Republicans haven't exactly been a dominant or beloved force in Detroit. It hasn't helped that many thumbed their noses at the prospect of bailing out the auto companies, and too few have publicly shown much empathy for the woes of urban America.
Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida spoke Thursday at the Detroit Economic Club.
Still, Eli Stokols of Politico posts conclusion about "Why the GOP Cares About Detroit."
Over its 82-year history, the Detroit Economic Club has hosted its share of politicians and presidential candidates. A nonpartisan group, it offers candidates of both parties an open invitation to come and speak, drawing a record six speeches from Richard Nixon and a combative address from then-Sen. Barack Obama in 2007 in which he knocked the auto industry for nurturing America’s addiction to foreign oil.
But months into the 2016 election cycle, it is serving exclusively as a proving ground for Republicans eager to show their blue-collar appeal.
On Thursday, presidential hopeful, Sen. Marc Rubio of Florida, became the fourth GOP presidential candidate to appear at the Detroit Economic Club to outline his ideas for economic growth in a city synonymous with decline in recent decades.
Detroit now serves as the backdrop of choice to road-test a revamped message acknowledging economic inequality, he writes.
In other words, Republicans see Detroit as a good prop for driving home their message and scoring political points.
Politico writes:
In the GOP’s larger quest to retake the White House next year, the city offers a convenient allegory for the Obama economy Republicans want the country to see — a place where, no matter the nation’s shrinking unemployment rate and other indicators of economic growth, people continue to struggle.
“Detroit is a big, symbolic, emotional tug on the American psyche,” said Stuart Stevens, a GOP strategist who advised Mitt Romney’s 2012 campaign. “Detroit itself is wrestling with a lot of problems the country is wrestling with, all these questions about the future and a changing world.
“This is going to be a ‘wrong track’ election and candidates are going to have to address a wide swath of economic pain,” Stevens said.
-- Allan Lengel
