On the eve of his final debate with Michigan Democratic Senate rival Haley Stevens, Abdul el-Sayed was busted by Politico for declaring at a recent donor meeting: “Ideally you put one ogre on a pike, and then everyone else gets the message, and all of a sudden starts to sound a lot different.” A round of tut-tutting ensued as various Democrats denounced Sayed for uttering violent threats. By the time of the debate, which took place last night at the Fox 2 studio in Southfield, Michigan, Sayed was emphasizing that it was Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman, not Stevens, that he was talking about.“Thank you for clarifying that you didn’t call me an ogre,” Stevens quipped.
Sayed’s rebarbative remark testifies to a nasty streak that should hardly endear him to Michigan voters
The real issue, though, is the person el-Sayed will not put on a pike – Hasan Piker, the left-wing Turkish American political commentator who has averred, among other things, that America “deserved 9/11.” It doesn’t seem overly censorious to ask that el-Sayed sever his ties to Piker, who has spoken at one of his campaign rallies, but he doesn’t want to do that. Instead, el-Sayed has engaged in rhetorical flim-flam, suggesting that “this whole gotcha game, platform policing, cancel culture – I thought we were over it.” Get ogre it, in other words.
El-Sayed is a firebrand. Fetterman, the target of his ire, has aptly described him as the “Pontiac Platner.” There is little reason to feel much sympathy for Fetterman, who has spent much of his Senate career seeking the spotlight and neglecting his own constituents. But to call for decapitating the poor chap seems a bit of a stretch. Hasn’t he suffered enough already with the major stroke that he experienced in 2022? At a minimum, el-Sayed’s rebarbative remark testifies to a nasty streak that should hardly endear him to Michigan voters when they vote in the primary on August 4.
The stakes are high. As Stevens and el-Sayed were about to square off, Trump held a MAGA rally at the General Motors Proving Ground in Milford, Michigan. As the Iran war, if we’re allowed to call it that, enters its sixth month, Trump is blaming Joe Biden for inflation and claiming that “in 18 months, we’ve turned this country completely around.” Prosperity, he indicated, is just around the corner, thanks to the mighty tariffs that he has instituted, including those on Canada, a key trading partner for the Great Lakes state. Trump tried, and failed, to block the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge between Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Canada, which opened for traffic yesterday. Meanwhile, General Motors has reported that Trump’s tariffs will cost it $3.5 trillion in 2026.
One figure who isn’t buying it happens to be Tucker Carlson. He’s exited the GOP. “If I’m out, then I think a lot of other people are out, too,” he said. He might be right. MAGA, or at least its influencer cohort, seems to be cracking up. The New York Post editorial page observed, “Republicans can happily cheer his exit – while hoping that he gets the professional help he so plainly needs.”
Right now, it’s Trump who requires assistance. His approval rating in Michigan stands at 33 percent. Job growth is negligible, with only 500 added in the past twelve months. But if the Democrats are loopy enough to back el-Sayed, that may give Trump the aid he needs.
Comments