A Progressive Vision for Michigan
“I stand on a message that is about getting beyond [our] differences and being able to embrace our ability to solve problems together.”
Progressive candidate in Michigan’s gubernatorial race, Abdul El-Sayed, addressed the people of Adrian and surrounding areas, to lay out his platform and discuss some of the topics important to the voters -taxes, health care, gun laws, education, and even the war on drugs. Throughout the conversation, he didn’t use political jargon or try to spin his answers; instead he spoke from the heart and with a consistent message -unity. “I believe that we can come together, beyond the politics of fear that tells us we cannot reach across divides..[regional, religious, or racial]…That we cannot see eye-to-eye with people who see the world differently than we do, that we cannot come together and solve our problems.”
The audience in the courtroom was as diverse and unique as the candidate whom they had come to hear. There were people of all ages and walks of life, from older citizens to Millennials and even a small boy, dressed in a Pavel Datsyuk shirt seated next to me. There were also young students who had attended with their notebooks at the ready to take notes on Abdul’s progressive vision for Michigan. The group was rounded off by a strong representation of the LGBTQ community and El-Sayed made sure to walk the rows of seats and personally introduce himself and shake every person’s hand.
After being introduced by a friend and member of the LGBTQ community, El-Sayed began his address with message of courage and asked, “Are we a society that is willing to have the courage about the kind of freedoms we know that everybody ought to have?” He goes on to talk about the people who make a big deal about his Muslim faith and his ethnicity, but that he is not willing to let the bullies, racists and haters of society define who he is.“I am running at no insignificant risk to myself. I am doing this because I believe in my country and that my country is big enough to accept differences…..If we come together, we can solve our problems.”
Abdul El-Sayed is an American citizen, born of Egyptian immigrant parents who came to Detroit with a vision of a prosperous future. When his parents got divorced and remarried, his family became exponentially more diverse. He tells a story about spending Thanksgiving with his Muslim father -who leads prayer at the local mosque, his Presbyterian grandmother, and his Polish immigrant uncle who is a devout Atheist, all sitting around having typical family conversations. El-Sayed’s families come from fundamentally different walks of life and have known very different realities, but they see a common future around the life they have built together. This unique up-bringing allowed Abdul the opportunity to experience the lifestyles, cultures and beliefs of all the different branches of his family tree, and learn about the struggles that all humans face — “Our differences really are only skin deep.” This also revealed his love of people and an understanding of not only their challenges, but also their hopes and aspirations for a brighter future.
Abdul’s love for people and passion for public service drove him to become a doctor and he dedicated his career to public health and the politics surrounding it, “If you want to understand why people get sick, focus on the politics.” El-Sayed understands that many of the health problems faced by the citizens of Michigan are a systemic problem within the government — “What is wrong with a system of government, that we have right now, that poisons 9000 kids?” He also realizes that this problem of corruption has disastrous effects on the education system and environment as well.
So what sets Abdul El-Sayed apart in the Pantheon of political figures? For starters, his campaign is completely founded by a grassroots movement, not taking a dime of corporate money. “What I am interested in is inspiring everyday people to be a part of something that is focused on changing our politics entirely.” Current Governor Snyder operates out of a fundamentally different economic playbook than El-Sayed. Where Snyder seems to believe that how we create jobs is to bend over backwards and create tax exemptions for corporations to come here, El-Sayed believes in investing in the people and by doing so will encourage people to come to Michigan with their ideas and start businesses.
Like any good Progressive, El-Sayed is in favor of a Medicare for all, single payer system, “What I am proposing for the state of Michigan is a public insurance program that would operate, at best, as a single payer mechanism for this state.” He is also in favor of common sense gun control laws and supports the legalization of marijuana -not only would the tax revenue boost the economy and help the struggling infrastructure, but it would reduce the over-policing of minority communities, “It’s a smart public policy.” El-Sayed is also in favor of a redistribution of wealth and a more progressive tax rate which would close tax loopholes for corporations and hold them accountable for the jobs they promise. He believes in investing in children, giving them the best possible opportunities, and protecting public schools.
But most importantly, Abdul El-Sayed’s unwavering message is unity. So I will leave you with the powerful statement that he left his audience in Adrian:
“Democracy takes work. We see what happens when we get lazy or sloppy with our Democracy. We see what happens when we allow it to fall into the wrong hands. We see what happens when we go back on our ideals. We see what happens when good people don’t stand up to demand better a more perfect union of what we are. The country is amazing, it is beautiful…… What we have here, it doesn’t come easily, people died to protect what we have…… [And] it’s on all of us to continue to do this work. I hope, today, that I have inspired you to get behind my candidacy……But more than anything else, I hope I’ve inspired you to get out there and do the work………This conversation has to be had, and it has to be moved by you.”
