Michigan Republicans had a chance to vote for the man who now seems their certain nominee, John McCain. However, seventy percent of them voted against him. The man they preferred, Mitt Romney, has dropped out and endorsed McCain. Republicans don’t have a nomination battle anymore.
Democrats are internally divided, and some Michigan supporters of Obama say that if they don’t get a chance to vote, they won’t support the ticket in the fall.
That would seem to give Republicans a chance to carry this state in a presidential election for the first time since the World Wide Web was invented. But something else is going on that may benefit the Democrats.
Michigan Republicans are expected to approve four proposals at their convention this weekend that should make it very hard for them to attract independent and swing voters in November.
Thirty years ago, the Michigan Republican Party was, in fact, what they like to say they are now a big tent party with room for a vast spectrum of people. In general, they were more pro-business than the Democrats.
They were less friendly to unions, but they were also less prone to financial scandals.
Today, they are fast becoming a hardened sect devoted to orthodox right-wing ideology. I personally like
State Party Chairman Saul Anuzis. He is the proud son of immigrants who has built up a business on his own. I’ve been in his home, and he is an good husband and father to four very impressive boys.
But he is leading his party into a place from where it is going to virtually impossible to carry Michigan in a statewide election. Look at the four issues the party is expected to pass at its convention this week. The first, calling for more educational choice, isn’t calculated to help Republicans with public school teachers. The second issue, which calls for shrinking state government, won’t hurt them. But the third and fourth issue might. The party will say the state of Michigan should ALWAYS defend innocent human life from conception to natural death. That sounds like outlawing even abortion that is necessary to save the life of the mother.
It also sounds like they are reading any pro-choice Republicans out of the party, as if there were many left.
But here’s the issue that may really hurt the party: Delegates will be asked to affirm that “The Michigan Republican Party supports Right-to-Work legislation and Paycheck Protection from personally unauthorized deductions.”
That means no union shops, and no automatic dues deductions. It also probably means bye-bye to winning any union support for John McCain in the general election.
You might want to watch to see what the Republicans will do this weekend. You can bet Democrats will be watching too.
Dear Jack Lessenberry,
Thank you for your comments about the Michigan election and how we did not get a chance to vote for Obama. I didn't get upset about this although I probably should have. But now I am outraged that Governor Granholm is trying to seat the Michigan Delegates at the National Convention for Hillary Clinton, the only person on the ballot.
This is wrong. I cannot support Hillary as she supports the war in Iraq. I have been against the invasion from the begining of the voting in Congress. I knew Bush had plans to invade and I knew it would be a drawn out afair like it has and probably will be unless we get a diplomat in Washington. We need change and we need it now and Hillary Clinton is NOT it.
It is bad enough that Governor Granholm took away our right to vote, but now to give the Delegates to Hillary is a CRIME AGAINST DEMOCRATES EVERYWHERE.
Thank you for your forum.
Patricia Cardinal
Commerce Township, Michigan
Posted by: Patricia Cardinal | February 21, 2008 at 06:55 AM