Auchtoon!

The middle panel is a direct quote from UAW President, Shawn Fain, in a speech he gave this week announcing the union’s endorsement of Joe Biden for U.S. President.

Fain has made quite a name for himself for being an authentic, often salty voice of the working class. He can be theatrical, but he also says what he means and doesn’t seem to suffer fools. I’ve also read similar things said in praise of Donald Trump (usually by Trump himself).

While the UAW endorsement is definitely a Michigan issue, I regret not having the time to do a cartoon on Governor Whitmer’s State of the State Address. It was simply too close to my deadline. I’m sure I’ll have plenty of time to work with the issues she presented.

But I regret that by next week it will no longer be timely to comment on her 1980s music and culture references. Alas. I’ll just need to find another excuse to draw big hair, pleated pants, and Miami Vice jackets.

Okay, granted, winter did hit later than it usually does this year. And the weather we’ve experienced over the past week has been severe. But in the end, it is January, and this is Michigan, so it really isn’t that remarkable. And yet, that doesn’t stop all of us from persistently remarking, does it?

Still, if the alternative is election talk…

Did you stay up late on Monday to watch the game? I did. And my workday wakeup time is 4:45 a.m. Still, it was totally worth it.

Sure, the championship win was super nice. (And the Rose Bowl win in the semifinals over Alabama was even nicer!) But there were also some really compelling storylines. However you feel about the sign-stealing scandal, the Michigan football team did need to overcome some significant adversity — from its own conference and the NCAA, everybody’s least favorite bureaucracy (which is saying something).

And there were other, more traditionally feel-good storylines like running back Blake Corum coming back after blowing out his knee last year to score two touchdowns in the title game.

But I think on the whole, the best story was that the state of Michigan got a win. We don’t get many — especially over the past couple of decades. So even though it was college football (and all the baggage that comes with that), it’s gratifying to have “Michigan” and “the best” in the same headline.

Still, I have to admit, even as the confetti was falling, a part of me was thinking, “Oh Lord, those true-blue U of Mers are gonna be hard to live with after this.”

Word on the street is that certain members of the Michigan Republican Party are aiming to oust their current chair, Kristina Karamo. They called a meeting to plan it. Karamo supporters say the meeting was not properly called. Karamo says she has no intentions of resigning. It will likely all end up in court.

This may not be the most Trumpian thing you’ve ever read, but it is pretty darn emblematic of the GOP in the Trump era — infighting, name-calling, legal threats, money issues, possible bankruptcy, blaming the “deep state” and “fake news” for problems you created.

Well, I suppose that when you elect a Trump protégé to lead your state party, you shouldn’t be surprised by the results. As the saying goes, be careful what you wish for because you just might get it.