No Respect

Money can't always buy good press or respect. After months of an advertising campaign designed to introduce himself to Michigan voters (at a cost of nearly $6 million), Dick DeVos finally got down to business and unveiled a 65-page plan outlining how he would rejuvenate the state's lagging economy and create jobs.

So what was the media's response in a nutshell - underwhelmed.

"DeVos' plan falls short on specifics" is the way the Detroit Free Press described it.

The Oakland Press said, "DeVos made a lot of suggestions - a wish list full - but was short on some key specifics. ...To his credit, DeVos seems very in tune with the minutiae of the challenges facing businesses and a firm grasp of our state's peculiar economy the last few years. But blaming Granholm for the auto industry's restructuring shows a clear misunderstanding of that industry or is a blatant political snipe."

Even worse, Mako Yamakura, a blogger for the DetNews, had this to say [emphasis added]:

I'm worried about him.

After reading the The rhetoric-filled Michigan TurnAround Plan (version 2.0), you've got to wonder if he just plagiarized the good stuff from Governor Granholm's Jobs Plan, and stuck the standard "American Dream" inside of it.

[...] the benefits that DeVos claims credit for... were all achieved under Governor Jennifer Granholm's watch.

[...] I would be a Christmas Ham if DeVos' ideas made Michigan #1 in everything. He sure makes it look like we have a chance. But reality is, decades of business practice condoned by both GOP and Democrat Governors has led to this stagnation, and not a Granholm issue.

DeVos is also becoming material for cartoonists and satirists. Check out Mike Thompson's cartoon about Dick DeVos on the run. It's pretty funny, although I doubt DeVos is laughing.

The absolutely best column satirizing DeVos' lack of credibility comes from Brian Dickerson though. DeVos unveils his plan for Lions' turnaround.

I told Dick DeVos right up front I was skeptical about his bid to become the Detroit Lions' next head coach.

"What do you know," I asked him, "about professional football?"

"I've been a part of winning teams all my life," the multilevel marketing magnate answered confidently. "I think I've got what it takes to turn this one around."

"But where would you start?" I asked him. "The Lions have so many problems."

Read the rest of the column and you'll quickly see that DeVos sounds like George Bush - lots of promises but no real plans.

Related Links:
Jobs Today, Jobs Tomorrow, Governor Granholm's plan to transform Michigan's economy.
Granholm Working for Michigan
Michigan's Changing Economy
Granholm-Cherry 2006 Campaign Blog