MONROE, MICHIGAN — The talk at Jerry’s Frenchtown Bar and Grill isn’t the monumental election on Nov. 5.
No, the most pressing issue is the Detroit Tigers’ playoff prospects.
In this commuter community of 25,000, about 78 kilometres south of Motown, the political scale has typically tilted Republican. But these are strange times.
For instance, the giant United Auto Workers union has been torn apart. Traditionally, the UAW endorses the Democrats and the leadership is backing Vice President Kamala Harris. The membership is another matter.
“The membership is really divided,” former New York Post political editor Gregg Birnbaum told The Toronto Sun. He has covered seven presidential elections.
“You have the leadership who are backing Harris, but a lot of members are supporting Trump. That could spell trouble for the Democrats.”
Like other Rust Belt states, Michigan has lost population and electoral firepower, with its college count dropping from a peak of 21 to 15 today.
Democrats took the state from 1992 to 2012. In 2016, Donald Trump flipped the Wolverine state by a slim margin. President Joe Biden took Michigan back in 2020, winning by 2.8%
A Sept. 21 New York Times/ Siena College poll showed Trump and Harris even.
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Kevin Fitzpatrick, 66, now retired, moved home to Monroe after 42 years in California.
“Kamala Harris is an idiot,” Fitzpatrick told the Sun, adding he will be voting for Trump. “Look, I’m middle of the road and my hope is that neither f— up social security or Medicare.”
Fitzpatrick (“my mom’s from Sudbury”) fears that there will be a revolt in the country if that happens. He doesn’t have a lot of time for either presidential candidate.
“Trump’s an idiot and Kamala’s an idiot. Biden hid her for four years; she’s a lawyer, and she can talk, but that’s about it,” he said, adding that illegal immigration is his top concern. “It really should be neither, but I feel better about things than I did six months ago.”
He added: “In the end, it’s one a—— or another.”
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Monroe is, for better or worse, the hometown of Gen. George Armstrong Custer. A statue of the infamous soldier dominates downtown.
Of course, Custer famously led — or misled — his 7th Cavalry into a massacre at the Little Big Horn in the Montana Territory on June 25, 1876. Custer and his men were slaughtered by an alliance of Native tribes.
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At Jerry’s, Cody Duvall, 34, is buoyant about the hometown Tigers. The team has been the best squad in the majors since Aug. 1, going 34-17.
“It’s been an electric final couple of months,” the Monroe native said, as the conversation moved back to politics.
“I can’t deal with another clown show. People died. And I don’t buy that the economy is in the tank. People complaining about it have bought boats, second houses and gone on trips,” Duvall said. “At the same time, kids are getting their heads blown off in the street.
“For what?”
Harris will get his vote.
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His mom, Katie Duvall, 52, arrives later. I’m told she is going to have a lot to say. She does not disappoint.
“I’m a liberal Democrat, I always have been. For me, it’s Kamala,” the hairdresser told the Sun. “I grew up in a Democratic home, my dad is a retired pipe fitter, and he was a strong union man.”
Duvall is concerned about women’s rights and equality for minorities and the LGBTQ community.
“I don’t think Trump has any policies,” she said. “I think he’s running to stay out of jail. He won’t talk about health care.”
She agrees the economy is important but said to put the blame where she believes it belongs.
“Everyone is bitching about affordability while they’re buying new cars, the grocery store is packed … what it comes down to is corporate greed,” Katie sDuvall said. “As for the illegals, most are coming here to get a better life for themselves and their children.”
In tighter-than-this Michigan, Duvall thinks Harris will prevail.
“She drove Trump off the rails in the debate. I don’t have any qualms. I really like her.”
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In addition to Tigers fever, the Monroe Kennel Club hosted a dog show on Saturday, with a whopping 1,323 canines competing.
Lynda Carter, 51, of Indiana, had her dog in the fight: A cocker spaniel. She said she used to be a diehard Republican — until Trump came on the scene.
“We thought, ‘no one that crazy is going to get elected.’ Well, he did. My issues are women’s rights and the LGBTQ community,” Carter said, adding she is also concerned about the rise of the Christian right. “America is lazy and spoiled.”
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Phil Riviere, 62, is originally from the Boston area but now lives in Florida. He’s in Monroe on a project.
“Probably, the truth is, I would vote: None of the above,” he said between drags of his cigarette. “I think Trump is better for the economy, and I don’t see anything Harris has done. She’s the border czar, for God’s sake.”
His buddy Bill Spencer, 64, is reluctantly voting for Trump.
“Did you see him in the debate? He lost it,” Spencer said. “The country is falling apart, and we can’t even rely on accurate news. And there doesn’t seem to be any direction for the economy.
“There’s also the matter of integrity. What does that say about Trump if he is prepared to win at all costs?”
@HunterTOSun