Key challenge facing Flint mayor in run for governor

Flint Mayor Don Williamson declared that he will be running for governor, but unlike almost every other candidate, he'll face a key sticking point of opposition - he's from Flint.

Now, for purposes of this argument, I'm setting aside all of the other challenges he'll have - like past scandals, a felony record and convincing younger voters he's up for the task despite his age (mid-70s).

Simply put, one of the first places people look to judge how good they think you'll be at a new job is what your old job is and how you did there.

And Williamson is the mayor of the city that's the punchline in every "how bad can it get?" joke in this state. Think about it, how many times have you ever heard "We're in bad shape, but at least we're not Flint!"

His other potential challengers on the Democratic side of the aisle won't have that problem, or rather have convenient ready-made excuses. For example:

• Lt. Gov. John Cherry - Not the state's chief executive. Plus, Michigan's woes didn't stick to Gov. Jennifer Granholm in 2006, so one would think he's in even better position to slide.
• Former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer - All of a sudden people think Archer is one of the best things that ever happened to Detroit. That wasn't the thought when he left, but it's amazing what time and being compared to Kwame Kilpatrick can do for one's image.
• Bart Stupak - U.S. Representative from the U.P. Not much to say here.

But the really tough fight, should Williamson make it that far, will be in the general election. Consider:

• Terri Lynn Land - All but the most partisan concede she's improved the Secretary of State's office.
• Mike Cox - Attorney General. Some minor things here and there, but has shown some improvements over Granholm, his predecessor as AG, particularly in terms of settlements and judgements in the state's favor.
• Dick DeVos - Successful business icon. Granted, the business is Amway, but would you rather have the CEO of Amway or the Mayor of Flint as your governor? Actually, let's move on from that point.
• Candice Miller - U.S. Representative from Macomb County, formerly Secretary of State.
• Wayne Kuipers - State senator from the Holland area. Again, not much here.

So a quick comparison shows that "Mayor of Flint" is a worse tag line than each of the other Democrats whose names have been often bandied about, and is much worse than four of the five potential GOP candidates - and the fifth is debatable.

The first thing Williamson's got to do is figure out how to tell people how he's not responsible for the Flint we all remember from "Roger and Me". The good news is he has about a year and a half to do that. The bad news is that there are several other skeletons in his closet.

Comments

[rukidding]

Two years from now I will care more about this topic. Maybe 2010 will be the right time for this state to consider a viable third party candidate. Heaven knows the two major parties only care about themselves and not the citizens of the state.

Otherwise, there are more pressing and timely issues to be posting.

[KG-1]

Agreed.

Maybe in two years the MSM will finally take their blinders off, and come to the realization that there are more then two political parties.

Or, they can continue as they have in the past with their head firmly implanted in their anal database...

[KG-1]

Agreed.

Maybe in two years the MSM will finally take their blinders off, and come to the realization that there are more than two political parties.

Or, they can continue as they have in the past with their head firmly implanted in their anal database...

[Bob]

KG-1:
There are not more than two real political parties. If your flavor of the month wants to be considered a real party:

A. Read up on a thing called Duverger's Law. Plurality-win-all districts with single members will always favor the formation of two parties.

B. Start at a local level with city councils or drain commissioners and work your way up. Nobody will ever vote for a Green or Libertarian for Governor, but if you can meet everyone in a small race, you can get elected on the strength of candidacy instead of party. That leads to greater offices, such as Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

[Populista]

The only reason we have only 2 parties is because that way the corporations can be assured that everyone has been bought and paid for to do their bidding. Don't believe anyone who says a third party (or more) isn't viable. Don't be a corporate shill.

[Bob]

The day I work for a corporation is the day the world ends, Sparky. It's basic political science - if a big third party started to get traction, one of the other parties will co-opt it by swiping its platform and stealing the base.

[Don Tomaso]

Bob, haven't they kicked you off welfare yet and taken your DSL?