In 1992, James Carville, one of the chief strategists for the Clinton-Gore campaign, hung a sign in the campaign headquarters to remind the campaign team of the central themes of the election. While the sign actually had three short themes, it is one that is best remembered: “It’s the economy, stupid.” In those four words, Carville summed up the big issue in that year’s election, and just what Bill Clinton was running to change. That little token of Louisiana “encouragement” provided a daily reminder of the campaign message, and Clinton’s laser-like focus on economic issues during his first year as president helped reverse the existing recession, led to the largest economic expansion in American history, and turned budget deficits into budget surpluses. Ah, the good old days…

Well, in Michigan in 2008, the economy is still the big issue. With the nation’s highest unemployment rate and one of the worst foreclosure rates in the country, Michigan residents are struggling. And yet, too often political campaigns offer too much rhetoric and too little substance on what, exactly, should be done to change course. Or worse, candidates fall into comfortable partisan “solutions” that would actually make things worse.

We’re going to do things a bit differently. Over the next eleven weeks, I will lay out, one week at a time, workable, common-sense proposals to create jobs in a growing economy. Ranging from investments in developing and maintaining a globally competitive workforce to streamlining regulations and working to create a competitive and predictable business tax climate for job creators, I will lay out an action agenda that I intend to begin implementing on Day One. Watch this space every Thursday between now and the November election for specific ideas that go beyond a narrow partisan appeal and propose real solutions to get Michigan moving again.