Michigan unquestionably ranks among the biggest hotbeds of Jew hatred in America, particularly with Rep. Rashida Tlaib deservedly garnering the 2023 Antisemite of the Year award. Thanks to the thoughtless social media antics of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Michigan risks being perceived as hostile and disrespectful of Catholics.
The Michigan Catholic Conference, The Catholic League, and other organizations are incensed by an Instagram video Whitmer made with pro-abortion author and Canadian content creator Liz Plank where Whitmer appeared wearing a Harris-Walz hat and placed a Doritos chip in Plank’s mouth while she’s kneeling on the floor. Whitmer maintained it was all innocent fun to promote Michigan’s CHIPS Act, but America’s Catholic leadership say the video was undeniably a mockery of the Eucharist.
Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, flat out called Whitmer a liar for suggesting she was merely mimicking a popular trend on social media where people are shown feeding each other.
“This is a lie, and it is easy to disprove,” Donohue said in a statement. “There are indeed many clips of people feeding each other on social media, but there is no reference to the CHIPS Act, nor are they eating chips. The typical video on Tik Tok shows one person sitting at a table, often in a restaurant, being fed—usually with a fork or spoon—by a friend. None of them are kneeling. None of them are receiving food on the tongue.
“What Whitmer did was to deride Holy Communion. There is no wiggle room for her to deny the obvious.”
Paul Long, President and CEO of the Michigan Catholic Conference representing the state’s Catholic bishops, also denounced the video, calling it “not just distasteful or ‘strange;’ it is an all-too-familiar example of an elected official mocking religious persons and their practices.”
Long said Whitmer’s intent was immaterial because it had an offensive impact.
“The time is now for those in public office, their handlers, and strategists to return a level of respect, civility, and appreciation for those who have found peace and fulfillment in life by worshiping God and serving their neighbor,” Long said in a statement.
CatholicVote, a nonprofit organization billing itself as “a community of patriotic Americans who believe our nation’s founding principles are good and true, and worth fighting for,” also chastised Whitmer’s video.
“How else can this be interpreted other than mockery of Catholics and the sacrament of Holy Communion, not to mention the distasteful pornographic innuendo?”
“Gretchen Whitmer is only the latest example of the gross anti-Catholic bigotry festering inside the Democratic Party,” CatholicVote added.
As criticisms mounted in the conservative media, Whitmer issued the obligatory “I didn’t mean to offend” apology.
“Over 25 years in public service, I would never do something to denigrate someone’s faith. I’ve used my platform to stand up for people’s right to hold and practice their personal religious beliefs,” Whitmer said in a statement to Fox 2 Detroit. “My team has spoken to the Michigan Catholic Conference. What was supposed to be a video about the importance of the CHIPS Act to Michigan jobs, has been construed as something it was never intended to be, and I apologize for that.”
Given Whitmer’s strident pro-abortion stance, it’s unlikely that she enjoyed much support among Michigan’s practicing Catholic community, which has precipitously declined over the years. But the video might induce some Catholics to vote in the Nov. 5 presidential election who might not have gotten around to it, as well as steer some votes to conservative Republican Congressman Mike Rogers, who is in a tight Senate race with Democrat Rep. Elissa Slotkin.
Whitmer’s video also calls attention to the sorts of social media influencers Democrats are courting. Plank, who has written for MSNBC, was co-host of a DNC convention after party called “Hotties for Harris” where drag queens danced in front of superimposed spinning Tim Walz cut-outs and coconut tree graphics.
The event featured a couch with a sign, “Property of J.D. Vance,” a reference to the false viral joke that the vice-presidential candidate once made love to a couch. Tim Walz referenced that falsehood during at least one campaign appearance.
Kamala Harris also has courted some influencers who some Americans might consider inappropriate, including Alexandra Cooper, co-creater and host of the Call Her Daddy podcast. I’ve linked to Cooper’s most talked about podcast, but reader discretion is advised because it contains explicit sexual content and instructions. To Cooper’s credit, her first question to Harris was why she agreed to appear on the podcast.
Meanwhile, Jew hatred continues to mount in Michigan.
Stephanie Fakih, a Democrat trustee of a township with a sizable Jewish population and is running for election as a state representative, recently posted on social media: “Israeli zionists are the scum of the earth and the only people on par are American zionists.” Fakih, a criminal defense attorney, was elected in 2020 to the township board and was endorsed by the Detroit News.
On Oct 7, the Jewish Federation of Detroit building located in Fakih’s district was vandalized with anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian graffiti. The incident happened on the one-year anniversary of when Hamas attacked Israel. The graffitti included “Free Palestine,” “Intifada” and “F— Israel.”
Local and federal authorities are investigating as an ethnic intimidation case a mass of antisemitic flyers left at more than 100 Jewish homes in southeastern Michigan last weekend. One of the flyers made a crude sexual remark about Jews and babies.
Tlaib recently accused state attorney general Dana Nessel of supporting charging nine pro-Palestinian demonstrators for trespassing at University of Michigan because she is Jewish and lacks objectivity. Nessel said those arrested refused to heed police orders to vacate a pro-Palestinian encampment, and noted the Solicitor General Division reviewed the charges for potential First Amendment violations.
After initially refusing to comment, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer eventually issued a statement deriding Tlaib’s statement as antisemitic.
Nessel doesn’t appear to have terminated assistant AG Zena Ozeir, who shared a meme on Instagram that said, “f— America, f— anyone who shares … Zionist propaganda.” The meme was posted March 24 and got 110 likes. Ozeir’s LinkedIn profile says she still works for Nessel.
In an Instagram marking the Oct. 7 Israel massacre, Tlaib spoke about joining “JVP-Detroit” for a ceremony marking the anniversary. JVP stands for Jewish Voice for Peace, an organization with a history of rhetorical support for terror. Breitbart reported the University of Michigan chapter of the organization marked the killing of Hezbollah terrorist leader Hassan Nasrallah by calling for “death to Israel.”
Tlaib, who was endorsed by the Detroit Free Press, remained silent about the Jewish University of Michigan student who was beaten near the campus. Two more U-M Jewish students were subsequently attacked.
Although Michigan is a swing state and could potentially decide the next election, neither Kamala Harris nor Donald Trump have condemned Michigan’s mounting antisemitic incidents.
Author’s Note: This post erroneously said Gov. Whitmer was promoting the Harris Administration’s CHIPS Act. The error has been corrected.