With Michigan's slippery economic slope, someone has to take the fall. The easiest face to attach to the state's burdens: Gov. Jennifer Granholm.
Granholm's approval ratings are reaching desperately low points. A poll of 600 people conducted June 10-13 by EPIC-MRA of Lansing concluded that 66 percent of voters do not approve of the governor's performance. The last time her approval dropped this low was in November, when 59 percent disapproved of her performance.
It is easy to pick a scapegoat for situations like this. Granholm is the public face associated with the entire state of Michigan, so the brunt of public disapproval understandably falls on her shoulders.
Surely, the Legislature has been responsible for many of the state's decisions, but the governor works as the spokesperson for the state and should be prepared for that responsibility.
This disapproval is not necessarily unwarranted. Granholm has proven time and again she is focusing too much on short-term goals and not investing in the long-term benefit of the state.
She has set no drastic regulations for the auto industry - still one of the state's leading industries. The small amount of restrictions these companies have is making it easier for foreign automakers to enter the market and take over. Outsourcing jobs to Mexico has become a common practice for several Michigan automakers.
The proposed Michigan Business Tax, or MBT, is a good investment in Michigan's future, helping to ease the burdens on small and beginning businesses in the state. Political expert and chairman of Mitchell Research & Communications Inc., Steve Mitchell, said developing the MBT was primarily work done by the Legislature, not the governor.
It needs to be acknowledged that Granholm did step into a hole when coming into office. Gov. John Engler and his administration had gotten the state into severe economic problems, and Granholm has been clawing her way out of that hole for five years. And, until recently, she's been battling with the Republican-controlled House, making it hard to enact policies.
This may explain why 52 percent of voters still gave Granholm an overall favorable rating, saying they liked her as a person - not her policies.
It can be assumed the primary reason she was reelected last fall is because the public was against Dick DeVos, not because they were, by and large, in support of Granholm. With this lack of a strong mandate, it is not surprising the state has not seen a drastic change.
Regardless of the trials she faces, Granholm needs to look out for the state's future. Until she proves them wrong, the public will continue to show lower and lower approval of her actions.
