Liberal Values Defending Liberty and Enlightened Thought

The Republican governors in states such as Wisconsin and Indiana have received more national attention than in Michigan. To some degree I think that is intentional. Rick Snyder has pursued a conservative economic approach but, rather than seeking confrontation and national attention, Snyder has tried to appeal to moderates and avoid major conflicts.  Such an approach led him to a huge victory in the 2010 election but (as was predictable) his support has fallen he unveiled the specifics of his policies. The only part of this poll is surprising is the degree to which Snyder has fallen according to Public Policy Polling:

Over the last few weeks we’ve found that voters in Ohio and Wisconsin have quickly soured on their new Republican Governors, John Kasich and Scott Walker respectively. But Michigan’s Rick Snyder wasn’t like Kasich and Walker. He campaigned as a moderate and won by 18 points in a state bluer than either Ohio or Wisconsin while his counterparts were just squeaking by in their races. You would think that even if Snyder’s popularity has fallen after two months in office it hasn’t fallen as far as Kasich and Walker’s.

Think again. Snyder actually now has the worst numbers of this new trio of GOP Governors, with only 33% of voters approving of him to 50% who disapprove. And despite his overwhelming victory last fall voters now say that if they could do it over they’d pick Virg Bernero over Snyder by a 47-45 margin. Snyder’s current status is definitely emblematic of the adage that the higher you climb the farther you fall.

While the degree of Snyder’s fall in support is a surprise, the overall course was predictable regardless of the individuals involved. It was clear that no Democrat could have won in 2010 due to the state of the economy and anti-incumbent feelings. Snyder won big due to these underlying factors, along with receiving cross-over support by running as a moderate. He was also helped by Bernero and the Democratic Party in Michigan failing to mount a very good campaign.

If his election was predictable, it was also predictable that nobody could have been elected and present a set of proposed solutions which would not antagonize large blocks of voters. Ultimately Snyder’s fate will be determined by how the economy is doing when he is up for reelection.