Thanks for stopping by, John

Thank you. I appreciate you stopping by.

John McCain stopped by my area today and spend some time campaigning near my hometown. He promised something related to allowing the state to set emissions standards for auto vehicles standards.

Of course it made headlines and the six o'clock news. Our presidential hopeful brought some straight talk to the home of the Big 3 automakers, boosting his image to the blue collar corners of the Great Lakes State.

Reaching out to the auto industry is vital for presidential candidates, as our region produces some major jobs the world over through the international corporations head quartered here. As the results of globalization continue to come in, the Great Lakes region must compete for every job. No doubt.

But an inlaid fallacy about the visit is that he spoke not to the average worker, promising them better job opportunities as result of his new policy. No instead he spoke to a group of execs and management level folks, discussing the emissions standards that need to be set and who should set them.

I am just not sure that tactically this was the best move for McCain to win Michigan.

See, Michigan is a state in a free fall from the impact of global competition. Its a place that everyone is leaving, or at least thinking about it. A manufacturing state that has seen its middle class sustaining jobs exported to lands abroad, and the new horizon seems misty. There is talk of health care, or biomedical, or green jobs, but that means little as gas prices rise, the housing market is in disarray, and infrastructure is crumbling in the Rust Belt.

Now its not likely that McCain will win Michigan, as the state has had a propensity to lean Democratic in presidential politics. Yet there is a chance for him, as he has one the state in a past primary, or if he can motivate the Republican base in the state by picking native son Mitt Romney.

But the truth of the matter is that McCain is not strait talking with the truly displaced worker, the one who needs job retraining or is forced into these flash-in-the-pan buyouts. In the homes of the home of the automobile, people are worried about starting their engines. I think that tactically speaking, McCain's message of "set your own emission standards", becomes a further quandary for states- pitting industry against the environmental movement. Should we bring more manufacturing jobs by luring automotive plants? Or should we preserve our green areas and reduce the possibility of certain jobs in our area?

How does a Republican stand and deliver a message of relief to the auto worker? By talking to the boss, who by the way, may lose their job too? Its seems a disjointed effort at best. We are left feeling confused; much like when that neighbor stops by to say something useless to you, and leaves in you in wonder as to why they came by in the first place.

Until John gets a better message, one that connects with people and their economic reality, I'm afraid that he will begin to lose traction with the American voter.

Thanks for stopping by John, we'll see you soon.