WSJ: Michigan Governor Fights for Big 3 -- and Her Future

[Bozita]

http://sec.online.wsj.com/article/SB122989944585924877.html?mod=article-outset-box

DECEMBER 22, 2008
Michigan Governor Fights for Big 3 -- and Her Future
By MONICA LANGLEY

LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm is driving hard to prevent her state -- and her future -- from becoming carnage of the wrecked auto industry.

Just a month ago, Gov. Granholm, deeply unpopular in her recession-battered state, was coaching car company chief executives on improving their plea for federal aid, privately pressing President-elect Barack Obama for help and boosting auto sales by ordering her state to purchase 1,600 vehicles from the Big Three for Michigan's fleet cars.

But even as the auto makers won their bailout bid from President George W. Bush, the rehabilitation of Gov. Granholm's stature has stalled. Despite close ties to Obama advisers, Gov. Granholm, who must leave office in 2010 under term limits, failed to land a cabinet post as the nominations concluded this week.

Now Gov. Granholm is stepping up her focus on greener projects. She just announced that a Dow Corning Corp. joint venture will invest as much as $1 billion in a manufacturing facility in Michigan to make high-tech components used to produce solar energy. Rushing to a news conference where the governor would tout 600 new jobs, one aide said, "We haven't mentioned autos all day!"

more...

[MichiganVote]

1. Granholm is not deeply unpopular in Michigan. Bush and Cheney on the other hand......

Nor did she "fail" to land a cabinet post. Moreover, she has focused on "green" projects in Michigan during both of her terms.

She did, however, authorize massive material and personnel aid from the state of Michigan for the citizens of Louisiana and Mississippi following hurricane Katrina. Michigan residents also volunteered and opened their homes to the residents of those states.

[mrcheerful]

2. It depends on where they took the polls from. Remember Kent county

Midland county and a few areas in the thumb as well as north of Twas have strong pockets of republicon supporters. Read some of the michigan forums and you'll be surprised at how many in the state blame Granholm for what Engler and the republicons did and are doing to the state.

[MichiganVote]

7. Read the forums and as far as Kent is concerned, Obama took it in a near landslide.

Republicans blaming a democrat for their own crap? Amazing....yawn. Anyone with a brain knows that Michigan has many causes for its current economic woes, Granholm is the very least of it. Democrats who don't like her are mad at her b/c she has lobbied for the auto industry and they want(ed) change in that manufacturing base and are feeling needlessly threatened by her support of that industry. Most of THEM are from out of state and don't have a clue how SHAFTA has accelerated a change process that Michigan was going to go through one way or another.

That's the bad news. The good news, if you can call it that, is that the rest of the country is about to get bit by the same bug that's been ailing Michigan and they didn't and don't see it happening to them.

[blue_onyx]

6. I don't believe she's "deeply unpopular" either

I haven't seen a poll recently but a few months ago, I remember her having an approval rating in the 40s and a favorability rating in the 50s. Not a great approval rating but good considering our economy.

I found it interesting that the article claimed she "lost" a cabinet position. How do they even know she was truly considered? I know her name was thrown about a lot but that's just speculation. For all they know, she might get the best appointment of all, a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court.

I believe she will be vindicated eventually. Now that the economic problems are apparent across the country, people will begin to realize that it wasn't her fault. I actually think, if she could run for a third term, she would win. If she stays her entire term, I believe she will be viewed better at that time.

[MichiganVote]

8. Exactly.

[Festivito]

3. What loud-mouthed right Wing Stupid Jerks, WSJ.

Yeah, I heard the Republican talking points to blame Granholm for the bad economy. It's dung. It's the Republican economic failure and we know it. She's doing a lot and she's doing it well. We've hardly noticed a decrease in service, yet she balances the budget despite a Republican state senate that is just plainly obstructionist.

Everything falling apart clearly belongs to Republicans. And if her approval ratings do drop all she has to do is make another trip around the state to talk with people at town meetings and the RW press will be stuck telling the truth for a couple of weeks.

Come 2010, she can do anything she wants.

[firedupdem]

4. I used to live in Michigan and I've always thought she did a great

job. She inherited a boatload of shit from Engler..the republican governor there before her. They must have polled Dick DeVos supporters. He ran against her and lost in the previous election. He was a rich Amway scumbag who would have shut down the auto industry at the republicans request in a heartbeat. And I don't think she was left out of a cabinet position. Obama has had her on his economic team and she's big on Green projects. She's a smart lady.

[blue_onyx]

9. It's scary to think what it would be like here...

if DeVos had won

:scared:

[MichiganVote]

10. Stripped bare in education and health care for kids. Not to mention the whole Blackwater association

[firedupdem]

12. I worked at Chrysler (headquarters) at the time and I'm sitting in the cafeteria

with a person that I thought was pretty intelligent and he was on fire! He's sitting there telling me how people have made a horrible mistake not voting Dick DeVos into office! I'm thinking this guy is freaking crazy. I was a contractor but he was a full time employee in management. I couldn't believe it.

[MichiganVote]

14. Dick is nothing but a toadie for Daddy and friends. Even his wife has more balls.

[annarbor]

5. I love my governor

She's been faced with nothing but an uphill climb since she took office. Initially faced with a Republican state congress, senate and an AG that's bucking for her job, she's had nothing but backlash and grief to deal with. Add in the fact that Bush and his administration completely ignored the needs of the auto industry for eight years (that is, until last week), I'd say she's done one hell of a job keeping us afloat during her tenure.

Ann Arbor-

[JNelson6563]

11. Granhom has been up against it.

And there are some big swaths of the state that are very rethug. Take a look at the entire 4th Cong. for starters. The half of Saginaw that's in is pretty blue and Isabella does well but that leaves twelve red counties. Yeah, it's not a stretch to guess in many pockets (some even good sized) she has popularity problems.

I wish she'd've been a lot more forceful of a governor. She could've played serious hard-ball much more often than she did and used the hell out of the bully pulpit. She chose not to. I wasn't real pleased about her role in the primary debacle either but, hey, it was good to see some hardball finally! A little late, not a very noble cause but let's not split hairs.

That said, she's brilliant and all that. It's a real shame she came into the nightmare Engler left behind. IMO she was a more effective and formidable AG than Gov. and I worked to get her elected and re-elected.

Julie

[blue_onyx]

13. How do you think she could have been more effective?

I don't see how she could have "played serious hard-ball much more often." When the Republicans control at least one part of Congress, you can only do so much. I do think she did play some hardball at times, like with the budget battle. I'm glad she didn't blink and allowed the government to go into shut down (although for only a few hours). If she had passed a continuance budget (I think that's what they called it) like she was being pressured to do, we would've been in the same position, just a month later. A tax increase was necessary and she didn't back down.

The primary debacle was something I disagreed with her on but I wasn't that angry (I was more annoyed with Dean).

I think she was an effective governor. I'm proud to have her has my governor and she plays a part in me wanting to stay here (been unemployed for quite a while). If someone like DeVos or Cox was to become our governor, I have to say, my desire to stay here would be greatly diminished.

[firedupdem]

15. I was proud of her standing her ground on the budget issue too..

I was so lost during the primary thing, I couldn't figure out what the hell was going on. Maybe you can explain that to me if you see this post..

All I remember is having a big fight with my husband because he couldn't figure out why I was telling him to vote "uncommitted"....we were Obama supporters but he couldn't understand why and I couldn't either I was just like do it dammit! LOL

Michigan is my home. We moved here to Nebraska since my husband found a job here....but as crazy as it sounds I'm coming back to michigan as soon as my youngest is done with high school. Hopefully I can find a job there somewhere. I can't be in a place with no freaking large bodies of water! Ewwwwww!

[blue_onyx]

21. Basically, MI decided to move it's primary date up

Florida had already moved up and New Hampshire announced it's plans to move up from it's original date, Jan. 22. NH had been pushed from being the second state to vote, to being the third (although they were still the first primary). Once NH announced they were going to move up, Michigan decided to move up, as well. So the MI House and Senate passed a bill to have a joint GOP/Dem primary on Jan. 15th, in violation of DEM party rules. When the primary schedule for 2008 was being set up, all the states agreed to follow this schedule: Iowa Jan 14th, Nevada Jan. 19th, NH Jan. 22, South Carolina Jan 26. No other states were allowed to go before Feb. 5. From Feb. 5 on, a state could go on any date. Many choose to go on the first possible, which lead to the large Super Tuesday.

Mi violating the rules led to Obama, Edwards, Biden, and Richardson removing their name from our ballot. They claimed our state violated the rules and the Dems had agreed to not participate in the primary. I disagree with their justification...I believe them removing their names was completely political. Hillary was leading in MI and them removing their names was an attempt to get her to pull out of a state she where she was doing well. It was also them sucking up the Iowa and NH voters. Hillary chose not to remove her name and uncommitted was added for Biden, Edwards, and Richardson supporters.

In Florida, the GOP controlled everything so the Dems didn't have much of a choice in moving the primary. In Michigan, the Dems controlled the House and the executive branch. Many were angry with Granholm for supporting a primary that violated party rules. Personally, I thought they should have followed the rules and disagreed with Granholm's decision. Many think Granholm may have supported the earlier primary because it would have, supposedly, helped Hillary (who Granholm endorsed). Michigan had threatened to move up before, including in 2004, so I think it's BS that she moved the date up to help Hillary...if anything, it hurt Hillary. After all this mess, Dean gave Iowa and NH permission to violate the original schedule and move their dates up to Jan. 3rd. and Jan. 8th, which is why I was angry with him (it's ok for some states to not abide by the rules and not others?).

I hope I answered your question.

Also, I hope you are able to come back too. I may have to leave myself. Been looking for a job longer than I would like to mention. Problem is, now things are bad everywhere so I'm not so sure I would have luck finding a job elsewhere. Hopefully things get better.

[firedupdem]

23. Thanks for the explanation....I really didn't know what the hell was

going on...I'm almost embarrassed to say that! I agree moving the date didn't help Hillary.

I think Jennifer is great and has done the best job possible with the mess she inherited.

This job situation is horrible. We ended up here with one of us having a job and I guess I should be thankful but you are right...jobs aren't a sure thing anywhere right now. I'm hoping you find something there....moving is no fun and Michigan is a beautiful state. Thanks again for your explanation!!

[JNelson6563]

17. Outside of the Lansing area we rarely heard from her.

She could have been far more effective had she had more of a presence outside of a 50 mile radius of Lansing. And she totally ignored the base outside of that area the whole time she was Governor. If only she had implemented more of Dean's 50 state strategy (more like an 83 county strategy) I believe more could've gotten done.

As it was she was nearly invisible in the outlying areas. Higher visibility and more use of the bully pulpit could have resulted in a lot more pressure being put on the Rethugs in the leg. to pass progressive initiatives.

Oh and some of her staff, well let's just say they really contributed to bad relations with the base. And if they were so effective at alienating her supporters, imagine what a fine job they did with her non-supporters. They did her no favors.

Remember when we had two state party chairs? She lost that battle. What's that tell you?

Julie

[blue_onyx]

19. No, I don't remeber the 2 party chairs.

I can see the need to have higher visibility in areas that a Dem wouldn't usually go. Dean was really the first person to realize the importance of competing in traditionally conservative, non-Democratic areas. No other Dem had really implemented that strategy before Dean so I personally won't fault Granholm for this.

It's hard for me to judge if she didn't have enough presence in some areas of Michigan. I'm from the Detroit area and that's obviously one of the areas she would have the most support and presence. I wouldn't know about the relations between her staff and the base either. I don't belong to the party...I'm an independent with strong Democratic leanings (never voted for a GOP yet).

Your reasons may be valid but I'm going to have to disagree with you on her effectiveness as governor.

[JNelson6563]

20. Well as a soldier in the trenches

a Congressional District chair and a resident outside of the metro area I guess you and I would have vast differences of opinion.

That aside, I hope you are weathering our economic storm ok, as well as the snowy weather.

Peace,
Julie

[blue_onyx]

22. Weather not too bad

I'm unemployed so I don't really have to go out driving much....although it's not much fun to go out to shovel snow.

As for the economic storm, been looking for a job for quite a while and may have to leave the state eventually.

Thanks for the well wishes :)

[TWiley]

16. Engler deeply poisened the well, just like Bush is now doing.

Interesting too, I believe ole Pot-Hole-Engler is on the board of directors for Dow.

Republicans left her with a 4 Billion dollar deficit, and they have been fighting against all fiscal reasoning over the past 6 years. They literally created much of Michigans problems (those that are state made) and obstruct any repair of it.

I see the same thing happening now at the National Level. This "crisis" was delibert, and designed to poison Obama's well. Slash and burn RepubliKKKlan politics.

Jennifer has done a great job considering the cards the republican bastards delt her. Watch the next election. They will shamelessly blame us for what they did, and recapture the Governors mansion.

[European Socialist]

18. She has made the best of a bad situation caused by Repukes.