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In and outs of the political campaigns, focusing on Michigan and Lansing, Tim Skubick will report regularly throughout the primary and then general election campaigns.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Mr.Outsider Trying To Get In

    First there were three and shortly there will be four GOP candidates for governor. Welcome self-described non-politician Rick Snyder to the fray.
   "I've never run for office," the Ann Arbor entrepreneur explains on one his Youtube videos posted this week in which he also takes a swipe, albeit gentle, at the other three in the hunt.
    "Everyone is a politician" claiming their experience is what the state needs, and "it's that experience that created this mess," the outsider concludes.
     His reference, without naming names, was to Attorney General Mike Cox, Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard and West Michigan Congressman Pete Hoekstra.
     Since the first of the year, Snyder has traversed the state on a so-called "listening tour" which ends during the week of July 20th when he stops lis tening and starts campaigning.
      Synder faces some challenges. 
     (1) He is a virtual unknown but apparently has the largess to correct that as he attempts to buy name identification.  It can be done.
     (2) He knows very little about the inner workings of Lansing but he considers that a huge asset.
     (3) He is untested on the issues and has steadfastly refused to answer direct questions from the working media on abortion, stem cells, gay marriage and all those other dicey wedge issues that often infiltrate a GOP primary. He promised that when he became a candidate, he would tackle reporter's nosey questions. 
     (4)  He has no base from which to run. In fact some believe just being from "arrogant" Ann Arbor is a minus.  Cox has won two statewide races. Bouchard is strong in Oakland County and Hoekstra brings support from West Michigan where he's served in congress for close to twenty years.
     (5)  Do voters want another GOP/business guy running for governor? The last one four years ago, didn't do so hot.  What was his name?  Dick somebody or other?
     Synder seems undaunted by all this as he launches an outsider's effort to get inside state government.
     

posted by Tim Skubick at 4:31 AM

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