The Snyder camp released the following letter and links attacking Granholm for her recent - but six years late - consolidation of History, Arts, and Libraries. He takes issue with the vast similarities between the proposed new name of the sub-division taking over those functions and his campaign message. I take issue with Granholm on her delay as Snyder also points out - Granholm's word games seem a bit Orwellian and insincere but I doubt she's listening to Snyder speeches or YouTube videos (if only she would listen to someone) - this could have been done logically and more orderly years ago.
Below is some of Snyder's press materials. (note to campaigns, we're open to all press materials, or you can create your own account and save a step by posting your own "diaries" -- if you want them promoted to the lead page and almighty RSS feed, drop me a note and I'll press a button).
Gov. Jennifer Granholm P.O. Box 30013 Lansing, Michigan 48909
Governor Granholm,
For the past several months, I have been traveling the state to listen to Michiganders who are frustrated with your lack of leadership and I have shared with them my vision for reinventing Michigan and moving the state to an era of innovation. Yesterday, you proposed to close the Michigan Library and Historical Center in Lansing and replace it with a Michigan Center for Innovation and Reinvention. I’m glad to see that you have chosen to adopt my vision for the state’s future in the name for this endeavor, but this action is far too little and too late.
The name you choose for this center doesn’t alter the fact that under your leadership for the last six and a half years Michigan has bled jobs, become a poorer state, and driven young talent to find opportunities in other states. Economists are predicting that Michigan will lose one million jobs this decade and reports have shown that a family moves out of the state every 12 minutes. In the midst of this crisis, you have failed to provide a clear vision or long-term plan for how Michigan can overcome today’s challenges and emerge from this devastating economic period.
I am a firm believer that credit should be shared when real results are achieved and that this state needs to embrace a positive culture. Unfortunately, naming a Center for Innovation and Reinvention in Lansing six and half years into your administration doesn’t amount to real results.
I hope that you’ll realize that in order for this state to move past this era of complacency, fear and frustration we need to abandon politics as usual and embrace new ideas that promote innovation and long-term growth. Perhaps you should focus on addressing our state’s fiscal and economic disaster by making the structural changes to state government that you and other career politicians have been promising for far too long.
The listening tour is almost over and the campaign for governor will soon commence as Republican outsider and businessman Rick SNYDER gears up for an announcement tour the week of July 20.
Look for Snyder to formally get into the Republican primary with a series of media stops in such cities as Detroit, Lansing, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Traverse City, Flint and Marquette.
In recent days, Snyder has beefed up his presence on the Internet with a series of statements about his vision, his background as a non-politician, and his desire for public support in his effort to win the Republican nomination.
One of his videos, entitled "Not a Politician," has Snyder on camera saying that every one in the Republican primary is a politician. Yes, he said, they have the experience to be governor, but "it's that experience that created this mess."
He goes on to point out his accomplishments in the private sector where he created jobs "from the ground up" for a variety of firms and points out, "I've never run for office."
In the same video he introduces his family. He describes himself as a "small town boy from Battle Creek" and introduces his wife, Sue, whom he met in Dearborn. Next are his three children who appear on camera with their dad, but none of them speak. He said he will be "passionate" about "bringing Michigan back."
In the second video clip shown on Youtube.com. Synder sits in the lab of former inventor Thomas EDISON as Snyder talks about moving Michigan "from fear" to "an era of innovation." He noted that this is not a "one person job," as he promises to provide a "clear, positive vision" as he seeks to "re-invent Michigan."
In his third video posted this week he leaves little doubt about running as he says, "I hope you join me in mid-July as I make a major announcement regarding my candidacy for governor."
(Contributed by Senior Capital Correspondent Tim SKUBICK.)
What makes Rick tick? Ann Arbor's Rick Snyder may run for governor
Sunday, June 28, 2009
BY JUDY MCGOVERN
The Ann Arbor News
…
State's next phase
On a travel break, Snyder settled into an armchair in his office high in the bank building at Main and Washington streets in downtown Ann Arbor, and used a computer software analogy to describe Michigan's history and the transformation that is necessary.
"The goal is Michigan 3.0,'' he said.
He labels the years before statehood - until about 1900 - as Michigan's natural-resources era, or Michigan 1.0.
Then came the industrial economy, 1900-2010, or Michigan 2.0. The first half of that Michigan 2.0 era was full of innovation, not just manufacturing, he said. The latter part of the now-closing era has been dominated by a caretaker mentality, without innovation. "The only goal is: 'Don't screw it up, then hand off to next guy','' he said "I want to re-ignite innovation.'' [em. by Snyder]
It's no coincidence that the name of his venture capital company, Aredesta, comes from the Latin verb "to ignite.''
Michigan needs a new cultural attitude and excitement, Snyder said, straying from his listening-only policy. "There's no vision today. We need a need strategic plan and the right team, a team that would develop strong successors.''
That strategic plan must include restructuring government and restructuring revenue, he said. "It will take more than 8 years, but it could happen.''
David Brophy, an associate professor in U-M's School of Business Administration, agrees.
"Any business person who looks at Michigan now and sees a moment of transformation and their particular skill sets, could be a great drive agent to compress the time frame for change,'' said Brophy, who's also a partner in a financial and venture capital consulting firm. "But it's not easy to be ID'd as business-related candidate. ... You may have difficulty convincing the populace that's what they want and that you're the one they want.''
Rick Snyder, nearly endorsed by Ford chairman, says Michigan resembles automaker Nathan Bomey | Michigan Business Review
The state of Michigan bears an uncanny resemblance to Ford Motor Co., former Gateway Computers President and possible Michigan gubernatorial candidate Rick Snyder told me last night at the Mackinac Policy Conference.
Snyder, who is still in "exploratory" mode, seems to have the support of Ford executive chairman Bill Ford Jr., who personally introduced Snyder to colleagues at the conference.
"He's trying to reinvent an American icon, and if you think about it, we need to reinvent Michigan. So the parallels and the similarities are incredible," said Snyder, a Republican and CEO of Ann Arbor venture capital firm Ardesta.
In a brief interview last night, Ford told me he wasn't making an official endorsement but indicated that his experience working with Snyder on the board of The Henry Ford left him with positive impressions.
I asked Ford whether Michigan needs a business person to run the state government. His response:
"I think it sure would help. We need new ideas, we need people who know how to balance a budget and I think Rick would clearly do that. ... I think Rick would be ideal to drive innovation, because that's really what his whole life has been about.
"He understands what it takes, he understand the policies that need to underpin that. I think he'd be a huge advocate for that."
Snyder, a longtime investor, appears to be emerging as the Republicans' sole business candidate in the 2010 gubernatorial race. His long-standing embrace of innovation as a key method of job creation and economic development does not preclude a continued partnership with manufacturing, he said.
"I think we need to partner with our great companies so we can succeed again in the future. That's part of reinventing Michigan is we want to be the automotive capital of the world still. We should be proud of that," Snyder said.
