Republican strategy in Michigan, spear-headed by State Republican Party Chairman, Betsy DeVos, is essentially to blame current Democratic Governor, Jennifer Granholm, who recently endorsed Massachusetts Senator John Kerry for the Democratic nomination, for the state's economic problems. Apparently Republican's believe that by arbitrarily shifting blame to the Governor and suggesting that "The President's policies have clearly helped taxpayers all across the country, Michigan included..." (according to DeVos, as quoted in the February 1, 2004, Sunday edition of the Detroit Free Press) they can deliver Michigan to Bush come the general election. Michigan hasn't gone Republican in a presidential election since the first Bush (I am pretty sure, anyway; could be since Reagan. You'd think I'd know since I covered the election as a student reporter for the Macomb Community College student paper).
DeVos further accused Governor Granholm of being all about PR and "...not having a very deep rudder..." (we are very found of boating metaphors in the Great Lakes State). DeVos suggested that the Gov. Granholm hasn't really done any significant work since taking office, and that that is what is plaguing Michigan's economy.
Michigan currently has a 7.2 percent unemployment rate and has lost some 82,000 jobs, mostly in manufacturing. And, if DeVos and her party are to be believed, it is entirely the Governor's fault. Not President Bush's. In fact, to hear DeVos tell it, Michigan would be in even worse shape if not for Bush's tax cuts.
Of course, it doesn't matter that Bush has been sitting in the White House two years longer than Granholm has been sitting in the Governor's chair up in Lansing. And never mind that The President of The United States of America probably has more power to influence economic outcomes than does the Governor of Michigan.
There is the very legitimate argument that because Michigan is heavily dependant on manufacturing and thus often lags behind the national economy, irregardless of which party holds the White House. But consider too that the previous Governor, Republican John Engler, left the new Governor with a fiscal mess.
But DeVos is pretty tight-lipped about any of that. Literally. Check out her photograph - she's the definition of pinched shrew. Compared to Granholm who is hot! Yeah, I know: What's the got to do with politics? But really, I can't help but wonder if DeVos is being not only political, but catty as well. Who knows? Certainly not me.