It's likely that Gov. Jennifer Granholm, in the last year and a half of her final term, will yet again be in the Short List Tango -- the ritual of Washington worthies citing those who might be in line for a presidential appointment.
She was mentioned as among six on the short list (but not among the final four) for President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nomination that last week went to U.S. Appeals Judge Sonia Sotomayor, and previously had been mentioned among prospects to be secretary of energy or commerce.
Granholm's two predecessors also went through the ritual of mention by The Great Mentioner, a title coined by former New York Times columnist and humorist Russell Baker and periodically cited by Washington Post columnist David Broder (who has long family ties to, and a home on, Beaver Island).
Democratic Gov. Jim Blanchard (1983-90) was prominently mentioned as a possible transportation secretary for President Bill Clinton but ended up as ambassador to Canada.
Republican Gov. John Engler (1991-1998) was mentioned as a potential running mate for 1996 GOP nominee Bob Dole and Engler for Veep buttons were produced. Dole picked Jack Kemp.
With the Washington hype behind her for now, Granholm wisely is focusing on dealing with Michigan's budget woes and economic revival initiatives, with special emphasis on energy alternatives.
Much like ex-President George W. Bush as he began nearing the end of his last term, Granholm has declining job approval marks, according to a poll of 600 registered voters released last week by the Detroit News and WXYZ-TV.
The poll, conducted May 18-21 by Lansing-based EPIC/MRA, gave her a negative job rating from 61 percent of respondents, and a favorable rating from only 38 percent.
2010 gubernatorial faceoffs
The same EPIC/MRA poll offered some relatively meaningless figures on the 2010 gubernatorial race.
Lt. Gov. John Cherry is widely seen as frontrunner for the Democratic nomination. But in the poll, he trails Sen. Debbie Stabenow, 49 percent to 14 percent. Thing is she's not running. She declared, "I believe I can best serve Michigan families in the Senate."
Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano was third with 5 percent. No other candidate got more than 2 percent.
In the GOP field, U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra, of Holland, led Attorney General Mike Cox, who formally announced last week, 27 percent to 26 percent with Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land at 19 percent. Again, no other candidate got more than 2 percent.
It's significant that Hoekstra, who represents one western district, leads two twice-elected statewide officeholders. But such candidates as Ann Arbor businessman Rick Snyder and Sen. Tom George of the Kalamazoo area have yet to build recognition. Voters are not focused on the campaign, and won't be until next year.
George and Snyder showed some spunk and wisdom last week at the Detroit Regional Chamber's Mackinac Policy Conference on the island.
Snyder, who was escorted at some points in the conference by Ford Motor Co. Chairman Bill Ford Jr., declined to participate in a gubernatorial debate forum sponsored by the chamber's political action committee because a fee was charged to attend the debate, which was a fundraiser for the PAC. Cherry declined for the same reason.
According to the Detroit Free Press, of the five gubernatorial candidates at the debate, Cox was the only one who said he would sign a pledge not to raise taxes.
George said, "I wouldn't sign such a pledge because we don't know what the future holds."
George Weeks retired in 2006 after 22 years as political columnist for The Detroit News. His weekly Michigan Politics column is syndicated by Superior Features.
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