^^^^^ CB: Gee, I wonder why he doesn't like Obama at all but supports a liberal policy (smile)
We see that cash-strapped Michigan voters are confused, too.
^^^^^^^^
Poll: Cash-strapped voters look to Snyder Sunday, September 19, 2010 5:58 AM
http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewnewspaged/articleid/4514951/pageid/1
(Source: Detroit Free Press)trackingBy Dawson Bell, Detroit Free Press
Sept. 19--Michigan voters, especially those in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties, are suffering serious economic distress in the form of lost pay, jobs and housing value, a Free Press-WXYZ-TV poll shows.
And now, they're leaning toward Republican Rick Snyder in the race for governor rather than Democrat Virg Bernero, with his message as an economic populist.
In the poll, those who said their household income declined over the last year supported Snyder by nearly 3-1, 60%-22%. They represented 41% of the 600 likely voters questioned in the poll, conducted Sept. 11-12.
Those with a family member who lost a job were similarly favoring Snyder, an Ann Arbor businessman.
Bernero, the Lansing mayor, fared better with other slices of the economically stressed demographic: He's not as far behind among those in foreclosure or paying on underwater mortgages, the poll showed.
But with so many people in Michigan hurting financially, Bernero must get lots of them behind him to mount a comeback.
"If Virg is going to win, those voters are going to have to be in his column ... by 10 or 15 points," said Joe DiSano, a Democratic political consultant based in Lansing.
Financial troubles rule, poll shows
Economic insecurity is a fact of life in contemporary Michigan.
In a Sept. 11-12 poll of state voters conducted for the Free Press and WXYZ-TV (Channel 7), 41% said they lived in a household where income was down in the last year; 42% lost a job or had a family member who did, and 36% of homeowners said they are upside down -- they owe more on their mortgages than the house would sell for.
In metro Detroit, the numbers are even starker: 43% of homeowners in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties said they're underwater.
In Wayne County, the number was a stunning 57%.
Little wonder concern about jobs and the economy was the top issue for a majority of voters. What they are going to do about it, however, is less clear.
For the moment, Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Snyder appears to be the preferred choice of economically stricken residents, enjoying a nearly 3-1 advantage among voters experiencing income or job loss.
But Snyder shouldn't necessarily think it's anything he or his Democratic opponent, Virg Bernero, can take credit for, said Bernie Porn, who directed the poll for EPIC/MRA of Lansing.
The pro-Republican trend in the electorate appears more likely to be part of a mood swing away from Democrats after eight years of Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm and two years with Democratic control of the federal government, Porn said.
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"You've got a lot of people who feel (President Barack) Obama and the Democrats failed to respond to their economic concerns," he said, "along with a lot of other people who feel like they've been making things worse."
'Glad Granholm is ... leaving'
Greg Wessel of Wixom is in the latter category. He also knows something about economic insecurity.
An engineer, Wessel worked 20 years for the same auto supplier, most of those well-paid with good benefits. About six to eight years ago, the cutbacks started in pay, vacation, insurance and travel.
In 2009, the job went away, too, and the father of six was without work for seven months, applying at "hundreds of places."
This year, he got a job as a contract engineer. It pays less, no benefits.
The time off, he said, allowed him to "pay more attention to politics."
And he doesn't much like what he sees.
"From what I can tell, government jobs are growing," he said. "In the public sector, they're still getting raises, pension increases. I'm opposed to that. We need to grow the private sector, not government."
Wessel said he's not really excited about either choice at the top of the ticket in Michigan, but he's "glad Granholm is finally leaving."
'I can feel the down slope'
Shirleen Dexter, a 65-year-old retiree from Detroit, is also feeling the pinch.
Her fixed income doesn't go as far as it once did. Her grown children would like more help than she can afford.
"I can feel the down slope," Dexter said. "But I don't let it worry me. Things change. ... You just cut back."
Dexter is also pretty stoic about politics in 2010.
"I don't think any of the candidates is going to change much," she said. "I don't think we're going to see a lot of hope for a while yet."
Stephanie McLean, a political consultant with GMT Strategies in Lansing, said Michiganders -- and Americans -- are in the mood for change. And that's a problem for Democrats in power, and for Bernero attempting to succeed Granholm.
It's still doable, she said, but maybe not by the economic populist route Bernero has been taking, railing against Wall Street bankers.
"I think what people are looking for is an emotional connection to the candidate," McLean said.
Just about all the analysts agree that 2010 is not a good year to be a champion of government spending.
Voters like Jim Deyo, 63, of Birmingham are the reason.
Deyo, a retiree, remains relatively secure personally but has deep concerns about the direction of the country and the economy. He said he has had it with Washington and thinks "we definitely need change."
The 2009 stimulus was poorly implemented and didn't work, Deyo said; passing health care reform and "taking on all that expense ... was monumentally stupid."
Deyo said the Republicans haven't been very specific, and he's not sure he trusts them. But this year, "I can't see myself voting for any Democrats," he said.
Contact DAWSON BELL: 517-372-8661 or
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