(Dmytro “Henry” Aleksandrov, Headline USA) Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, D-Mich., attempted to show that she supports Michigan’s small businesses on Tuesday, but faced a backlash from local business owners because of her draconian COVID-19 lockdowns, according to the Daily Wire.
In her Twitter post, Whitmer said that she will support small businesses because they are very important to the economy.
“Supporting Michigan’s small businesses means supporting the vitality of our local communities,” Whitmer said.
“The data shows that small businesses are at the forefront of driving innovation, jobs and economic growth in our state, and I’m committed to getting them the support they need.”
Aside from the backlash from other Twitter users, small-business owners also criticized her for portraying herself as someone who cares about them.
Diane and Eric Schindlbeck opened a restaurant in a rural part of western Michigan six months before coronavirus appeared on the scene.
The couple’s business survived the first lockdown and managed to keep their staff by providing food to the first responders through the first 12 weeks of the pandemic.
The restaurant reopened in the summer of 2020, but they weren’t able to survive the second Whitmer shutdown, and in November 2020, they closed the restaurant permanently.
“This governor put fear into our hearts and in our minds and in our businesses because no one knew what the rules were,” Diane said.
Schindlebecks bought property in Feb. 2021 and opened Schindy’s, their new restaurant and general store that they hope will be successful this time.
Diane criticized Whitmer’s tweet.
“The comment of ‘I’m committed to getting [small businesses] the support they need,’ where is that support?” she asked.
While businesses were struggling, Whitmer vetoed hundreds of millions in federal relief funds for small businesses and then vetoed bipartisan legislation aiming to give tax relief to small businesses that had to purchase personal protective equipment.
Karla Wagner, the owner of a restaurant called Belle’s Kitchen and Bostwick Lake Antiques, said that Whitmer had many opportunities to help small businesses over the past two years, but never did it.
The business barely survived the shutdowns, Wagner told the Daily Wire, and painted a bleak picture for Michigan’s small-business owners if Whitmer is reelected.
“We’re not going to survive another four years of Whitmer,” she said.
According to Real Clear Politics average, Whitmer is clinging to a 3-point lead over Republican challenger Tudor Dixon, in a race with national implications that most polls are calling a dead heat.
