Now that the candidate with the most political experience is out of the contest, some forces within the Michigan democratic party are looking for a candidate with none.  In effect this faction is looking for its own version of GOP candidate Rick Synder, the non-politician/business guy out of Ann Arbor.

        The 180 degree flip from tons of experience to zero could produce a want-ad that reads like this:  Wanted:  Someone with no hands-on experience in Lansing and no visible or invisible ties to Gov. Jennifer Granholm. (Very important.)  Resume with successful business accomplishments is essential along with the ability to self-fund or bring your own money to the table to run.  Must have good name ID and a positive image that indicates you are a Lansing outsider but yet possessing the intelligence to learn the ropes at the capitol when you are elected.

      In some respects this is about as shocking as the news this week that Lt. Governor John Cherry, the guy with all the Lansing experience in the world, but not enough moola to win, has tossed in the towel.

      Potential candidates House Speaker Andy Dillon and Lansing Mayor Virg Benero could not answer the want ad above for obvious reasons.  Even though he has been in the Michigan House only four years, Dillon is an insider and even though Benero is not there anymore, it would not take long for the GOP to tee him up as a product of government with his county, state and now local experience as mayor.

     So if not them, who?

      Try this on for size:  Joe Dumars.

     Yep, the former NBA basketball sensation and current president of the Detroit Pistons.

     Stack him up against the want ad and you have a potential blockbuster of a candidate that would not only set this town on its ear, but produce enough buzz to give the D's a better than even chance to hang onto the governor's chair.

     While some democrats are sad that Cherry has been relegated to the sidelines, pulling a Joe Dumar's type candidate out of the hat could quickly turn those tears into smiles and maybe even enough votes to send Rick Snyder and the rest of the GOP field to the showers.

    Feelers are out there to see if Joe D. wants to try his shooting hands in another non-contact sport namely politics.