I'm not sure today whether I'm feeling a little blue or just flushed - a little rosy.
No, I'm not feeling under the weather with a touch of a "bug," but rather like you, just happen to live in a swing state in this year's presidential election and we can't figure out yet whether we should be blue or red. It looks like you and I are going to play a very important role in November in determining who the next president of the United States will be.
Years of having lived in a traditional "blue" state (the last four presidential elections went Democratic) are but ancient history these days. Come November Michigan might indeed remain "blue" when all the votes are tabulated but right now a number of items have positioned our state into the swing or undecided ranks.
First, we can thank our state legislators for this new position of power we the electorate hold. Their indecision last year in providing a state budget resulted in a huge wave of voter distrust and anger in Michigan. The fact that this occurred under the watch of a Democrat governor was the first erosion of blue's grip on the state.
The second also deals with the governor, but perhaps unfairly. Despite Jennifer Granholm's personal popularity, she came to office in the absolute worst time for the state. While much of the economic woes during her tenure were inherited and would have occurred anyway, it doesn't matter. Voters only know first, they're darn lucky if they have a job and second, their take-home pay today pales in comparison to what it was years ago. Again, it erodes the Democratic blue.
Third, blame it on Kwame Kilpatrick. The former mayor of Detroit did not help his Democrat colleagues by hanging onto his position for so long. Obama was hesitant to campaign in Detroit as long as Kwame was in office. Obama needs every vote out of that traditional Democratic stronghold that he can get. Interestingly, polling this week by Associated Press showed McCain with an 18-point lead in suburban Detroit, which four years ago split evenly between President George Bush and John Kerry.
Fourth, blame it again on Michigan political powers who jockeyed for better position in this year's presidential primaries by moving up the state's date. This ended in both national parties penalizing the state. On the Democratic side, most candidates avoided Michigan during the primary season to honor the national party's position. The GOP national party was more forgiving, and McCain campaigned here without fear of offending leadership. Certainly the extra exposure from those appearances has not hurt McCain in the state.
Finally, McCain always has seemed to have a special place with Michigan voters, at least GOP faithful and Reagan Democrats. Eight years ago McCain won the primary battle over George W. Bush. McCain's story seems to resonate with state voters - as even the state's favorite son Mitt Romney found out earlier this year.
All the above play a part in why Michigan voters still are undecided and why both presidential candidates are in the state almost every week now.
"Michigan is increasingly viewed as one of a handful of states that the election will turn on, so both candidates are now spending more on ads there," according to the Rasmussen Report Friday. "It was one of the first states McCain visited with his new running mate Sarah Palin following last week's Republican National Convention."
Likewise Obama has been in and out of the state repeatedly since the Democratic National Convention ended.
The swing states are essential to victory obviously and with presidential polls as close as they are right now, neither side has a clear advantage. Look to the presidential and vice presidential debates to be the next important opinion pendulums in public polling.
Along those lines, I found it interesting Democratic Vice Presidential Candidate Joe Biden chose Granholm to be the stand-in for Sarah Palin, his GOP counterpart. Granholm will play the role of Palin in preparation for the Oct. 2 debate and I expect she will do a very good role in prepping him.
The choice I found even more intriguing after reading Tim Skubick's comparison of Palin and Granholm in Friday's newspaper. Skubick's insights I believe are interesting - especially when you consider that column was penned before Biden's announcement.
I'm enjoying this new position of power. Are you?