for the neighborhood you live in.”

Many of the voters expressed enthusiasm about voting for Proposal 3, which would create a state constitutional right to abortion and other medical decisions for women. This was also a talking point for every politician who took the stage, stressing the importance of women’s bodily autonomy.

Olivia Lunsford, a 16-year-old student at Detroit Renaissance High School, said while she is not old enough to vote, she can’t wait for that day to come.

For now, she’s most excited to see Proposal 3 pass.

“I feel like women should have the freedom to choose what they want to do with their own bodies without the law telling them what to do,” Lunsford said.

She hoped to snap a photo of Obama while at the rally, as she said it’s cool having Obama at her high school.

Whitmer spoke just before Obama did and stayed up on stage with him as he addressed the crowd. She said people should be doing something to encourage others to vote daily between now and Election Day: knock on doors, sign up for a shift with a Democratic campaign, do outreach with everyone they know to make sure they are voting.

“Our democracy is on this ballot,” Whitmer said. “This election is a choice between continuing to move Michigan forward for all Michiganders or a dangerous agenda that would drag us back. … We cannot trust our future to dangerous people, people who peddle conspiracy theories, people who think they only win if someone else is losing.”