Last week I shared 'Tales from Auto Industry bailout Ground Zero' about how regular folks like myself and my family have been devastated both personally and financially by Senate Republican's no vote on an auto industry bailout.
The overwhelming response from both this community as well as folks all across Michigan got me thinking. The fallout from this vote that Republicans are likely to face in the coming months and years both here in Michigan and across the country could be huge.
With the entire state of Michigan seemingly up in arms after last week's flipping of the bird by the Republican U.S. Senate, I initially thought this would just be a Michigan thing.
Never before have I seen such a complete and total unified reaction from Democrats, independents, media, and even Republicans on one singular issue across the state. Sure there were a couple exceptions, like those being fed the GOP talking points like mother's milk, but as we so quickly learn in politics, rational logic doesn't necessarily have to apply to all of us.
A couple of examples from state-wide media where you might traditionally least expect them:
From the conservative Detroit News: Loan deal's failure a loss for everyone
From a slightly-right-of-center columnist: Government must restart auto industry
From conservative West Michigan's Grand Rapids Press: A bridge to the future for auto makers
Michigan:
How might the ramifications of the Senate Republican vote play out electorally for Michigan over the next two years?
There aren't any major elections for another two years, but a vote this large that affects essentially an entire state is not likely to be forgotten anytime soon. And the case was cut and dried, so there's no mistaking precisely who the perpetrators are.
Will we see local Republican candidates run against the actions of their congressional party members, or will we see them delicately two-stepping their way through a messy minefield? How are Republican gubernatorial candidates going to handle it without jumping party ship?
With news this morning that Pete Hoekstra of the 2nd Congressional District is 'retiring' after 2010, is this the start of a bigger trend? Hoekstra's been mulling over a 2010 gubernatorial run for more years than I can remember, but any Republican candidate is going to face a slippery slope when it comes to worker's rights and the economy.
Jonathon Stein at Mother Jones estimates it will be an entire generation before Michigan even considers going Republican again. I think he may be right.
Nationwide
This isn't just another issue-based vote like Choice, Marriage Equality, or a handful of other issues that run the gamut of both major parties. This is about allowing our entire state to go bankrupt, akin to watching a guy drown while you hold the life raft and wave goodbye.
If Democrats play their cards smartly, the drum will beat long and hard on this vote, so much so that voters won't have an opportunity to forget about it. And this isn't just about the current and former autoworkers themselves. There are union members and laborers all across this country. With last week's vote, I find it hard to believe that those in other fields didn't find themselves wondering if they were next on the proverbial chopping block.
This is about the automotive suppliers, the gas stations across from the plants and office parks. It's about the movie theaters and retail stores in the Michigan cities like Lansing, Flint, Ecorse, and Dearborn, all cities whose very economic future depends on the auto industry.
The auto industry may have it roots here in Detroit and Michigan at large, but the numbers show that every single state has some bit of their economy fed by an auto-industry related field.
Newton tells us that every action has an equal and opposite reaction, but in this case, I think this may be the one exception to the rule. Laid off autoworkers will remember, their family members will remember and every one who is negatively affected will remember.
Two years may be a long time off, but I'm not sure it's enough time for Republicans to get the bulls-eye off their backs by then.