There was a decent op-ed regarding Kilpatrick in the Detroit News yesterday that puts his "legacy" in perspective:
Kilpatrick wasted talent There are only 2 significant things Kwame Kilpatrick and Barack Obama have in common: their skin color and they are both Democrats. A third perceived similarity is that a lot of people bet on Kwame and a lot of people are betting on Obama. Kwame failed miserably. The danger for Obama is that Michiganders may equate Kwame with Obama. However, given the state of Michigan (economy, etc.), it appears wholly unlikely.
The Kilpatrick fiasco has been inundating southeastern Michigan for over a year. Yet, the
polls reflect a consistent lead for Obama through it all. So, if voters are worried about Kilpatrick=Obama, there doesn't seem to be any evidence to support it. Given that Palin's troopergate scandal is similar to Kilpatrick's scandal, Michigan voters may be suspect of her.
Quote:
Totem Wrote: Look, getting blacks to vote reliably is very dicey under ideal circumstances, but when you add something of this nature, giving them a reason not to go to the polls is political suicide.
The fact that Obama is pretty likely to be the first black president should easily overcome this argument.
Quote:
Smash Wrote: Obama can lose Michigan, Florida, and Ohio and still win easily.
I'm not sure how he can win if he loses all three. I suppose if Obama wins NC or VA (which could lead to a tie btw: 269-269) while also picking up IA, NH, and CO, he could just slightly win.