This article originally appeared in The Detroit News July 8, 2025.
Certain phrases in American political life are instantly recognizable.
“I am not a crook.”
“Read my lips: No new taxes.”
“Mission accomplished.”
“If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor.”
“Two weeks to flatten the curve.”
These phrases, however sincere when uttered, have become reverse slogans. The reverse slogan captures the skepticism of the American voter and stands for the very opposite of what was said. People wield reverse slogans with irony, to express doubt about an elected leader’s promise. The reverse slogan is political antimatter.
The next few months will determine whether Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s campaign pledge to “fix the damn roads” is at risk of becoming a reverse slogan.
The governor ran on the memorable phrase in 2018, but now, more than halfway through her second term, she is running out of pavement. The Michigan Legislature must adopt a budget this year, and that represents the best opportunity to close a road-funding deal. Yes, lawmakers could take the issue up next year, but election years tend to scramble policy decisions and compress the time available for passing bills.
So, is Whitmer fixing the roads? As Bill Clinton might say, it depends on what the meaning of the word “is” is.
In her recent autobiography, Whitmer told the story of how she selected her campaign slogan, but the book is silent about how the work is going. She ran on the phrase in 2018, but during her 2022 reelection campaign she said one term was not enough time to get the job done.
Whitmer’s current message appears to be, “we’ve done a lot, but we have more to do.” Her press office frequently sends media advisories about road construction projects, like the one from June 2, about resurfacing an eight-mile stretch of M-52: “Governor Whitmer Continues to Fix the Damn Roads with Projects Starting This Week in Saginaw and Crawford Counties.”
The governor has issued dozens of similar advisories in the last few years. She also touts the cumulative repairs since she took office.
“By the end of this construction season, we will have fixed, repaired or replaced nearly 24,500 lane miles of roads and 1,900 bridges,” says Whitmer.
For context, Michigan has 120,497 route miles and 11,260 roadway bridges, according to MDOT. (Route miles refer to how long a road is; lane miles are the length multiplied by the number of driving lanes.) When can the governor declare victory? The State Transportation Commission says the target is when 90% of all pavements are in good or fair condition. If that is the standard, then Whitmer is not done.
The House Fiscal Agency estimates that road quality has long been below this level. Even if lawmakers make a road deal, getting to the 90% target won’t happen until after Whitmer leaves office.
The 90% target is one possible goal. But my colleague James Hohman offers another goal that can be accomplished during Whitmer’s time in office: Spend enough on roads so they are repaired faster than they fall apart.
However, a 2024 report from the Michigan Transportation Asset Management Council projects that road quality is going in the wrong direction.
Whitmer has tried to increase road funding several times and is now calling for more spending. She wants the new money to come from a combination of tax increases and prospective spending cuts in other areas.
The governor’s best option for a deal is to work with House Speaker Matt Hall, R-Richland Township. Hall wants to put more money into road maintenance if we can do it without raising taxes.
