Politicos talk Republican primary, predict winner in fall elections at Griffin Policy Forum
President and Principal of Truscott Rossman, John Truscott debates the predictions of the future presidential election with moderator and Managing Editor and State Capitol Bureau Chief of the Michigan Public Radio Network, Rick Pluta. (Brooke Mayle/Staff Photographer)
Political insiders from across the state traveled to Central Michigan University Monday evening to discuss current issues in Michigan politics and make predictions about the 2012 elections at the spring Griffin Policy Forum.
The panelists included Jill Alper, Democratic strategist and media consultant at Dewey Square Group; Rusty Hills, director of public affairs for the Michigan attorney general; John Truscott, president and principal of Truscott Rossman; and Rick Wiener, founder of Wiener Associates. Rick Pluta, managing editor and state capitol bureau chief from Michigan Public Radio Network, moderated the discussion.
About 50 students and community members attended the forum, including state Sen. Judy Emmons, R-Sheridan, and state Rep. Mark Meadows, D-East Lansing.
When asked about which candidate would take Michigan in the presidential election, the panelists split down party lines. Alper and Wiener, both Democrats, said Obama would win, while the Republicans, Hill and Truscott, picked Romney, who they assumed would win the Republican nomination.
While the Republican primaries have not ended and former Sen. Rick Santorum and former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich are still in the race for the nomination, Hills said Super PACs have been keeping them in the race longer than the candidates would have lasted on their own.
These organizations, which have funded much of the negative advertising surrounding the primaries, are not officially associated with a specific candidate.
“We don’t know yet how big (the impact will be),” Trustcott said. “It will be very, very significant.”
Finally, the discussion turned to the general atmosphere of politics today.
Several of the panelists related stories about politicians in the past would spar on the issues in public but later get together for drinks and a game of cards at the end of the day.
“It’s been shifting for probably 30 years now,” said Wiener, referring to the increase in bitterness between the political parties.
He attributed the change to the advent of the modern media, the rise in “talking heads” talk radio programming, the availability of instant feedback via the Internet and even an increase in freeways, which allow politicians to return home more often instead of staying in town and getting to know their colleagues in the legislature better.
“In politics, you come to expect certain attacks and can deal with them when they come,” Truscott said. “It’s when it rolls over to your family, your spouse, your kids, that it crosses a (barrier).
Helen Thomas, a retired teacher and member of the League of Women Voters from Mount Pleasant, said she had expected the discussion to be more heated than it was.
“I thought at the beginning it was going to be very sharp, but that was not the case,” Thomas said.
She attended the discussion with her friend Ginger Kjolhede, also of Mount Pleasant.
“I enjoyed (the discussion) very much,” Kjolhede said. “I loved the camradery they showed.”
CMU sophomores Brandon Suchecki, of Grand Haven, and Tyler Van Well, of Redford, attended the forum as part of a requirement for a history class.
Van Well said he enjoyed hearing about what goes on behind the scenes in elections and seeing how both parties attack different issues.
“I liked the end segment,” Suchecki said. “(The parties) are portrayed as bitter rivals, but they really do get along.”
“It humanized it,” Van Well added. “It’s not what we see on TV.”
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7 Comments
CMU should be embarrassed that only 50 people showed up for this event. Clearly something is wrong. When Bill Ballenger was Griffin chairman, the forums drew hundreds and routinely filled the venue. A couple of the forums were even held in Plachta Auditorium because the interest was so great. The last few forums have been duds. Perhaps it’s the subject-matter and perhaps it’s general apathy. Who knows, but someone should be asking serious questions about why the Griffin forums have been such a disappointment.
Agreed! When I was at CM Life, our reporters often competed with journalists from one or two of the regional TV stations, the Midland and Mount Pleasant daily newspapers, and occasionally the Saginaw newspaper for seats to cover the Griffin forums. In my humble opinion, the topics have been dull lately. This forum should have been held back in February on the eve of the presidential primary here in Michigan. I’d be curious to know if Senator and Mrs. Griffin are still alive. They haven’t been seen in ages.
It looks as if the reporter needs to brush up on her AP stylebook. First off, “democratic” in the second paragraph should be capitalized as it is referring to the Democratic Party. In the third paragraph, both instances of “State” should be lowercase. In the fifth paragraph, “former” should precede “Sen.” Also in the fifth paragraph, “super PACs” should be changed to “so-called super political action committees.” Additionally, in the tenth paragraph, the reporter states as fact that there is an increased “bitterness between the political parties.” However, this isn’t attributed to a source. The reporter appears to have drawn a conclusion on her own that isn’t supported by factual evidence. Partisanship has always been present. It’s a myth to claim that it’s new and that before the political parties got along and everything was hunky-dory.
Why only 50 people?
Look at the credibility of these political events when they usually stack them with nearly all liberals. Why waste the time to show up and watch it.
People are interested. I didn’t vote for Ron Paul, but look at the turnout.
The Griffin Forum, under Bill Ballenger, was awesome. Now, it’s a joke. Two back-to-back liberals, Peters and Granholm’s assistant.
Look at all the Hyphenated-American multicultural events. Always liberals.
I agree with one other person. I would have offered this event right before the primary.
Had they had this right before the primary, it would have been really impressive. You probably could have gotten some big names in here. Maybe, a Hannity vs. a liberal mainstream media person.
I wouldn’t waste my time showing up for a CMU-controlled political event.
And now they are giving our Tutition dollars for Obama hack Kal Penn to speak Thursday as part of some multicultural nonsense. The guy is a partisan who is using this event to campaign for Obama. Plus, he is a rich one percenter; he hardly needs our student dollars.
Just to clarify a couple of things about the Forums and their location. CHSBS funded the renovation of the Powers Ballroom and has first preference in scheduling this room. First, CHSBS wants to highlight the renovated room. Second, it is a lot easier to schedule it than Plachta or the UC auditoriums. Historically, we have held two Griffin Forums annually. One each during the fall and spring semesters.
Regarding the notion that liberals do not draw attendance, I suppose that is why Jane Goodall attracted “only” 5,000 people!! Or Jesse Jackson attracted standing room only at the Rose Arena, etc…Attendance is a function of topic and personality. Ron Paul attracted a standing room only crowd to Plachta, and there are other conservatives who would do the same. Again, nothing to do with ideology simply name recognition & topic!!
Someone suggested that the forum should have been before the primary. Most, if not all, of the Griffin Forums in the spring have been held in late March or early April (after spring break). Michigan this year decided to hold its primary (against the RNC rules) in February; there was no way of holding the forum before the primary!
There have been large and small crowds with every holder of the Griffin chair. Some of the largest attendance occurred when Gary Peters was the chair! And Ballenger presided over big ones as well. Nothing to do with ideology or partisanship; everything to do with day of the week, topic, personalities on the panel, etc….We in PSC are happy that 50 students, faculty, staff and community folks were able to enjoy a lively, but civil (and bipartisan) discussion of some of the issues in this year’s election.
Orlando, your spin is all fog!
First, successful organizations think “outside the box.” With all the Republican candidates and the media in-state, you should have moved the spring Griffin Forum to before the primary. Perhaps, since CMU employees are primarily unionized Democrats, perhaps there was little interest. Of course, your Griffin Chair lady is a Granholm Democrat.
You could have attracted the big names. Once the election was over, interest in the presidential election has dwindled next to nothing. No one cares! It will re-heat up in October. If I were in your position or the Griffin Chair, I would have gotten some of the presidential candidates and media and their supporters on stage and have a tremendous debate/discussion that would have attracted not only the Michigan media, but the national media. But, that’s me. I think 50 people showing up is unacceptable. You’ve got 20,000 people on campus and another 15,000 or so in the community. Orlando, I think big!
What’s surprising is your department nor the Griffin Lady nor CMU faculty/staff had anything to do with Ron Paul and the turnout was phenomenal.
Now, your second paragraph. Orlando, if you go back into the archives of CM LIFE and look at the last 10 years, the speakers for MLK, Black History Month, Hispanic Month, Women’s Month, Gay Month, Asian Month, whatever the Hyphenated-American Month, it’s always Liberal Democrats or radical socialists.We’re owed about 30 or 40 conservative Republicans. And, that doesn’t include the $37,000 CMU paid to Michael Moore for his John F. Kerry 2004 pep rally against President George Walker Bush. I’ve talked with your professors who you’ve had on your Speak Up, Speak Out or whatever you call it. You have liberals who have to imitate the Republicans. I’m sure college faculty is like Hollywood—conservatives have to stay in the closet for fear of their job.
CMU faculty and the Diversity Dept. do not believe in diversity of opinion. It’s always the radical liberal Democratic Party agenda. Obama, Kwame Kilpatrick, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Ward Churchill and the likes come to campus.
Just curious, why does the faculty and the departments and the Diversity/Multicultural Departments do this? Are you afraid bringing in top name actors, singers, business leaders, church leaders, civil rights leaders who are conservative…..might upset the liberal thought of your departments. That the students will decide that when Liberals have raised the debt to $16 trillion, Liberals have skyrocketed college tuition, Liberals preach quotas and affirmative action, etc., that the students might bolt the liberal philosophy?
Orlando, one question on the latest speaker-Penn. When student loans are running the highest debt ever, when Michigan families struggle, when we need more police officers on the beat, do you think Kal Penn should have flown first-class?????? It would have been much cheaper to fly coach!!!!
Do CMU administrators fly first-class?? CMU athletic coaches??? CMU tenured, unionized faculty????
One last comment: Jane Goodall’s attendance. When you look at the number, exactly how many students attended? 2,000, 3,000, 4,000? Let’s say 4,000….that’s what only 20-25 percent of the students. That’s not saying much for $60,000.
If you would have brought in one of the American Idol panelists and had free admission, you probably would have had 10,000 students there.
50 for Griffin. I think the students are smart to know it’s a waste of time, just like the Speak Up nonsense since it’s going to be a left-wing dominated session.
It’s a sad commentary about a great man like Bob Griffin. By the way, the last two Griffin chairs now have been liberal Democrats, how about a conservative Republican next year. Somebody like retired State Senator Cropsey?