Former Gov. Jennifer Granholm drew upon her eight years of
experience in Michigan and told a national TV audience that shutting
down the federal government would be a "disaster" and the battle in
Wisconsin is not about wage concessions but attacking collective
bargaining.
And with that she launched a new phase of her career to include
Meet the Press commentator. Decked out in a white jacket and black
sweater, the ex-governor took questions from program host David Gregory
who was not bashful about cutting her off when she got a little windy
on the collective bargaining issue.
Reflecting on what's unfolding in Wisconsin where Gov. Scott
Walker is trying to undo collective bargaining with state worker
unions, Gov. Granholm noted that the workers gave in on concessions
last Friday, so she wonders why the governor was still not satisfied?
"This is not about cuts, it's about collective bargaining," she
observes while being paid a nifty salary to spout her insightful
commentary and analysis.
She applauded the show of democracy by the labor members who
flooded the capitol in Madison.
On the possibility that the President and Congress might reach a
budget impasse resulting in a shutdown of the national government, Gov.
Granholm blurted out, "I've seen this movie," meaning she presided over
two such shutdowns in Lansing while on her watch.
If it happens in Washington, she warns the citizens will
ask,"What the heck just happened?" She says politicians are sent to
Washington to solve problems and if they don't meet the budget deadline
later this month, "It is a disaster…A pox on everyone," she said.
Her performance was not over the top, she had no pithy exchanges
with any of the other three panelists as the format does not foster
that, and on balance she did not fall off her chair and her hair looked
nice and when you get right down to it, on TV news, that's about all
you have to do to be a hit.