Michigan Liberal: "The elephant in the room: Jennifer Granholm"

Very interesting.

http://www.michiganliberal.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=13958

The elephant in the room: Jennifer Granholm
by: Eric B.
Sat Nov 08, 2008 at 14:22:18 PM EST

There was, you know, just a little speculation that Jennifer Granholm's early endorsement of Hillary Clinton was an attempt to get on the "inevitable" bandwagon while the getting on was still good, in hopes of securing a job in what would have been a second Clinton administration. After Clinton lost, Granholm got a gig playing Sarah Palin in debate preparation for Joe Biden, and since Wednesday been seen basically everywhere Obama has been.

I, for one, am incredibly overjoyed at the tone Obama has taken towards the auto industry since he won. Yesterday, he called it the backbone of American manufacturing and something that is indispensible. In addition to other things, perhaps this means that Obama thinks that an economy ought to be founded on making things, rather than just pushing around intangible numbers representing cloth-like pieces of currency that themselves are backed by nothing but the good name of the U.S. of A.

You could take that as nothing more than post-election rhetoric, except for the fact that both Granholm and Dave Bonior are on Obama's economic advisory team, and that Granholm was basically on every television show short of House and Spongebob Squarepants yesterday.

What does this mean for Granholm? There's speculation that she's headed to Washington. Her name was previously tossed around as Supreme Court justice, and now there's speculation of something more prominent. Bill Ballenger, however, thinks that she won't.

more...

I hope she stays and finishes her term. Ron Dzwonkowski also wrote an interesting article in the Free Press and basically said he doesn't think she'll leave, even if she gets an offer. I hope he's correct. I believe Granholm has been a very good Governor and I'm proud she's my Governor. If she was to stay until 2010, I think she could see our economy finally turn the corner. I want her to be here to see her work validated. A lot of what she's done will make our state a better place once we pass these bad economic times.

Additionally, I'm not sure I want John Cherry to be the Democratic nominee in 2010. I think, of the known options, I prefer Dennis Archer. Not that there's something I dislike about Cherry...I'm just not sure he's the best to take on the Republicans.

Granholm could still do a lot for the Obama administration, even if she stays as Governor. The US auto industry still has an important role in the US economy (despite what many on DU think). Granholm and Obama could work closely together to develop a plan to save the US auto makers. If Granholm does decide to leave, I will wish her well.

She has been great, but I hate to think of her turning down a cabinet post, auto czar, or Supreme Court justice to finish out a term where she probably starts lame duck status in about 12 months, anyway. She's talented and can do Michigan and the nation good in the Obama administration.

Cherry is a retread and a poor choice for 2010, IMO. Archer is interesting. I also read George Perles is considering a run as a Democrat.

for MI in the Obama administration too. The only thing is I can already hear the GOP (Nolan Finley, L. Brooks Paterson, etc) now saying, "At least an Obama win got Granholm out of Michigan." That's part of why I want her to stay and see her work validated.

I don't see her getting a Supreme Court offer though. While I think she could do the job, the fact that she's never been a judge will hurt her chances. I heard the possibility of her being Energy Secretary which I find interesting. That's one of the positions where I think she could do a lot for Michigan while also doing a lot for the country. If she does get an offer from Obama, she should take it. It would likely be in her best interest and maybe in the best interest of Michigan too.

If times weren't so desperate in the state, she might go. But I don't think she's inclined to leave while all the crap is going on.

Good piece by him, thanks for posting.

Julie

How are things going?

:hi:

I'm newly arrived back in MI. Seems my ex isn't particularly adept at the whole "parenting" thing and I listened with horror to reports of my formerly 4.0 honor student getting increasingly poor grades. A few other things seemed to be slipping too so I came back to whip things into shape. Montana was fabulous! Very beautiful and lots of fun, can always head back at a later date.

Anyhoo, now that I'm back we should make some plans for a future meeting. :toast: I hope it's all good in your world my sister. I bet the recent elections gave you a boost in spirit after a difficult year. Same here. Ain't it grand? ;-)

Cheers,
Julie

Too bad you weren't here at convention time, so we missed the opportunity to meet. Hopefully next time. If you're ever going to be in this part of the state, let me know.

I'm doing okay, but kind of sad my mom wasn't around to see this happen.

:hug:

since clearly our influence is not what it used to be in Congress.