An MLive news story on Aug. 3 offered there are “signs” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s approach to handling the coronavirus “was a winning one.”
The piece did not define “winning.” It cited a CNN poll that asked, “Do you think Governor Gretchen Whitmer is doing everything she could be doing to fight the coronavirus outbreak in Michigan, or do you think she could be doing more to fight it?”
The MLive article stated, "But in the war of public opinion, there are signs Whitmer’s approach is already a winning one." MLive reported that “69% said she was doing all she could to fight the virus.”
Much of the criticism of Whitmer’s policies is not just that they are too restrictive, but that that they don’t appear based on science and data as she claims. Lawsuits filed against Whitmer's policies have drawn attention to inconsistencies in the rationales she has offered at different times to justify executive orders that have shut down not just businesses but much of normal life.
It does appear that Whitmer has been particularly busy on this front. She has issued 161 executive orders in 2020. By comparison, the state of Ohio has seen 29 executive orders issued in 2020.
Michigan Capitol Confidential is the news source produced by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Michigan Capitol Confidential reports with a free-market news perspective.