When candidates, campaign managers and political consultants say their prayers at night they most likely ask that Michigan voters continue to be ignorant. That’s because an illinformed citizen is easy to exploit for political gain. Or to put it another way, it is infinitely easier to pull the wool over the eyes of a voter who is too lazy to do their homework on a candidate for this office or that.
The most glaring example goes back to the reign of House Speaker Newt Gingrich in Congress. He created the now infamous Contract with America aimed at over hauling the U.S. government including making some changes to the Social Security system...the third rail of politics that sends senior citizens for a double dose of their pain pills.
While the Newtser was doing that back in D.C., Michigan Democrats were busy back here exploiting the ignorance of voters.
Here was the scheme that the D’s used against GOP candidates running for the Michigan House.
They would run commercials with a mug shot of the candidate next to an unflattering picture of the Speaker while the announcer warned voters that, “Newt Gingrich wants to take away your social security and fellow Republican (insert name here depending on the district) is running for the Michigan House. Don’t let him win.”
Is the statement true? Ironclad. Is the statement misleading? You bet. Did uninformed voters fall for it.
Of course. Any savvy citizen would have known that the state legislature does not operate the Social Security system and so despite the attempt to link the local candidate to this national issue, whether you voted for him or her would have zippo impact on what Mr. Speaker was doing.
Which brings us to the current race for control of the Michigan House next November.
Democratic House Speaker Rep. Joe Tate is lazier focused on keeping control and when askedtheotherdayif President Joe Biden’s policy to get more Electric Vehicles on the road might hurt his chances of keeping that control, he was very supportive of the president in general and on the EV issue, he said it would not be a detriment.
He forcefully explains it was not going to make any different because the Democrats were going to run on state issues that impact voters back home. They would present the list of Democratic accomplishments from tax cuts to gun safety measures, and according to his game plan, the voters will reward the D’s with their votes and continued control.
Not so fast, warns veteran and affable Michigan political consultant Adrian Hemond who use to work on the House Democratic staff.
Speaker Tate’s premise is voters know their local lawmaker and have paid attention to what he or she have been passing in Lansing.
Mr. Hemond believes “the majority (back home) don’t know who your representative is and Joe Biden is the Democratic chief this year. They need him to do better.”
Furtherheargues, ourpolitics has become so nationalize, that locals are only paying attention to the national dialogue and the accomplishments of Michigan House Democrats are not part of that nationwide conversation. Hence one could say, the Speaker’s plan may be a walk through the political graveyard with a tombstone that reads “Here Lies Democratic House Control 2024.”
Mr. Hemond concludes that if by November President Biden is losing to Donald Trump, the D’s running for the house down the ballot could lose votes and the Republicans will have a “slight” shot at taking back control.
Which means we now have competing prayers going up to heaven. R’s want voter ignorance and the D’s want electorate enlightenment.
Any betting money on whose prayers will be answered?
