Turning Voters On

June 18, 2010

In fairness, it is early and most folks are not paying attention. However, there is one phrase you won’t hear as you survey voters regarding the field of candidates for governor: “I can hardly wait to vote for him.”

This is a universal observation, regardless of political party. It appears that nobody has inspired the voters.

It is not that the five Republicans and two Democrats are not qualified; it’s just that so far none has delivered the “X” factor that motivates common folks to jump up and down for this guy or that.

In fact, the more you look at them, you might conclude that they are running for the wrong office.

For example, Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard would make a grand director of the Michigan State Police — and he could run the Department of Corrections at the same time at a savings to taxpayers.

Rick Snyder would make a great state commerce director or even state school superintendent. He’s smart, has a ton of good concepts and the desire to get stuff done.

Democrat Virg Bernero would make a fantastic state tourism director. His love of Michigan and his tenacity would be tough to match. He’d either bring more tourists into the state or he could flip on the anger button and tell them to go where the Pure Michigan ads might melt.

Tom George is certainly a state Public Health director in waiting.

Mike Cox could run the Homeland Security/rumor control operation in Michigan.

Pete Hoekstra would make a good liaison between the Michigan House and Senate, and Andy Dillon could, with ease, run the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.

One of the “X” factors is passion. Political insiders talk about the “fire-in-the-belly” DNA that a successful candidate needs. You can’t buy it off the shelf, you can’t fake it for long and, like porn, you know it when you see it.

In the Andy Dillon camp, for example, they are feverishly trying to unearth it in him.

Reports are that he is not so sure he needs it. The handlers couldn’t disagree more. After the debate on the island recently, one lawmaker privately told Democrat Dillon he needed to kick it up a notch.

It’s pretty clear he has a grasp of the issues, but what comes out of his mouth originates in his head more than his heart. You need both.

He did demonstrate it months ago when he showed up on the Capitol steps at a rally of union workers who wanted a new coal plant near Saginaw. Dillon spoke with passion, he raised his voice, he sold his comments and folks in this town went, “Who the heck was that?”

His campaign even played that tape for him recently and pointed at the screen. “That is what you need to do,” they pleaded.

Bernero has no problem with that and Cox is no shrinking violet either. Sometimes they go over the top, but neither needs a passion transplant.

Snyder is cerebral like Dillon and seems more at home devouring a “How to Manage A Successful Business” manual than getting his hands dirty trying to jam his ideas through the legislature.

George has elevated his passion in recent performances, while Bouchard and Hoekstra are more measured.

Some of these candidates are still searching for their voice or need to refine the one they have, but the good news is that no one is listening yet. So there’s still time to get it right. And if someone does, that someone could be the next governor.

Tim Skubick is Michigan’s Senior Capitol correspondent and has anchored the weekly public TV series “Off the Record” since 1972. He also covers the Capitol and politics for WLNS-TV6 in Lansing.

Tim Skubick Extra Extra… (A weekly bonus only for Dome readers)

Chuck the Brain-Buckets
You got the sense that the movement had lost some of its umpph.

Sure there were several hundred bikers demanding that the state lift the mandatory brain-bucket law, but the numbers were not anywhere near what they use to be over the 34-year span of this ride-to-the-Capitol protest.

“Some of them were afraid of the rain,” observed one of the rally leaders who also noticed the small turnout. It rang hollow, as this group ain’t afraid of nothin’, let alone a little moisture on their covered heads.

Whether you agree with these guys or not, you do have to pat them on the head for coming back year after year with nothing to show for it. They have managed to pass legislation in one house or the other to remove the motorcycle helmet law, but the current governor has always threatened to veto.

In other words, they are zero for 34 years.

Credit the highway safety lobby, the insurance companies and others for defeating this move by claiming lives will be lost if the helmets are allowed to come off.

“The statistics don’t support that in the 30-some states that don’t have a helmet law,” contends Vince Consiglio of Milford, who is one of the stalwarts and has been here plenty of times.

But hope does spring eternal, and Herb Rials, who lobbies for the cyclists’ group ABATE, claims to have the support of every candidate for governor minus one.

So if the House and Senate next year kill the helmet law, chances are pretty good that a governor’s signature, not a veto, will be attached to the measure.

If the Nerd gets in, however, it could be more of the same for the motorcycle crowd. Rick Snyder apparently wants to keep the helmets right where they are — on the heads of those who don’t like it.

GOP Steals from School Kids
Mention the word “surplus” in this town and the joint goes nuts. In these awful economic times, the word has all but been expunged from the lexicon of every legislator around.

But, alas, there is about a $400-million surplus in the fund that goes for educating our children, i.e. the K-12 school aid fund. And the GOP long knives are out to use it, pronto.

Hold the phone. Aren’t the Republicans the ones who always argue against spending, as they normally berate the Democrats for going after every penny in sight?

The word Republican may go hand in hand with “fiscal conservative,” but on this issue it’s the GOP that wants to raid the surplus, and it’s the Ds who have their finger in the surplus dyke.

’Splain, please.

The education lobby and Democrats argue the extra money should be put in a lock box, thank you Al Gore, for the rainy day that is due next year. Spend it now and when it starts to pour, the money won’t be there.

How fiscally conservative can you get? Yet the Rs claim shifting the surplus to higher education is the right move. In fact, the powerful chair of the Senate budget panel says it is an “absolutely necessary policy.”

“It’s wrong. We should not steal from our children who are the future of Michigan,” complains East Lansing Democrat Sen. Gretchen Whitmer, with two little girls at home.

“It’s a bad message,” echoes Pontiac Democrat Rep. Tim Melton, who thinks the GOP is playing games. By law, the Republicans cannot move the surplus into the general fund because the money is earmarked for education. Ah, but…

They can shift it to the higher education budget and then withdraw the money from that budget to balance the general fund.

Melton says, “Sleight of hand. Maybe.”

Look it. The GOP does not want to raise taxes, yet it knows there is a hole in this year’s budget and it does not want to cut more services. Hence, take the money from the surplus and, through the backdoor, pour that into the budget deficit and, presto change-o, the budget is balanced.

Pretty nifty…and sneaky to boot.

It’s yet another election-year example of how the Republicans will do anything to avoid raising new revenue for vital state services, even if it means stealing it from the desks of K-12 kids.