One Tough Nerd. One Weak Governor

From Michigan Senate Democrats:

In the world of politics, there are always going to be disagreements.  One side can view a situation one way while the other sees it very different.  When those disagreements are merely over how to move us forward from point A to point B, that’s one thing.  When those disagreements are focused instead on hatred without concern over how they impact our state, they become something far more dangerous.

Today, Governor Snyder proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that his pro-business “nerd” persona was nothing more than an act.  By signing HB 4770, a bill that bans public employers from offering domestic partner benefits, he has shown instead that that special interests and extremists within his own party are pulling his strings.  Even worse, by acknowledging that the he still isn’t even sure of the legal ramifications of this bill, in particular whether or not this bill applies to Michigan’s public universities, he has shown that he’s willing to go along with their extremist agenda without regard for the consequences.

Banning domestic partner benefits does nothing to create jobs in Michigan and will instead discourage employers from locating here and drive away many of our talented workforce.  This wasn’t a decision any business leader would make, it’s a decision only someone driven blindly by party politics would make.

Governor Snyder may have come into 2011 with a tremendous amount of support from the people of Michigan, but he spent much of the year turning his back on them.  Perhaps it is then fitting that one of his last acts of 2011 will put to rest any doubt that if Rick Snyder ever were “one tough nerd,” he’s now only “one weak Governor.”