Governor Rick Snyder and state lawmakers say they're focused on moving forward to find a solution to the state's crumbling roads. But before the weekend, here are a couple of thoughts on why Proposal 1 was defeated so overwhelmingly on Tuesday.
In Bridge, Senior Writer Ron French says we learned six things from Tuesday's election. Among them that complexity turned out to be the "enemy of yes." French also says that policy makers should pay attention to voter anger and cynicism. But he also says there are some things we didn't learn. French says those include what Proposal 1 means for future questions on the ballot, and whether or not voters truly want smaller government.
On the Gongwer blog, Editor Zach Gorchow spells out23 Things That Went Wrong With Proposal 1. He says those include a politically weak plan that got off to a bad start. Gorchow goes on to show (complete with video clips from Saturday Night Live and the Naked Gun Movies to illustrate) the poor messaging and external events that added up to one of the worst defeats ever for a proposed amendment to the Michigan Constitution.
