The Sad State of Democracy in Michigan

Those of us who have lived through five-plus years in Michigan with Jennifer Granholm as governor have come to expect her to make calculating decisions consistent with the middle-of-the-road image she has consciously nurtured. So what possessed Granholm to issue a passionate statement last week declaring that it was "reprehensible that anyone would seek to silence" Michigan voters?

Could it be that our governor had finally abandoned her moderate, follow-the-crowd manner to become a fiery advocate of the people? Not likely. Granholm's comments and positions with regards to the botched Michigan primary have been shamelessly self-serving. It is an open secret throughout Michigan that Granholm (who will be termed out in 2010 and has no other viable office-seeking options) would love nothing more than an appointment in a Clinton administration. She has endorsed Hillary and is doing everything she can to aid her campaign.

First, Granholm urged Michigan Democrats to abandon their traditional caucus in order to hold a January primary. In part, the push for the early primary reflected a widely shared concern that the Presidential candidates address the issues of a large, industrial state in the Midwest. But the proposal grew controversial when the Democratic National Committee threatened to punish Michigan for violating the rules.

As we all know, Granholm and other state Democratic leaders went ahead with their plan, thereby jeopardizing the state's delegates. They stuck with this plan for a January primary, even when it was clear that they had played a risky game of chicken and lost. John Edwards and Barack Obama withdrew their names from the ballot, while Hillary Clinton famously declared "it's clear this election they're having isn't going to count for anything."

Of course, Granholm and others bought into the hype that Clinton was the "inevitable" nominee and would have the competition wrapped up by February 5. Thus, by their reasoning, Michigan could still help to coronate Hillary by hosting a "beauty pageant" in January, and the only risk was forgoing an anti-climactic caucus scheduled too late in the primary season to count for anything.

So our cash-strapped state, which recently balanced its budget by selling off $900 million worth of tobacco settlement money for 44 cents on the dollar, went ahead with an expensive primary that was meaningless for Democrats and half-meaningful for Republicans. Unwilling to admit their blunder, Granholm and the state party leaders continued to insist they had taken a principled stand that would serve Michigan well. Even though the Democratic candidates refused to campaign in Michigan, the governor stoutly declared that the botched primary had somehow "changed the dialogue" because it had made the economy more central to the primary debates.

There was another shameless aspect to the Michigan primary that put it in disrepute. The Democrats and the Republicans in the state legislature set up the election so that all of the personal information (name, address, party affiliation) collected at the expense of the state would be delivered to the two major parties and no one else. They went so far as to make it a crime (punishable by up to 93 days in jail) for anyone else, such as third parties or the media, to access the information. The primary was temporarily held up last fall when a circuit court declared it unconstitutional, but that decision was overruled. (For more insight, see political analyst Jack Lessenberry's columns from Detroit's MetroTimes.)

Meanwhile, Granholm and Senator Debbie Stabenow both rallied their supporters to vote for Clinton on January 15. And no doubt some Democrats enthusiastically did. But Clinton's suggestion that she "won" a legitimate election in Michigan is ludicrous, and her demand (echoed by Granholm) that the DNC seat the delegates she "won" is a perversion of democracy.

The facts speak for themselves. Fewer than 600,000 voted in the Michigan Democratic primary. (By comparison, John Kerry carried the state with nearly 2.5 million votes in the 2004 general election.) Thus, in this blue state, Republican voter turnout outpaced that of the Democrats by nearly 50 percent. Indeed, Clinton with her major foe being "uncommitted" got fewer votes than Mitt Romney, who squared off against multiple contenders. Since enthusiasm is much higher in Michigan on the Democratic side (as it is across the nation), the obvious reason why as many as one million Democrats stayed home is that they were told their primary didn't count for anything.

We desperately need a fair and democratic solution to this mess that we are now in. But it won't be easy to resolve, as both campaigns are angling for every possible delegate advantage and no one is volunteering to pay for a "do-over" (James Carville's offer to solicit his wealthy friends notwithstanding). What is clear is that Governor Granholm's latest grandstanding won't help the situation. If she really cared about Michigan voters being disenfranchised, she would have acted to stop this fiasco rather than egging it on.

Instead, she has now joined forces with Florida's Republican governor, who would love nothing more than to see the Democrats bruise each other and demoralize voters all the way through a brokered convention. Granholm is no more a neutral arbiter in 2008 than Florida secretary of state/Bush campaign co-chair, Kathleen Harris, was when she certified the results in 2000.

The not-so-big news out of Michigan is that Jennifer Granholm has finally found something worth fighting for: Jennifer Granholm.

Scott Kurashige is the author of The Shifting Grounds of Race: Black and Japanese Americans in the Making of Multiethnic Los Angeles (Princeton University Press). He is an associate professor of History, American Culture, and Asian/Pacific Islander American Studies at the University of Michigan.

Comments

[davg]

Granholm and Crist disenfranchised the voters of MI and FL by gambling their right to vote away. They shouldn't have even been permitted to do this. Some judicial entity should have stepped in and ruled it unconstitutional. But they didn't. And now, by all rights, the game should be played out with the 48 states that played by the rules. I feel bad for the citizens of FL/MI, but you have to live by the actions of the officials you elect to represent you . And I'm afraid that's Granholm and Crist.

But that's not how it'l lplay out...

The Clintons are playing this in true Clinton fashion. They are playing the "disenfranchised" card when in fact, the people of MI/FL are really no different than the millions of registerd voters in the other 48 states who didn't show up to vote on the day they were supposed to. The notion that the democrats simply couldn't choose a nominee without hearing from MI/FL is as baseless as saying that they would also have to hear from all democrats who failed to vote.

The blatent fact is that a redo can only benefit Hillary at this point, but that's not how it's being posed. The Clintons have shoved Obama between a rock and hard place. When asked, of course he has to say that he wants to hear from MI/FL/ What else can he say? Can you just imagine the field day the Clintons would have with him if he objected to a redo? The drum beat for a redo will sound louder and louder as the Clintons feed the frenzie with more PR (or should I say BS).

The other claim is that the democrats need FL/MI in the fall, so they have to do a redo. Bull! I know that if I was a citizen of FL or MI, I would be pissed at the idoits who gambled away my right to vote, not the candidates who are running. In fact, if the governor was running for re-electoin on November 7th, I'd be sure to show up at th epolls to vote them out, and BTW, vote for a presidential candidate while I;m there. Howard Dean showed spine to strip MI/FL of their delegates. But now he's lost all that spine and is going to cave. What is the effect of this?

Other states will be encouraged to break the rules next year and vote whenever they please. Why not? the worst that'll happen is that they'll let you vote again at a later time. What else... if there's a redo and Clinton gets nominated, all of those independent votes that went to Obama all season will go to their 2nd choice, John McCain. The republicans will hoist this thing up on a high pole as proof that the Clintons will do anything, even force play outside the rules, in order to win. And they'd be right. Many Obama supporters will stay home out of disgust and outrage. BUT, Hillary will get the nomination. Would she win in the general? Well, John McCain, if you think Karl Rove didn't play fair in 2000, you ain't seen nothin yet!

[thenance]

Granholm knows her political days are numbered. Hillary is her last hope. She is taking down the great state of Michigan with her.

[poppaculture]

Mr. Kurashige and Giglawyer are correct. -- -- It is appalling that Democratic "leaders" in Michigan challenged the Democratic party and forced their vanity. THEY disenfranchised the voters of Michigan, THEY are culpable. -- ---
Thank you for this posting,

[sed68]

100% right. Thanks so much for this post - we all know Senator Clinton's behavior is revolting, now it's time to call out every crony who bolsters her campaign and its ridiculous claims. What can we who live out of state do help?

[dadw5boys]

Democrate party has been inflitrated by Rpublcains .

[MrDeadeye2U]

Hillary is promising more of the same Bush/Rove style of Politics, but then again the Clintons wrote the book on vilifying your opponents and paying back your supporters with lucrative appointments, contracts, and then of course you"re going to need the pardons.

With every instance of another disingenuous Clintonista engaging in a Whirling Dervish Spin Cycle, I find myself reliving that feeling of indignation and rage I felt when seeing Bush acolytes postulating yet another incredulous construction requiring a fanatical suspension of disbelief.

I remember cringing when Dana Perino took the lectern to justify Bush statements about the Iran NIE, and poor Ari Fleischer standing there telling us that the White House had nothing whatsoever to do with the CIA leak case, and their later reconstructions that stretch reason beyond the breaking point. Does anybody buy this stuff?

The Bushies & Clintonistas must think the American People are Idiots. After 2000 and 2004, this election may finally seal the deal, they maybe right.

Clinton is Bush in "08

[Key]

You speak the truth, Scott. Michigan was nothing more than an afterthought to Senator Clinton until our delegates became essential to her survival -I've yet to see her or any of her minions campaign here. And Granholm is no less self-serving than her predecessor, John Engler, in trying to deliver the 2000 Michigan primary to GWB.

Unfortunately Mitt's success in the state could just as well have been due to an e-mail campaign designed to screw with the Republicans. Shortly before the primary election I received an e-mail from a group known as "democrats.com" telling me that since my vote wouldn't count that I should vote for Romney to futher confuse the Republican contest. The idea originated with Markos Moulitsas' Daily Kos. Who's party is confused now?

[efranklin]

Can Clinton really look squarely into the camera and say that she both cares about following the predetermined rules that she agreed to, and the will of Michigan voters; while refusing to do a Michigan caucus? Isn't that just an admission that she will only redo the election if it works in every possible way to her advantage? It's bald-faced crookedness. I'm disappointed. The Clintons are usually much more subtly evil in their tactics.

[Purple Girl]

This Dem Michigander is in the Choir with Ya!
As a life long Dem - and lived most my life in this state (- 87 to 94), I have never been so disgusted with our State and Federal 'leaders' . Hell haveth no fury like this old Dem! My focus and blame lies squarely on the Dems. The Repubs of this state have always been a known 'quanitity', but such betrayal by our own party is revolting, and revealing!
Please do not fail to Rebuke Brewster, or point a finger at Levin (committe buddies- just as guilty of Dereliction of Duty as Hill !)
I am 'confused' though why I keep hearing MI Caucuses- I've consistently voted on all levels and have NEVER Caucused.
In addition to the claim MI Primary would not count was the continual statement of "Clinton's the only name on the Dem Ballot' not even bothering with th eclarifying "Top Tier'. Come on Hillary took this State by 55% - Our metro cities, our Unions, our redneck ways ( Mi can be a bit sexist & racist- truth hurts). They intentionally deceived the Votes.
tehn add that great trick of only scrambling the Dem Ticket. Funny the Repubs ballot was in Alphabetical order, but my Districts Dem Ballot listed Kucinich first then Clinton, the Dodd, then Gravel then Uncommitted. I have not met any other Dems who had anything but Kucinich & clintons names switched. Consider the Pre Programming of the SCAM Trons that were used - and Hillary even gets votes intended for Kucinich- I saw his Rallies, at Churches & Universities (certainly they were not all the same people- far more than indicated on the results- same for Ron Paul Too)
Jen does NOT get a Pass on this F*ck Up. No matter 'Words' from her latest State of the State. Jen your actions have proven your words irrelevant. This Ol Dem is, not only , out to Boot many of those who have camoflagued themselves in Blue, But also See the Stand Trial for the Treacherous antics they have played ... Over the last 35 yrs, on our State and on Our Country.
Jen, Carl,Deb,.... Your WORDS have fallen on Deaf Ears!

[Ozarks]

Jennifer Granholm as governor stated..... "reprehensible that anyone would seek to silence" Michigan voters? She is the one that decided to hold early primary over objections of the DNC. She silenced Michigan voters. Her super delegate vote (if she has one), like Joe Liberman's should be yanked. She is so obviously partial to Hillary, the Monster, that she should take the same bus as Hillary when Hillary's nomination goes into the toilet . Just like Hillary, We won't remember Jennifer after one sunset.

[PKSSK]

This governor is so like the person she supports. This is all about her own personal goal to achieve more power based on behind closed door poltics of promises. She will do anything to get there, even if it means breaking the rules and destroying and dividing her state and the democratic party all to get her candidate elected.

She better work hard to destroy the party and break the rules because that is the only way her candidate will win and the only way she, herself, will maintain power, because when the citizens of Michigan realize why she has no choice, but to support her candidate they will never vote for her again.

[smzzzz]

"Clinton's suggestion that she "won" a legitimate election in Michigan is ludicrous, and her demand (echoed by Granholm) that the DNC seat the delegates she "won" is a perversion of democracy."
OK, what part of "perversion of democracy" do Clinton supporters not get? Or have they become as unethical as their candidate in following the win-at-any-cost strategy that many (justly) decried when it was applied in 2000 and 2004 by the Republicans?

[suekzoo]

!!!!!!!!!ATTENTION MICHIGAN VOTERS!!!!!!

Contact the Carter Center and request their involvement in negotiating with all the parties involved in our fiasco, and oversight of any re-vote. Sadly, I do not believe we can trust our state leadership to handle this with the best intentions of Michigan voters as their central focus. It is patently obvious that there is a lot of bias on the part of our Governor, Senators and State Party officials. We need a neutral third party to advocate to insure our rights and that any re-vote is fair and equitable to all candidates.

Please send an email today: http://www.cartercenter.org/about/contact.html

[brokermatt]

Okay i have a read a couple of these posts and let me just say the following as a Michigan resident.

One Granholm is a joke, she can cry about the republicans being in control of the state, but isnt it her job to work around those partisan issues? She has done zip, zero, zilch since he has been our governor, plain and simple. She puts her friends and relatives in postions they know nothing about (reminds me of GWB), and for the last 8 years has been blaming the previous admininstration for the states woes. Some one please try to dispute that!

Two, the mayor of Detroit, not only should he be in jail for lying under oath, but he should have resigned a month ago, yet he says "God put my in power and only he will tell me when to leave" The people in the city of Detroit that voted for this crook and continue to support him now in my estimations deserve everything they get from this guy. He cost the city 9 million of tax payers money just because some cops found out he was cheating on his wife with his chief of staff and where going to look into the matter, but he had to put a stop to that, so hey lets just fire em.

The whole state is in shambles. The ecomony has been ruined for the better part of the decade (which im sure if i dared to look and research hard enough could be tied directly to jobs being lost to Mexico and other parts of the world as part of NAFTA).

So while i can understand the want and need of having Michigan delegates being counted and heard (dont know if this would still apply or not but Michigan used to be a pretty big player in the making and manufactoring of good for this country), the people of Michigan have no-one else to blame but themselves. As they are ones who keep electing these complete and total incompetents to run our State.

I wont lie i skipped out on our primary back in Jan. as Hillary was the only on the ballot and the DNC had already said it wouldnt count the results i thought hey why i am i even going to vote. If they do decide to let us vote again, you can bet i would.

But with the thought that if Clinton wins the nomination she would take our lame governor with her for some sort of appointment, i would consider voting for Nadar before casting a vote for Hillary.

Go Barack!

[rkrenke]

brokermatt, you are absolutely right. As a Michigan Democrat, I accept responsibility for Granholm and Stabenow (can't do anything about Kwame because I'm not a Detroit resident).

However, I did not vote for Stabenow in the last election because of her support of the MCA and bankruptcy bill - I voted Green. I did vote for Granholm because Dick DeVos was just too scary to let into office.

Elected Democrats are under the impression that we have no where else to go, and for the most part they're right. Until Michigan Democrats start to pay attention to how Debbie Stabenow and our other elected officials consistently vote against our best interests, we will continue to have exactly what we vote for.

Also, without a doubt, NAFTA has greatly contributed to the State's economic problems, along with the arrogance of auto industry execs. Executives continue to receive their big bonuses and buyouts while American workers lose more wages and benefits.

Democrats need to wake and realize that what we have been voting into office over the past several years have not been Democrats, but simply Republican lites.

It is time to wrest the Democratic Party from individuals who care only about their best interests by supporting and financing strong primary candidates. There are a lot of qualified Democrats in Michigan who can better serve the needs of Michigan residents.

[rkrenke]

This post is right on the mark. Jennifer Granholm, Debbie Stabenow, and the Clintons are cut from the same cloth " they all believe that you have to appease Republicans to win elections.

I have lived in Michigan my whole life and I am not buying that Granholm has been ineffective because she"s had to fight a Republican legislature throughout both of her terms " the MI House went Democratic in the last election. She has been ineffective because she has not taken the time to educate and inform Michigan citizens about the real ramifications of Republican policies.

Granholm, Stabenow, Debbie Dingell, and Carl Levin are responsible for this mess. This group of "Party leaders" needs to stop assuming that Michigan voters are too stupid to realize how their antics and machinations disenfranchised millions of Michigan voters.

True Democrats need to stand up, denounce their behavior, and demand that they rectify the mess they created " even if the cost has to come from their own coffers. Enough already!