Will Rick Snyder Recenter the Michigan Republicans?

Will Snyder Recenter the Republicans?  Is it his intention to try to rescue Michigan from the morass created by the Bush Recession and radical market fundamentalists?  Or will he fall victim to the so-called “social issues” so hotly held by Michigan’s new majority?

Rick created a niche by running as a Republican who is a business pragmatist and is a self-described "fiscally conservative”  who is also “socially inclusive" which positioned him as being  "for the historic Republican principles of liberty, individual responsibility, and personal freedom."

Others have “hopes to resuscitate the moderate, Eisenhower-Ford-Rockefeller wing that long ago lost the intraparty clash for power to the abortion opponents and racially exclusive elements of the Southern-based Goldwater wing.”  On this thread Rick Snyder is silent, he hopes to avoid a clash with these elements by emphasizing “reinvention” of Michigan along business lines.

As one observer has commented:

While he may have ran as a Republican, he steered clear of being defined by labels.  Instead of pandering to the Tea Party crowd as his primary opponents did, Snyder utilized Michigan’s open primary system to campaign to the broadest coalition of voters.  As his opponents fought for the votes of ideologue conservatives, Snyder won the primary with help from independents and some Democrats. 

His campaign from day one was never defined by partisanship or ideology.  He didn’t talk about social issues that tend to divide voters rather than unite.  He focused on the solutions rather than the problems and causes.  And he campaigned on an inclusive forward looking vision to “reinvent Michigan.”  

In his victory speech on Tuesday Snyder said:

“It is time to drop the labels.  All of us carry far too many labels, of party, of ideology, of geography.  So many different labels.  To make this work there is only one label that matters.  That label is Michigander.  It is time to come together as Michiganders.  To stand up together to say here’s a vision for the future, here’s a plan, here’s an attitude of action in a forward looking and inclusive fashion.”  

And his vision is uniquely centrist.  While I may have suggested that centrist candidates campaign on offering “smart government,” Snyder has been using a different term, “customer service government.”  In his victory speech Snyder said “It is time for a new form of government.  And what does that government look like?  It’s simple, it’s customer service government.  It’s to treat you the citizen as the customer.  We need to look at life through your eyes and ask two simple questions.  How do we help you to succeed?  And how do we get out of the way?  And when we ask you for a dollar of revenue, instead of taking your money and spending your money, we show you value for your money, that we’re making a difference in real people’s lives.  That’s the government you deserve and that’s the government you’re going to get.”

Moderate Republican is a hunted quarry, unwelcome and unacceped by those who hold the “new majority” in Michigan governance.  Thus we are going to witness a terrible clash.  The dashing of a leader hoping to move beyond the pitfalls and ugly ideology of the harsh conservatives on a long list of bedrock, uncompromisable “standards”:

1. Abortion
2. Opposition to homosexual rights
3.A crusade to un-secularize the public schools
4.  Vouchers or some other similar funding scheme for church and private schooling using public money
5. The Ten Commandments placed up front in public life by government approval and promotion
6. Covenant Marriage-a state legislated special super-marriage contract
7. Elimination of welfare for all able-bodied who do not work. 
8.  Smaller government such as can be drown in a bathtub
9. Much lower taxes, after all it’s the taxpayer’s money
10. Strict limits on the arts and many forms of censorship
11. Resistance to cultural diversity
12.  So-called Right to Work
13.  Elimination of Collective Bargaining
14.  Close control of any attempts at economic development or tax incentives for expansion

Recommended Reading: "Whatever Happened to Moderate Republicans" (American Prospect)