Michigan to Romney: Go Away-And Take Your Knives With You

[kpete]

Michigan to Romney: Go away
He greeted us like family when he needed our votes,
but when he left town he treated us like strangers.
By LZ Granderson, CNN Contributor
updated 8:35 AM EST, Tue February 14, 2012

Grand Rapids, Michigan (CNN) -- One very clear reason why Mitt Romney is far from a lock to win the Michigan primary, despite his ties to the state, is that he's not really tied to the state.

He was born here, he lived here. But he's not family. Not anymore.

.....................

He knows as the auto industry goes, so goes the state. He also knows we remember he said the country should let the auto industry hit rock bottom. Had Romney said that to our faces when he was campaigning here four years ago, we could at least respect what he has to say about the auto industry and the state of the economy today.

But it's going to be tough to sit and listen to Romney, knowing he will try to say whatever he thinks we want to hear. And besides, our backs are still sore from that knife he stuck in them in 2008.

the rest:
http://www.cnn.com/2012/02/14/opinion/granderson-romney-michigan/index.html?eref=googletoolbar

[Romulox]

1. I think there is a dangerous misunderstanding here--the Western Michigan Republicans

hate Detroit, the UAW, and the auto industry as much as Bob Corker or Mitt Romney ever had time to.

Also, "Detroit" is a dog-whistle to these types. They're not always talking about cars.

[zipplewrath]

4. Bingo

The auto industry has been "collapsing" in Michigan for at least 3 decades. When you heard about auto jobs going to other countries, they were often from places in Western Michigan. In Michigan, no one said they were from "Detroit" unless they really were. Otherwise they were from "Bloomfield Hills" or "Flint" or some other place. Even in Romney's father's days the GOP didn't like much about the auto industry except for the executives who lived there. Remember Gerald Ford is from Michigan. Romney was followed by Bill Milliken, another GOP govenor. Detroit was union politics, but the rest of the state was a constant battle. Much of what people think of as Detroit, is also in Fort Wayne and Dayton, further splitting the union vote.

[Jim__]

2. I hope Granderson has it right.

It's past time that somebody held Romney to account for his lies.

[catbyte]

3. I'm going to have to stop watching local stations

for the rest of the month. I was greeted with a Mitt Romney PAC ad against Newt Gingrich at 7:00 this morning when I was checking out the weather report.

Diane
Anishinaabe in MI