Michigan's Next Governor should build a "purple coalition"

By John Bebow | Published: February 4, 2010

For the past several years, The Center for Michigan has worked to bring people together into coalitions to push for change.

Long before we involved 10,000 people in statewide Community Converations, we launched the “Michigan’s Defining Moment Campaign” with the support of nearly 100 bipartisan statewide leaders. We’ve held a half-dozen big-picture issue conferences statewide in which the participants, and their conclusions have been decidedly bipartisan or nonpartisan. Likewise, the Corrections Reform Coalition we helped launch in 2008 has worked hard to achieve savings in the state prison budget through bipartisan network of business, nonprofit, local government and education groups. Soon, you’ll hear us doing the same on early childhood education issues.

Michigan’s next governor needs to take that same approach, argues Rick Cole, professor and chairperson of the Department of Advertising, Public Relations and Retailing at Michigan State University and a Center for Michigan steering committee member.

Excerpts from Cole’s recent column in Dome Magazine and his advice for Michigan’s next governor…

  • “You need a strategy that harnesses the energy of the state’s leading special interest groups… You need to spend the next 60 days building a campaign to awaken Michigan’s network of established special interest groups to the reality that the only way their interests survive here is if the public interest is served first. You have to get them on a higher road, now.”
  • “To have any chance for success, you are going to have to use this brief campaign period to negotiate a wide-scale agreement among the 75 to 100 key special interest groups in Michigan. Get them to agree to set aside, for the next four years, those wedge issues that divide the center. And get them to agree to avoid raising the incendiary issues that incite the lunatic fringes.”
  • “Use the upcoming campaign to build a purple coalition — the best blend of our red and blue, ticket-splitting state — and make it a permanent coalition to create a future for our state and its children. This should be the first and, arguably, your most significant function as the next governor. And you need to make it clear that without this kind of bipartisan support, you don’t consider the governor’s job to be a job worth taking.”
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    4 Comments

    1. Richard Cole
      Posted February 4, 2010 at 12:25 pm | Permalink

      Thanks Phil and John for being such consistent and clear voices for the creation of a unifying vision for Michigan. And thanks for sharing my Domemagazine.com thoughts with our friends and allies.

    2. Bob
      Posted February 4, 2010 at 1:28 pm | Permalink

      This simply is not realistic. Unions in Michigan have been trained to expect somtthing in return for scarifice. It will never happen. We need a conservative to come in much like Dave Bing did in Detroit and hammer the unions into submission.

      That is the only thing that will work. You can’t reason with them !

    3. Michael
      Posted February 4, 2010 at 2:12 pm | Permalink

      That is a great start Bob for getting things back on track as the article suggests. With your approach we spiral into oblivion…thanks for that vote for bi-partisanship!

    4. Bob
      Posted February 4, 2010 at 3:44 pm | Permalink

      Michael

      You must believe in the Easter Bunny.

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