Driving through Trump country

Plus: CPD at the DNC & West Loop patios. [View this email in your browser]( [READER Logo]( Daily Reader | August 20, 2024 Over the weekend, I drove through Trump country. On M-37, to be exact—a highway that runs north and south from one end of Michigan to the other—bypassing the major cities. Went through Manistee, Lake, and Newaygo counties, all of which [went big for Trump]( in the 2020 election. Especially Newaygo, where he won roughly 69 percent over Biden. From the signs I saw along the way, it looked like Trump’s got Newaygo County in the bag—again. To pass the time, I counted political signs while hoping there might be a few for Harris. But, no, it was one Trump, two Trumps, three Trumps, four, five . . . And on and on. And not just signs for Trump but signs that carried his message. Like signs that read . . . “Save Our Country” And . . . “Secure The Border” And (the old fallback) . . . “Make America Great Again” Not sure why folks up there in Michigan are so worried about the southern border. It's thousands of miles away. And not sure why they think the country needs saving. They don’t seem to have it too bad. No signs of blight. Lovely landscape. Tall and imposing trees lining the road. There had been a morning shower and the wet grass glittered in the sun. I was hoping to see a rainbow. Why are these sign owners so upset? Why do they love Trump so much? What is he offering that they don’t already have? And then around a slight bend in the road, I found an answer hanging from a tree in the midst of several Trump signs. A Confederate flag. Not very subtle, huh? I guess the MAGA cause includes a return to the days of slavery. For the record, during the actual Civil War, Michigan was most decidedly on the Union Side—sending [some 90,000 soldiers to fight](. Over [13,000 died]( while serving. One soldier from Michigan summed up why he served, in a [letter he wrote to his wife]( from the front just before he died in battle. “The more I learn of the cursed institution of slavery, the more I feel willing to endure, for its final destruction . . . After this war is over, this whole country will undergo a change for the better . . . Let Christians use all their influence to have justice done to the Black man.” That confederate sign on M-37 desecrated his memory. I’m happy to report that as I neared the tourist town of Newaygo, I saw a sign for Harris. Finally! Rolled into Newaygo and didn’t see a Trump sign at all. Merchants probably figured Democrats buy trinkets, too. On I drove by the city of Grand Rapids, which went for Biden in 2020. Felt like I had crossed an unseen border into another country. Less than three months to go until the election. Save our country, indeed. 🎙 [Listen to The Ben Joravsky Show]( 🎙 ◈ [The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo]( by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Finally got around to reading one of the most popular novels of 2017. I wept. ◈ [Mike Sula]( on Dhuaan BBQ ◈ [Ben Joravsky]( Once upon a time in Michigan City (from 1997) ◈ Strategist and former Illinois state representative [Litesa Wallace]( The Kamala Show ◈ Journalist [Monroe Anderson]( on Trump at NABJ ◈ Author and former television reporter [Steve Krafft]( something’s changed [Will CPD’s response to the DNC bring more of the same violence?]( After mass protests in 2020, the CPD agreed to overhaul its policies. Ahead of the DNC, they’ve begun walking them back. by [Sam Stecklow]( [Isra Rahman]( [Andrew Fan]( and [Layla June West]( | [Read more]( → [a woman sitting on the floor holding a paper-mache star]( [Chicago indie-rock project Girl K goes full pop]( Thu 8/22 at Sleeping Village by [Leor Galil]( | [Read more]( → [woman with red curly hair standing in a forest wearing a denim jacket]( [Esmé Patterson makes easy folk music that will cut you]( Thu 8/22 at Hideout by [Noah Berlatsky]( | [Read more]( → [a painting of two glasses of wine on a table]( [The patio at Elina’s]( With string lights hanging over the roughly ten tables nestled between brownstone buildings and greenery, it resembles an intimate rooftop dinner party away from a bustling city—my personal oasis in West Loop. by [Jordana Comiter]( | [Read more]( → [GET ON THE LIST!]( Get the latest issue of the Chicago Reader Thursday, August 15, 2024 [READ ONLINE: VOL. 53, NO. 28]( [VIEW/DOWNLOAD ISSUE (PDF)]( [Facebook icon]( [Instagram icon]( [Twitter icon]( [LinkedIn icon]( [YouTube icon]( [Website icon]( [Logo] You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from the Chicago Reader. Want fewer emails from us? [Click here to choose what you want us to send you](. Or, [unsubscribe from all Reader emails](. We’ll miss you! [Sign up for emails from the Chicago Reader]( | [Forward this e-mail to a friend]( © 2024 Chicago Reader. All rights reserved. Chicago Reader, 2930 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 102, Chicago, IL 60616