COLUMN: Could the 2012 election bring us President Snyder?
The political landscapes in the 2008 and 2010 elections were night and day — one obviously proved to be a winner for Democrats, the other for Republicans.
We have two years to figure out who will win that cold November night in 2012, but one party does not even have a viable candidate ... yet. To find their best bet, they may end up looking directly at the state of Michigan.
Consider Republicans’ top four names at the moment: Sarah Palin, Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee and Newt Gingrich. Not one of them could make it past the primary without making it a 1996 Clinton/Dole-style repeat for Barack Obama.
Palin is tabloid trouble — polarizing except to the people who really love her. Also, she quit her job as governor to write a book and get a reality show. I see that coming back to haunt her.
Romney is out because he lost to John McCain two years ago. When McCain was all but written off as a Republican presidential candidate by the time primary season picked up in 2008. Romney was assured to win the GOP nomination that year, and if he couldn’t wrap it up then, why would he be able to now?
Huckabee is likable, but leans way too far to the right. I think his disbelief of evolution and other conservative stances will scare away the moderates in the Republican party.
And Gingrich? Even his own party kind of hates him. He was Dick Cheney before Dick Cheney was Dick Cheney.
The Republicans do have one secret weapon, one yet-to-be-named person who could give them an advantage. Michigan’s governor-elect, Rick Snyder.
Snyder came out of nowhere with his Super Bowl advertisement this February. He quietly, steadfastly ran a campaign, cool to the touch, without faltering. He created his own direction as a candidate — he ran as he wanted to.
He didn’t respond to critics directly and barely engaged in conversation with his Democratic opponent, save for a campaign event Virg Bernero crashed and the lukewarm gubernatorial debate.
While the Democrats may ridicule his amateur status; the first political office he has been elected to is that of governor. If he runs for president, he will have only served in that office for a year by the time his presidential campaign will begin — but Democrats’ own candidate was relatively inexperienced when he first ran for president in 2008.
Snyder works as a presidential candidate even though he is a political amateur for many reasons.
His moderate Republican views encouraged the Democrat crossover. His biggest strength that allowed him to win the nomination and ultimately the governor’s office was his practicality.
Snyder seems to be a fair man and short on bias, and his business sense will bode well for him as the governor.
Snyder won this race because he focused on what matters: the economy. He refused to get distracted by social issues.
The GOP cannot afford to nominate a cartoon character, which is frankly what the rest of their pool represents.
