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From left: Moderator Mary Kramer of Crain's, LZ Granderson, Ron Fournier and Matthew Dodd.
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Did Gov. Rick Snyder, who flirted with seeking the presidential nomination in 2016, nix the idea prematurely in May?
Two members of the national media, speaking in Detroit Thursday on a panel of expats, seem to think so. They spoke at a Detroit Homecoming panel titled "Detroit’s Importance on the National Political Stage."
"I think Gov. Snyder removed himself from the list..too soon. If you were turning now to a candidate, he would be the perfect candidate to turn to," said Matthew Dowd, a Detroit native and a special correspondent and analyst for ABC News, who worked as chief strategist for the re-election campaigns of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2006 and President George W. Bush in 2004.
"I agree," echoed Ron Fournier, a native Detroiter and former Associated Press reporter who is a senior political columnist for the National Journal in Washington.
Gov. Rick Snyder
"Donald trump is a reflection of how angry we are and how hungry we are for change," Fournier said during the discussion at the Detroit Institute of Arts. "Donald Trump, and my forgiveness for anyone who disagrees with me, is not qualified to be president of my country."
"People..hopefully are going to be looking for someone who reflects the anger, but also can give positive solutions to anger….a positive disrupter. Someone like Gov. Snyder who has worked with a Democratic mayor, who has helped lead the state, helped convince people that the urban core matters; something as you know, is hard to do in this state; Who is tech driven. Metric driven, who’s kind of nerdy at a time .. nerds are inheriting the earth. "
The three-day event, sponsored by Crain's Detroit Business, bring expats back to Detroit for a conference to promote the city and generate investments.
LZ Granderson, a columnist and commentator for CNN and ESPN, disagreed about Snyder. He's disappointed that the governor stayed clear of any conversation in the Republican party regarding the hostility toward the LGBT community and same-sex marriage.
"I would like to know that my president would be able to stand up for all Americans and say 'that’s not the country that we are.'"
Dowd thinks a presidential candidate for 2016 should focus in on Detroit, saying the city is reflective of America.
"I would take Detroit and make Detroit the emblematic story of America and then how you can solve problems as the governor and mayor have begun to do, as the way to solve them in Washington," Dowd said.
"The interesting thing for me, about Detroit is, Detroit's always lead the country. Detroit has always been a great story that tells the tale of the country for good and for bad," Dowd said.
Fournier again echoed similar sentiments, and said he was impressed with Mayor Mike Duggan's honest remarks Thursday about the need to address the crime problem and greatly improve the schools.
"It was the lack of spin, lack of glossing over, the lack of pretending there's not a problem that I was really impressed by and you see the same thing with his partner," Fournier said. "He calls a Republican governor his partner. I find that remarkable. The key is to learn from the mistakes and I think Detroit could be an exaggerated emblem of where this country needs to go, a more authentic leadership, a more honest leadership."
