Cherry Hits the Stump

 

        There was one thing missing from the media report on a recent speech by the lt. governor in Flint recently.  It may have been his first defense of the Granholm administration's economic policies as an unofficial candidate for governor himself.

         For sure John Cherry has not announced his candidacy for 2010, but it may be the worse kept "secret" in town that he harbors ambitions that go beyond serving out his current term with Gov. Jennifer Granholm.

         In case you have not noticed, he has upped his statewide visibility lately.

         Which is why his little noticed speech in front of the Flint Rotary club deserves a look-see.

         According to the Flint Journal, Cherry "touted the goals set by Granholm" as he told the group, "It's not simply a collection of policies designed to get us over a temporary lull in the business cycle…We need to create a new foundation and create new tools…Our governor is honing in on the industries of the future."

         Defending the governor's strategies is nothing new for the L.G., but from here on out, her strategies become his as he lays the foundation for his own bid for the front office.  The popular wisdom is, the more successful her economic blueprint is, the better the chances Cherry will replace her.

          Conversely, when it comes time for him to run and it looks like her strategy is not working, Cherry will have to place some distance between himself and the outgoing governor and start to develop a strategy of his own.

          The always-faithful second in command shows no signs of bailing out and privately believes the path she is on is the right one.

         As he told the Rotarians, "Change will be with us.  The challenge that we face is managing change."

         That, of course, applies to both the economy and his own desire to takeover from where she leaves off with a jobless rate that is not number one in the nation.

 

         

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