The Republican Party’s so-called front-runner Attorney General Mike Cox is well-prepared, but this comes after years of preparations knowing he would be running. Cox is himself a typical politician and brings no new changes. Of the other two major Republican candidates, Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard is making his second attempt to crack the statewide election cycle while U.S. Congressman Pete Hoekstra has been bogged down in Washington for the past 16 years.

The point is that these so-called leaders of the state are just the opposite. They are individuals who are running to ensure that the status quo is not disrupted. In the next election, we will have the same result as the past eight years unless a person who will not cringe at the sight of a bad opinion poll steps forward.

We need leaders who will do the right thing regardless if it is the popular thing or not. The current leading candidates will bring nothing but the same to Michigan. Being the unique case that Michigan is, a unique leader is needed — a leader who is willing to step out of the box and do what may not be conventionally accepted by the mainstream. We need to be willing to elect a person who is like a common man or woman, willing to go beyond party politics and do what is best for the state.

Many will claim that Granholm was not responsible for the terrible conditions that Michigan has experienced throughout the past eight years. Although I would say it is a stretch to say she was not responsible for any of those conditions, I don’t believe she intended for this to happen to Michigan. It was not in her plan to ensure the collapse of industry in Michigan, nor was it her plan to grow unemployment to more than 14 percent according to recent numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. However, while it may not have been her plan, it still happened and the governor took the familiar politician’s route and claimed that she was not at fault, making no real changes that would upset the status quo. An actual leader, on the other hand, would have adjusted and changed their plan to ensure that these problems were fixed even if that meant going against the accepted Democratic Party policies.

The current field is no different. They will not stray from their respective party policies that have been put in place. You will not see Dillon calling for spending cuts, nor will you see Cox calling for regulation of the financial sector. While perhaps neither should pursue those policies, the fact remains that it will not even be an option due to the opposition of the party leaders. While I know that you will still support who you will in the election and this will truly not change your decision, be forewarned that this is what you are voting for. Politics is no longer about the individual politicians but about the will of the political machines behind them. Just know that regardless of what the politician says, it’s the money behind them that will be deciding policy for the next four years. Only when you have a true leader who is willing to do what is right in their heart, not what they are told, will we fix this state.

Eric Thieleman is a State News guest columnist and political science and history senior. Reach him at thielem4@msu.edu.