Gretchen Whitmer says The Big Lebowski's credo of 'The Dude abides' is 'a really wise philosophy'
The Michigan governor also made it clear that she will not challenge Joe Biden, though she's happy to keep answering the question.
Al Goldis/AP
- Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's love for "The Big Lebowski" is well documented.
- In fact, the Democrat says that "The Dude's" credo is a good philosophy to live by.
- What Whitmer will not do is signal that she would challenge Biden for the presidency.
Well, you know, that's just, like, her opinion, man
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's love for "The Big Lebowski" is well documented. But in a recent interview where she was pressed on her future presidential aspirations, Whitmer returned to her love for the Coen brothers' 1998 classic.
"You know, it's funny; 'The Dude abides'—it's a really wise philosophy," Whitmer told The Atlantic's Mark Leibovich as he followed her around the state last week for a brief profile that was published on Thursday.
Leibovich wanted to press Whitmer on why the 51-year-old, term-limited governor doesn't want to challenge the Democratic establishment head-on by challenging President Joe Biden. Whitmer, who Biden reportedly vetted as a possible running mate in 2020, repeatedly reiterated her support for the president.
She also repeated that it is her intention to serve out her second and final term, which she won last November in an 11-point romp. Her continued success in the blue wall state that Trump shattered in 2016 has not gone unnoticed. Whitmer also received national attention for making abortion rights a key focus, even before the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in last year's landmark Dobbs ruling.
Along the way, Whitmer picked up "the Big Gretch" nickname that she has embraced, though she cautioned that was not her initial response.
"There aren't many women who want 'Big' on the front of her nickname," she told Leibovich.
In the end, Whitmer never teased the presidential run some Democrats are eagerly awaiting. For now, it will have to be considered overdu(d)e.