Gov. Whitmer
(Photo: State of Michigan)
The limelight can be flattering, especially when it comes with high-level chatter about a major job promotion.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who happens to be the object of both, needs to say no to any consideration to be Joe Biden’s running mate. And the sooner, the better.
Here’s why.
We’re in the middle of a crisis. The optics would be horrible; she’d be seen as abandoning Michiganians at a time of crisis.
Yes, it’s possible things will greatly improve by August, but everything won’t suddenly just be fine. Some businesses will never reopen, particularly restaurants and bars. Unemployment is likely to be high, or higher than what we’ve become accustomed to. Health care will still likely be hurting. Hospitals and first responders will have to be better-prepared for the next wave of coronavirus (or some other pandemic), all at a time when they will be recovering financially from the damage done by the first one. She’ll need to play a key role.
It could be politically fatal if Whitmer is branded as disloyal to Michigan and overly ambitious. If she sticks around, she has a far better chance of being cast as a hero, or at least a strong leader, who passed on an opportunity on the national stage for the good of Michigan. Loyalty goes a long way.
Whitmer has been governor only 18 months. She needs to commit to serve, at a minimum, one term before stepping up. She should consider what happened to Sarah Palin. She took office as governor of Alaska in 2007 and a year later was John McCain’s running mate. She caught grief for abandoning ship after such a short stint (and for many other flaws). And there was no crisis in Alaska.
Michigan can’t run itself. As we try to dig out of this insanity, Whitmer, like all governors, has the Herculean task of getting all she can for her state -- whether it’s ventilators, masks or federal money. We need a full-time governor, not a part-time one who would be crisscrossing the country campaigning.
It’s not a stretch to think it would be far tougher to get what she needs from President Trump, who might try to make her look bad at the expense of Michiganians. In such a case, Trump would have to make a political calculation whether to lose Michigan in exchange for tainting the Democratic ticket. If he were far behind in the polls in Michigan, the decision wouldn’t be very hard for a guy like him.
Consider who’d take over. If elected, Whitmer would hand the reins over to Lieutenant Governor Garlin Gilchrist. He’s a very bright, affable guy, who one day could make a great governor. But he's a neophyte; he’s never held public office before. He needs seasoning. Rick Snyder showed us how political neophytes do.
Whitmer is capable and has a great future. She’s only 48. There’s time to do things the right way.
She needs to stick around, for her sake as well as ours.
