LA Times: Politically, Michigan is in the Swing

[CMT]

One year from today, Americans will go to the polls to decide whether President Bush gets a second term. If the election is close, as both sides expect, the reason may be people like Steven Freers.

The burly 54-year old attorney is a Republican who has long seen Democrats as "the party of government giveaways." But right now, he is lukewarm towards Bush and open to voting for one of his Democratic rivals--even though they are largely a mystery right to him at this point.

Freers worries about the situation in Iraq. He also frets about the economy--never mind the robust numbers now coming out of Washington--as bills pile up from his delinquent clients...

Since 2000, Michigan has lost 300,000 jobs, including 168,000 in manufacturing, every five factory positions. The auto industry, still Michigan's main economic continues to lose ground to foreign competition...

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-michigan2nov02,1,4222254.story