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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.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Rethinking Labor's Thinking


  
 
     Organized labor's track record in contests for governor in this state has
 been a mixed bag of sorts.
     Labor wanted Larry Owen for governor; it got Geoffrey Fieger instead and labor ignored Fieger.
     Labor wanted Howard Wolpe; it got Howard Wolpe who proceeded to run a lousy campaign and handed John Engler another four years without forcing the GOP guy to break a sweat.
     Fast forward to right now.  Large segments of labor really wanted John Cherry to be the next governor.  So much for that.
     Now labor has hurredly scrambled to stage some interviews, better known as cattle calls, asking each of this year's potentials to "come on down" and chat.
     Congressman Gary Peters showed up.  The chat was not long.  He ain't running.
     Dan Kildee, with some labor cachet, appeared, talked, but has not made a final decision.
     And the list of invitees goes on including Andy Dillon, Bob Bowman, Denise Ilitch, Bart Stupak, Virg Bernero, and Alma Wheeler Smith.
     The D's would love to lure a guy like Edsel or Bill Ford into the mix, but these guys weren't born yesterday.  Why should they talk?
     Some still hold out hope for DTE Energy guy Tony Early.  Not a chance.
     And here is the most telling tid bid:  After all these years of trying to run a "traditional" democrat, see Owen and Wolpe, the blue collar folks are finally coming to the conclusion that maybe that ought to take a peak at someone with business experience.
     Ya think.

2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Business experience? Right. Because MBA Bush did such a fine job of running the government?

Business and government have different goals. Businesses exist to make money, while government's purpose is to provide effective services to all. Our best leaders have not been businessmen, they have been... leaders.

January 20, 2010 at 5:38 AM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

We have had a Gov with good values, who seemed out of touch and inept in the area of reviving the economy; not all of this image is deserved, but Dems need to start being practical--it is not what you know or believe, it is what people THINK you know and believe that matters. Business experience is seen as a positive quality; do we want to win or lose???

January 21, 2010 at 8:02 AM 

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