There is a lot for voters to think about as they head to polls on Aug. 3. The candidates should have answered these questions in a real debate. If they love Michigan as they all profess to, they should put people’s lives ahead of partisan politics. It should not matter which president passed a health care legislation that will benefit thousands of Michiganders. What should matter is that those who have long been cut out of health care, including senior citizens, can now breath a sigh of relief.
The state right now needs jobs and if federal programs sanctioned by the Obama administration will help us recover, they should not be rejected like some Southern Republican governors were doing to get national attention. Some wrote Michigan off a long time ago and others will do so if the next governor spends his time pandering to partisan politics, thus playing with people’s lives.
Michigan cannot afford political games that have ordinary people’s lives on the edge and businesses deciding if they want to stay or leave.
It is clear that the major reason why the unemployment benefits have not been passed is because the GOP leadership in the U.S. Senate does not want to push forward anything that gives the Obama administration credit.
And that has developed, in part, to a dislike for the president. It’s okay to dislike the president as many in the Democratic camp did with former president Bush. But President Obama is not running for governor; he’s got a mandate that was given to him Nov. 4, 2008. The next governor must concentrate on reviving Michigan with all the help it can get from the federal government, not opposing any helping hand it receives.
But in order to do so, the public will have to demand that responsibility from all of the candidates. To quote Frederick Douglass, “Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.” That places the public without an option but to force the candidates to declare their real intentions.
IN THE 13TH Congressional District race there has been a heightened interest because incumbent Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, if polls are any indication, could lose to State Sen. Hansen Clarke, despite four other candidates being in the race.
Again this race has not yielded any debate that will afford voters the opportunity to hear and evaluate the candidates. After sitting down with Kilpatrick recently for an interview, I walked away with the impression that she is determined to not lose this race. She talked about her commitment to her district as the only member of the Michigan Congressional Delegation who sits on Appropriations. However, there is no doubt that the political scandal involving her son, former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, could adversely affect her at the polls.
But I was a little disappointed that during the last congressional election — for which I moderated the debate at Perfecting Church that had Kilpatrick trailing former State Rep
Mary Waters — Kilpatrick, after winning, said she will decide when she wants to retire from Congress. That tone of political entitlement should not be suggested or implied by a veteran lawmaker, or any lawmaker. Now her words are coming back to haunt her. But in all fairness, she should be judged on the merits of her congressional representation. What has she done for her district? That is the main question voters should be asking.
Talking with Clarke, I observed his ambitious yet a steady approach to addressing the needs of the district. Clarke possesses almost all of the credentials to run, and he understands the issues facing the district as well as all of Michigan. Yet his candidacy might be risky to some because of his newcomer status. Does it put the congressional delegation a step back or forward is something voters have to ponder. But at the same time the wave of change taking over Washington may be just what the 13th District needs.
If Kilpatrick can convince voters that her reelection is not a public test of the overall Kilpatrick legacy in Detroit that has been stained because of the former mayor, she could win without much dificulty. If her supporters are willing to step out publicly and campaign and not just endorse her through press releases, she has a chance.
But if Clarke succeeds in painting her as belonging to the past and that it is a new era for politics, she could lose. If Kwame Kilpatrick appears in court two or more times before Aug. 3, she could be that much more likely to lose. One advantage Clarke has is that he and Kilpatrick are not far apart on the issues.
It remains to be seen if any game will change as the candidates pound the pavement for support.
Be sure to vote in the Aug. 3 Primary.
Watch “Center Stage With Bankole Thompson” on WADL-TV38 Detroit (Comcast Channel 4) Saturdays at 1 p.m. This Saturday’s show, July 24, will feature an exclusive conversation with leaders of Southwest Detroit’s Hispanic community about the battle to build a new bridge in their community that has riled Lansing. Jesse Brown of the Detroit Wholistic Center will share his view on how the alternative medical community is responding to the new health care legislation. E-mail bthompson@michronicle.com
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