Rick Snyder to skip debates, not interested in 'typical career politician playbook'
Ann Arbor venture capitalist Rick Snyder prides himself on being a different kind of candidate in the Michigan governor's race, and it's one reason he's skipping two upcoming debates sponsored by the Michigan Republican Party and instead talking to voters at town hall meetings around the state.
"In my view, there is still too much sound bite fireworks because they only give you a minute to answer" at debates, Snyder told Detroit radio station WJR host Frank Beckman on Thursday. "The preferred format ... are these town halls where I am talking to real people, letting them ask the questions they want to ask and giving real answers."
But the former Gateway CEO's decision to skip televised GOP debates in Grand Rapids and Rochester is a gamble, political analyst Craig Ruff of Public Sector Consultants said Friday. Snyder's four GOP rivals — Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard, Attorney General Mike Cox, state Sen. Tom George and U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra — have all agreed to be there.
In this April 21, 2010, file photo, Republican gubernatorial candidate, businessman Rick Snyder, talks to reporters following a debate in East Lansing.
AP photo
"Debates, particularly the televised ones ... are critical in a big field where you want to stand out from the rest of the gang," Ruff said. "You can make a mistake and really get yourself in trouble, but you also can get yourself in trouble by not showing up."
GOP strategist Tom Shields of Marketing Resource Group said Snyder's strategy is allowing the businessman to trade on his nonpolitical background and separate himself from the elected officeholders who are running. But he, too, said Snyder is running a risk.
"If he's not at the debate, you've got four candidates basically who can say all kinds of things about Rick Snyder, and he's not going to be there to defend himself," said Shields, who doesn't have a client in the race. "You could be viewed by some of the people in the electorate as not being willing to work for their vote and being a little uppity."
Snyder campaign spokesman Jake Suski said Snyder has appeared at close to 20 debates and forums with his rivals so far, and will continue to do so. But he's being selective.
"Ultimately he's very much reaching out, interacting ... with the voters of the state of Michigan," Suski said. "We decided we were going to put a huge focus on putting him directly before voters."
That may be because Snyder didn't really shine at the first televised debate sponsored by the Michigan GOP, an April 21 event at Michigan State University broadcast by Lansing TV station WLNS, Shields said. Snyder had agreed to do another party-sponsored debate in Traverse City, but that got canceled.
Suski said Snyder never said he'd go along with four party-sponsored debates, preferring to appear before a broader range of audiences, such as the League of Conservation Voters debate earlier this week at Central Michigan University. The event attracted only three candidates.
Suski said Snyder isn't interested in following "the typical career politician playbook." He can afford to put millions of dollars more of his own money in the race than his rivals, and has been able to increase his standing in the polls by running a series of ads promoting him as "one tough nerd" — four so far.
"He has the finances so he doesn't need necessarily the extra exposure you would get with a debate," Shields said. "He's not putting himself in a position where he can make a mistake."
Snyder plans to participate in a gubernatorial debate next month at the Detroit Regional Chamber policy conference on Mackinac Island with his four GOP rivals and the two Democratic candidates, House Speaker Andy Dillon and Lansing Mayor Virg Benero.
Comments
julieswhimsies
Mon, May 17, 2010 : 6:15 p.m.
I'm wondering what this man has to hide. I agree with others that it sounds as if he is trying to buy himself an election. Hmmmm.
rusty shackelford
Mon, May 17, 2010 : 11:39 a.m.
For years, the people of Michigan and Rick Snyder have had a tacit agreement: he can roll around in money and do whatever he wants, as long as he doesn't try to foist his stupidity and subsidize-the-rich ideology on us. It sounds like he is no longer keeping his end of the bargain. So...when do we get to revoke our side?
Freemind42
Mon, May 17, 2010 : 11:03 a.m.
@ rusty (first off, love the handle...) his favorite newspaper is the same as Palin's, "all of them."
rusty shackelford
Mon, May 17, 2010 : 10:31 a.m.
Nathaniel Borenstein is correct. Snyder may be slightly more articulate than Palin, but like her, he is epicly out of his league and scrambling not to show it. I wonder what his favorite newspaper is?
Nathaniel Borenstein
Mon, May 17, 2010 : 10:17 a.m.
Big surprise. Rick Snyder is trying to buy himself a governorship, and it doesn't fit his plans to have to answer questions in a situation he doesn't completely control. My guess is that his campaign would collapse if he ever had to subject himself to objective press questioning, because he'd either lose his cool or betray his lack of depth. Unfortunately, he might just get away with it.
Freemind42
Mon, May 17, 2010 : 9:08 a.m.
@happy senior, you do realize that Snyder is a Republican don't you? As for your ridiculous generalization of Ann Arbor, just remember that our city is the saving grace of Michigan's economy. It's best not to bite the hand that feeds.
Freemind42
Mon, May 17, 2010 : 9:04 a.m.
apparently he's also not interested in telling voters where he stands on issues or engaging his opponents in debate (the actual job of getting elected). This gutless move just lost my vote.
HappySenior
Mon, May 17, 2010 : 7:45 a.m.
Speechless, try to remember that the Republic of Ann Arbor does not mirror the State of Michigan. Your views sit comfortably within the M-14/US-23/I-94 circle. Come November, the people will speak, even the ones you look down on.
a2grateful
Mon, May 17, 2010 : 6:42 a.m.
I'd skip those "debates", too... they use to be about issues... now they're about throwing mud...
Paul Taylor
Sun, May 16, 2010 : 9:53 p.m.
So, what's wrong with showing up to the debate and pushing his point of view that the debates force soundbite responses? It looks to me more like he is afraid of answering questions. After listening to the last debate, I have to say, if I were him I'd be looking to avoid public appearances, too. It's too bad. I wasn't too impressed by his showing, but this means he has that much less of a chance to get to people like me who DO listen to debates, and search for signs of life and intelligence in candidate responses. And, the fact that he "has the finances" just says to me that he is prepared to leverage the election through carefully controlled media buys, rather than actually having to answer questions in a live, competitive environment.
Sandy Castle
Sun, May 16, 2010 : 9:15 p.m.
As an Independent who leans more left than right, I am more and more impressed with Rick Snyder as someone who can lead Michigan through our economic recovery. I am paying close attention to this man!
Speechless
Sun, May 16, 2010 : 8:06 p.m.
Based on a rather limited knowledge of his campaign, It wouldn't surprise me if Snyder personally holds political views which place him in the general category of a Milliken Republican. If so, that would define him as a politician from a business background who maintains a generally centrist-liberal outlook. Such views might even place him slightly to the left of the current leading Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Andy Dillon. (Also, should this assessment hold accuracy, it may help explain the mystery of why Snyder pulls support from a few locals who lean liberal, including the owners of Arbor Brewing.) These views might also make him a target of the Republican far right. As a speculation, this could provide a further reason for Snyder to stay away from upcoming GOP-sponsored televised debates in addition to the fear of making a potential mistake in a forum that emphasizes sound-bite answers. I expect the viewing audiences will be very conservative. Rick's problem, if elected, will be that we no longer live in the Milliken era of the 1970s. The state GOP has become increasingly dominated by a bizarre stew of tea partiers, fundamentalists, and anti-'gummint' fanatics; even the Engler country-club set gets bashed as too 'liberal' for the Party's base. This would make it very challenging, if not impossible, for him to consistently govern the way Bill Milliken did. Snyder's biggest contribution as governor would be to obstruct the GOP far right from committing truly horrifying political sins (which Milliken occasionally had to do). The statewide Democrats, meanwhile, have grown weaker and rudderless since the 1970s; Granholm is merely the poster child for this discouraging, long-term trend. They badly need for more people like Virg Bernero or Alma Wheeler Smith (who, while no longer a candidate, remains the only one with a detailed plan) to step up from the ranks and offer a meaningful direction.