In case you haven't heard, the fiscal order in Detroit is a little sloppy. Governor Rick Snyder announced last Friday he's going to appoint an emergency financial manager to get things straightened out (barring a response from city council that adequately shows they can fix what's wrong without one, or if state and local officials successfully fight the appointment — which, probably won't happen).
The main talk leading up to Snyder's announcement was who would be the right person for the job — a very difficult job.
So, I thought Dave Weigel of Slate had to of been kidding around when he suggested Mitt Romney as the right candidate. After getting some flak for offering up such an inspired remark, Weigel later confirmed he wasn't kidding around:
UPDATE: I've gotten some interesting email about this tossed-off idea, so I should reiterate: It's not a joke! Any Michigan Democrat will tell you that Detroit politicians are among the most irrelevant in the state legislature ... Romney's ties to the city are tighter than most city emergency managers, roving technocrats who do a few years at a time in troubled metro governments.
Nevermind that in Wayne County, where Detroit is located, Barack Obama edged out Romney nearly three-to-one. Now, for whatever reason, this idea has made it's way across the land of pundits and local media. From the Detroit News:
On "Fox News Sunday," Washington Post opinion writer Charles Lane suggested the former GOP presidential nominee and turnaround expert at private equity firm Bain Capital should get the job of turning Detroit around.
"You do see that Mitt Romney is a person with a lot of ability and a lot of energy ... "I wonder if there is no role for him in the restructuring of Detroit. He'd be the perfect person to do it."
To answer Lane's question, there isn't a role. And he would be the worst fit for the job.
Showing up across my Twitter feed the past couple of days were these gems:
And:
Stop with the nonsense. It's not going to happen. It was the worst idea to begin with and should have never been a part of the conversation. There's a bit more to politics — at least, so I thought — than being a turnaround expert, even if Detroit's financial situation is whack.
Photo credit: By Matthew Reichbach via Wikimedia Commons.