Whats the matter with Michigan?

[liberaliraqvet26]

After seeing the news from GM today (cutting 25K jobs), I can't help but wonder how our once strong union state has become so red. I think a lot of it has to do with right wing "christians" preying on the poor and destitude manufacturing workers who were once our base but are now out of work and now feel hopeless. You can see this by looking at the stem cell vote. Even some of Michigan's Democrats in the house opposed it because they are so concerned about being percieved as pro choice.

I never have lived in Michigan but the part of Florida I live in has hundreds of former residents of the state mixed in here, these are just some of my observations. It seems like the fundies are focusing on Michigan.

[democrat_patriot]

1. Amway headquarters is there.

I moved 3 years ago from MI, outside of Ann Arbor seemed very conservative to me.

[Tux]

2. It is

I attended Eastern Michigan University awhile ago. Ann Arbor is liberal but the rest of the state, from my view, seemed anti-intellectual and more dogmatic religious over time. I left due to lack of jobs in my field and couldn't get any job. Situation isn't different now but I have heard that evangelicals now are preying on the unemployed and the hopeless so they can attend evangelical cults and support GOPerverts.

[indigonation]

13. The neocon agenda in Michigan :

I am by no means an expert on state economy and goverment, but I read the paper and watch the news here. As a resident, here's my initial take:

Michigan suffered GREATLY from our last neocon Governor Engler, who looted the state treasury for this governor to clean up, and the state senate and house are currently both Republican Majority. The governor and both senators are Democrat (thank god - Granholm, Levin, and Stabenow). Granholm has been struggling to turn the state economy around, but Bush cutting federal funding has left an even greater strain on the state.

The neocon agenda is out to hurt labor, and Michigan is of course a strong, pro-labor industrial state that has suffered probably the most from job outsourcing. On top of that, GM and Ford were still pushing Cadillacs, Suburbans, and Explorers while the gas prices were rising.
Michigan has I think the second worse unemployment rate and once of the worst economy recovery rates, if any. This situation is going to be exploited to help Shrubs good friend, uber-neocon Amway heir Dick DeVos "win" the governors seat in 2006. We fear another Ohio. West Michigan, with 2nd largest city Grand Rapids, is solid "red" with a few pockets of blue in the surrounding smaller cities.
DeVos hails from here, the bible belt of Michigan, and the DeVos/VanAndel cult pretty much dominates the political and business scenery in Grand Rapids. The conservative evangelicals are stirred up. Last week a controversial "whites only" group held a Saturday Picnic in a public park to encourage membership.

The point here is Michigan correlates roughly to the political demographics of the country in many ways. We barely won 2004 51/48%, which is what the polls looked like on election night for the country. While "blue" is getting beat up here, the "red" is trying to take over, just like everywhere else.

The good point is that there are alot of moderates here, and sportsmen that like their guns but respect the environment. They feel the effects of the economy and don't benefit much from tax cuts. Public schools are suffering. Bottom line, I think we'll have alot of pissed off moderates and layed off workers that vote Democrat in both 2006 and 2008. Alot of democrats stayed home, I bet they wake up for the next two elections also.

I am an optimist, and I think Michigan will stay blue unless they get their piggies on the voting machines. Our Sec State is a "moderate" republican.

[DaveinMD]

3. MI

has voted Dem in the last 4 Presidential Elections. I'd hardly call it red. They also have a Dem Governor and 2 Dem Senators.

[Freddie Stubbs]

4. Become red? It was blue in 2004:

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/president/

[MichiganVote]

5. Union busting, loss of manufacturing,and of course, Engler

The repub's want Michigan b/c the Michigan Scamways want the state for their next religious right ho-down. Seriously, the republicans are a pretty fractured bunch in this state.

Pro-choice is not Pro-sell out but you wouldn't know it to see it among politicans nowadays. Just you wait fella politicians till the women have their say at the ballot box. Think they are going to cave--hell no.

[liberaliraqvet26]

6. i didnt say it went red...

its now a swing state and a lot closer than it was in it's heyday

[MichiganVote]

7. I think you intended to respond to another poster

Whatever, Michigan was a swing state in the last election b/c of its electoral votes. Kerry won the state.

Michigan has both a strong dem and strong repub presence per county.

[liberaliraqvet26]

9. It seems lately everyone I meet...

from MI are fundies. Even from the Saginaw/Detroit suburbs. They move to Florida and buy "choose life" plates and have Jesus fish all over their pick up trucks.

[MichiganVote]

12. Well, hell, in Florida there are a lot of people looking down the barrel

of their idea of the hereafter. Don't know if the cause is Michigan. Seems to be a Floridian trend to cozy up ot Jesus these days.

[Awsi Dooger]

8. Actually it's moved slightly our way in presidential races since '88

This is the partisan trend chart for Michigan, presidential popular vote margin compared to the national average. I was pleased and somewhat surprised we managed more than a +5 there last year, in fact nearly a +6:

Michigan:
'88: Bush (53.57 - 45.67) = + 0.18% Republican
'92: Clinton (43.77 - 36.38) = + 1.83% Democratic
'96: Clinton (51.69 - 38.48) = + 4.68% Democratic
'00: Gore (51.28 - 46.14) = + 4.63% Democratic
'04: Kerry (51.23 - 47.81) = + 5.88% Democratic

[liberaliraqvet26]

10. I stand corrected...

i guess im just meeting the wrong people

Sorry all

[European Socialist]

11. Hold on a second...

California has Ahnuld and Mass. has Mitt Romney-so even true blue states have pukey pols.