By John Lindstrom
Publisher
Posted: January 10, 2019 1:35 PM

Already, with the changes Governor Gretchen Whitmer is enacting, it seems former Governor Rick Snyder is becoming a distant memory. That is the cruelty of life, politics and journalism. Last week you were top of the pops; this week people look at you and say, "I'm sorry, you are…?"

With time, though, some people will look back, some people will reflect and draw meaning and lessons from the eight years Mr. Snyder led the state, Some people will

What can we say then about Mr. Snyder?

The state is in many ways in a better place economically than it was when he took the oath in January 2011. But how much of that is due to Mr. Snyder's policies we will not know for some time yet.

Clearly, Michigan has done better because the nation's economy is much stronger. Why Michigan lagged the rest of the nation in a one-state recession during the time from 2002 to 2008 is still unanswered (and let us not forget the nation was not exactly bubbling during that time, if the phrase "jobless recovery" means anything to anyone). But as the Great Recession ended and the U.S. grew economically, so too did Michigan.

Which of Mr. Snyder's policies – the business tax cut, changes in regulations, the creation of a "right to work" status – had the most economic effect on the state, we don't yet know. Perhaps all of them did. Perhaps none did. Sadly, the only way we will be able to tell is how Michigan endures the next recession and how it grows out of that recession.

In terms of Mr. Snyder's political ideology, Mr. Snyder is a business conservative. In that, he hewed to fiscal policies designed to promote businesses by cutting their costs. That included tax cuts, of course, but also policies to cut debt.

Unlike a more classic smaller government conservative, who always is on the lookout to cut taxes and spending in any way possible, Mr. Snyder did not make spending cuts his primary priority. Though he certainly enacted plenty of cuts, one can talk to the higher education community about that, Mr. Snyder also saw the need for state investments and spending.

Also, while a business conservative is, well, conservative on fiscal policies, he or she also tends to adopt social policies acceptable to the larger public. That is not always a good thing, looking back at our history. But under some circumstances it can help lead the way to a more inclusive, open and tolerant society.

For example, many businesses have been ahead of government in recognizing and promoting LGBT rights.

As a business conservative, Mr. Snyder recognized the need for broader health care, which led to what was probably his best achievement socially and politically, the Healthy Michigan Medicaid expansion which brought health insurance to hundreds of thousands of residents. It is a success, though Mr. Snyder bungled some parts of his political strategy on the issue.

Which brings us to Mr. Snyder's lack of political background. While saying he was not a politician was popular, especially in the early days, it was limiting. It made it harder to both set broad policy and work with the Legislature to achieve that policy. There were too many times he respected his "legislative partners" and signed clearly unpopular bills, even though many legislators did not believe him to be a true Republican.

He did stand his ground on issues. Refusing, for example, to sign legislation that would have allowed guns on school grounds which was sent to him following the slaughter of small children at Sandy Hook Elementary School was a key example.

But not being a politician by nature also had its tragic consequences. Politicians, good politicians, learn to listen to people and recognize problems they raise. They learn to at least check things out and see if there really is a problem.

Too often business executives and top administrators put greater trust in metrics and systems.

So, we had the Flint drinking water crisis. Even before we learned homes were contaminated with lead, dozens of Flint residents appeared with containers of muddy, brown-tinted water from their taps. Too often Mr. Snyder's administration responded saying the water should be safe.

A good politician would have looked into the issue, trying to figure out why the water looked the way it did and what could be done to fix it. Sadly, Mr. Snyder was not the only politician lacking that instinct, even though we know some people in his administration expressed worries about Flint switching its water system to the Flint River, too many of his fellow Republicans failed as well. But with history, it will be Mr. Snyder who will take the greatest blame.

Clearly, there are lessons here for Ms. Whitmer and governors to follow. It will still take some time to assess what those are, however. Let's hope we don't miss them.