Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney addresses guests at the Compatico manufacturing facility January 15, 2008, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
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But the campaign is counting on that message to conjure more than mere nostalgia: Romney, they argue, is uniquely positioned to rescue the dying American car industry, and indeed he has talked about Washington spending billions to spur new research in automotive technology. He has hammered McCain for his support of new fuel efficiency standards, a sore subject for many in the auto industry, which has made the bulk of its recent profits on gas guzzling light trucks and SUVs. His successful business background, married with his familial connection to the state's now-anemic lifeblood, exerts a strong appeal on a state that has little reason to believe that practical solutions exist, much less are coming soon. A supporter who gathered at the entrance of the International North American Auto Show to catch a glimpse of Romney said that the governor's "interest in autos" would put him over the top: "This state needs someone who cares about this state more than one day a year."
If Romney is sepia-toned, McCain is black and white. Where Romney tells them he can restore the state to what it was, McCain tells them, "Those jobs are not coming back."
McCain has been giving that little piece of straight talk since April; usually in response to a general question about NAFTA, or outsourcing. Here in Michigan, however, with its 7.5% unemployment rate, McCain's statement has an extremely negative connotation that's allowed Romney to paint McCain as practicing "economic pessimism," while claiming that "I'm going to fight for every single job."
Still, as small government conservatives, neither man supports the kinds of targeted incentives that would allow the government to incentivize the Michigan economy in particular. As free-marketers, both men support advancing free trade (indeed, the only economic policy paper on Romney's website is about how he will improve "Global Economic Competition"). In economically depressed areas, this stance is generally translated to "allowing our jobs to go to China."
While Romney tells people that he's going to fight for "every single job," his stated plan for those unemployed auto workers is to retrain them and improve education to prepare workers for jobs in the information economy, as well as for what some call "green collar" jobs in the burgeoning field of alternative energy research and development. McCain's plan? To retrain and educate displaced workers for jobs in the information economy and the "green revolution." McCain also wants to reform unemployment insurance, as his policy proposal recognizes that free trade and globalization "will not automatically benefit every American." Romney makes no such concession. In his stump speech, he insists "the American worker can compete with anyone," and vows that he will "bring back" jobs in manufacturing and industry in Michigan.