Resurrecting Detroit from financial decay has led many political pundits to entertain the idea that a Rick Snyder 2016 ticket might rise to the top among a crowd of Republican presidential hopefuls.
While Snyder is considered a GOP hard-liner on some issues, he has taken a moderate stance on some others and recently has avoided taking a side on social policies. How does that affect his chances for the White House?
If what these five liberal pundits have to say about him offers an accurate barometer, Snyder may be able to still draw enough votes from across party lines to have success in 2016:
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1. The New York Times national political correspondent Jonathan Martin believes Snyder could have some serious traction with a White House bid.
In a CNN interview, Martin described Snyder as a "Jeb Bush-style" Republican who could attract moderates.
2. Detroit Free Press columnist Nancy Kaffer, on the other hand, does not see Snyder as being more than a long-shot GOP candidate at this point.
Kaffer does concede that Snyder has built momentum from his success in shepherding Detroit through bankruptcy and says that it feels a bit "surreal" to have him mentioned as a presidential candidate.
"This murmuring about Snyder and the White House, not quite what you'd call a "buzz," has been going on for a minute, but ramped up after the City of Detroit's exit from bankruptcy," Kaffer wrote.
3. Snyder has earned praise from some liberal bloggers for crossing party lines on issues important to them.
Eclectablog expressed appreciation for Snyder's recent veto of Michigan gun legislation.
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If the bill had not been vetoed, people with restraining orders issued against them for domestic violence would have been permitted to carry a concealed pistol.
Eclectablog has been critical of Snyder on other issues, but gave him kudos for doing "the right thing" here.
4. Steve Benen, producer of the "The Rachel Maddow Show," feels ideological differences between recent Snyder decisions and the GOP's conservative base will outshine the impact of Detroit's turnaround on his political future.
"Between his veto on gun legislation and his proposed sales-tax increase, Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder’s (R) can probably be ruled out as a likely presidential contender," Benen wrote in
a campaign round-up on The Maddow Blog..
5. The majority of liberals are not supporters.
A column on Politicus USA by "Black Liberal Boomer" characterizes Snyder as heavy-handed for installing a series of emergency managers over Detroit Public Schools in place of elected school board.
"The fact that Snyder ignored and spat upon the election results of November 2012 when Michigan voters overwhelmingly voted to repeal Snyder’s upgraded Emergency Manager law, steamrolling his will right over their voting rights, is pretty much a hush-hush issue these days," says Black Liberal Boomer.
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