Michigan's Democratic Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed thought he could quietly bury his past by flipping at least 100 YouTube videos to private after clinching his primary victory. Spoiler alert: the internet never forgets, and Republicans were already on the case.
As USA Journal reported, the National Republican Senatorial Committee tracked down the hidden footage and began dropping the receipts. And boy, oh boy, what El-Sayed was saying on camera when he figured he was just growing a fanbase is absolutely wild.
Let's kick things off with the hot take nobody asked for. El-Sayed recorded a whole video begging Americans to celebrate the Fourth of July WITHOUT fireworks. He literally listed four reasons why they "suck," including concerns about Detroit's air quality after the shows, the chemicals used, the impact on veterans suffering from PTSD, and dangers to kids and pets. This guy wants to represent Michigan in the United States Senate. Michigan! Where fireworks on Independence Day are about as controversial as breathing.
It gets better. In interviews, El-Sayed openly trashed Mackinac Island, one of the most beloved spots in the entire state and home to the governor's summer residence. He said he's always hated it and cannot understand why he keeps ending up there. Bold strategy for someone trying to win over Michigan voters.
His campaign scrambled to do damage control on the fireworks situation, claiming he celebrates the holiday with pyrotechnics "like the next Michigander." That might land if he hadn't produced a whole video arguing they're terrible.
Now for the nuclear bombshell. In one of those scrubbed clips, El-Sayed suggested swapping out the Second Amendment's protection of the right to bear arms with a constitutional guarantee of health care. Constitutional scholars everywhere just spit out their coffee. The Second Amendment shields citizens from government overreach regarding something they inherently possess. A so called "right" to health care is fundamentally different, requiring claims on other people's labor and taxpayer funded enforcement. You can't trade one for the other without redefining what rights actually mean under the Constitution.
El-Sayed also insisted in now deleted footage that the southern border wasn't among Americans' top five worries. That take is so wildly disconnected from polling over the last four years that even CNN covered the controversy. The network noted his extensive history as a podcaster and social media personality left behind a mountain of material Republicans could weaponize to paint him as far left and culturally misaligned with swing state voters.
When CNN is basically writing your political obituary before the general election even begins, that's a five alarm fire.
RealClearPolitics averages now show Republican challenger Mike Rogers pulling ahead in the Michigan Senate contest. Every time another buried video resurfaces, it becomes painfully obvious why El-Sayed tried so hard to make them disappear. The cover up is telling voters everything they need to know.
Read more conservative news commentary at: USA Journal News
