"I'm Not Turming the Other Cheek Any More"

Radicals took over the Michigan GOP. Now they can't stop losing.

- By Noah Lanard

In early June, roughly 250 Michiganders filed into a windowless banquet hall for the Macomb County GOP’s annual Lincoln Dinner. The dining tables were decorated with white tablecloths, tiny American flags, and famous Lincoln quotes, while the silent auction display off to the side featured Trump Wine, a cardboard cutout of Donald and Melania, and 30 mm rounds the size of a baby’s torso that had “Jesus is Lord!” etched into the shells.

After I introduced myself to my tablemates, they were happy to provide an overview of the local political scene. Macomb was home to the middle-class Reagan Democrats who famously broke with their party and their unions. Neighboring Oakland County was home to Rockefeller Republicans who’d become Democrats, and a Muslim woman was now a deputy county executive there.

“A Muslim woman,” Tom, the older white man sitting next to me, repeated in disbelief. “What does she know about America?” The way Tom saw it, the “whole mess” in this country was “coming down to good versus evil.” A lot of people saw it that way—including Kristina Karamo, the fundraiser’s featured guest.