Transcript
WZZM Newsreader #1 – Bring it on, that’s what Jennifer Granholm said to her challenger, and while Dick DeVos told the Governor she is not running against George Bush. And that’s how their third and final debate started off. Good evening, I’m Juliet Dragos…
Newsreader #2 -…and I’m Lee Van Ameyde. The final televised debate began with one of the biggest issues in the gubernatorial campaign, jobs.
Dick DeVos – The rest of the country is doing great, 5 million new jobs have been created around the rest of the country. 5 million new jobs and yet, in Michigan we are 85,000 down.
Jennifer Granholm – My opponent says that we are the only state in the country that is losing jobs; we are the only state in the country that is the automotive capital of the world. It is not rocket science as to why Michigan is uniquely challenged.
Newsreader #2 – Well, this debate was unique among the previous two. Both candidates taking questions live from a group of reporters and then people claiming to be undecided voters.
Newsreader #1 – We have live big story coverage tonight with WZZM 13 reporter’s Peter Ross and Amy fox. And we begin with Peter who watched the debate live from Southfield. Peter…
Reporter – Juliet, it was feisty affair with the new criticism of Amway from the Governor. And then just sixty seconds into this debate, she called on Dick DeVos to stop using pictures of dead children for political purposes.
Granholm – Mr. DeVos, if you have a beef with me, bring it on. I can take. Use my name, but let’s leave the names of deceased children out of it.
Reporter – An issue DeVos addressed after the debate.
Dick DeVos – Who were given to the responsibility of this state and this administration, and they lost their lives. They deserve the dignity to have their names mentioned.
Reporter – The governor brought up a new Amway claim that when DeVos was President there he incorporated subsidiaries in Bermuda, to avoid paying taxes.
Granholm – It is taking advantage of the Bermuda Loop-hole to avoid paying his fair share of American taxes, which fund the things that we value.
DeVos – Governor, you’re doing it again, you know that’s not true and you’re doing it again. That’s disappointing.
Reporter – Bermuda Loop-hole?
DeVos – None
Granholm – I’m glad that the debate part of this campaign is over, now let’s go out and talk to the voters.
DeVos – I was very comfortable that we communicated our message to the citizens of Michigan. They’ll make their choice and I think they will choose change.
Reporter – and they will make that choice in three weeks. For Dick DeVos it’s a matter of saying that the governor has failed. For the governor, trying to depict Dick DeVos as a failed businessman who cannot be trusted. Lee, Juliet
Newsreader #2 – Well, peter you are surrounded by all the spin ?meisters?, you have covered all three debates, any difference in this one? Are there any challenges that you see ahead?
Reporter – Well, the Governor certainly was on the attack very early and continued throughout. Dick DeVos, as his people will tell us, he doesn’t like to respond as bitterly as she apparently likes to go off. Reserving most of his criticism directly at her for the post-game Spin room. The final debate, though a pivotal one, with about 10 % of the state’s voters undecided will probably find another week to see if this debate changed any minds.
Newsreader #2 – Now, if you didn’t get to see the debate, we have put together some highlights.
Newsreader #1 – They focus on the issues we have been covering in our state of Michigan reports. Jobs, the economy, and education. WZZM 13’s Amy Fox is here now with more.
Reporter – In January we had asked hundreds of our viewers what you thought was the most important issue in this campaign. You put jobs and the economy at the top of the list, followed by education and health care. Tonight here is what the candidates have to say about those issues. Michigan’s economy is near the bottom of the list, but is at the top of the mind of the candidates. Governor Jennifer Granholm pushed her 21st Century jobs fund.
Granholm- It is using tobacco settlement money. It invests in four areas, Life sciences, Alternative energy, Homeland security and defense, and advanced manufacturing.
DeVos- With the adopted economic plan, I have put forward 134 specific ideas that begin with trade offices around the world, from what we have now to ten. I will adopt a plan where the governor will take responsibility for economic development. I would adopt a plan that will transform our tax structures and stop punishing our employers.
Reporter – One cause hitting businesses and workers is health care.
Devos – Michigan is struggling in health. We have health care issues today to be sure and we have got to make some progress on all of those areas, and certainly the people of Michigan are moving in the right direction in terms of accepting the personal responsibility for that.
Granholm – I’ve proposed a universal access to an affordable health care plan that is called Michigan first. I’m in the final stages of negotiating with the Federal government to be able to do what they are able to do in Massachusetts. If any of you saw that they are providing universal access to affordable health care. We are there in partnership with the Federal government and we are going to do the same thing.
Reporter – When members of the audience got to ask questions, one student asked about education.
Granholm – I asked a legislator to pass a 4,000 dollar scholarship for every single child in the State of Michigan. Every child regardless of whether they pass a standardized test or not, because right now kids only get this merit scholarship if they pass the standardized test. We want essentially to be the first state in the nation to pay for k-14.
DeVos – We are going to move money into the classroom for kids. We are 49th in administration. Too much money in administration, not enough in the classroom. We have got to change that.
Reporter – The candidates also talked about Canadian trash coming into Michigan, how to revitalize the city of Detroit, and Proposal 5, which mandates the civic funding for education.
Newsreader #1 – Most voters say they have decided who they are going to vote for in November. We have talked to 500 voters across the state in our WZZM 13 Survey USA.
76% say that they have decided on who they are going to vote for, but 21% of the poll respondents say that they are still deciding, and 2% aren’t sure. And we asked if the debates helped make up their minds, and 33% said yes and 61% said no, and the rest were not sure.
Newsreader #2 – After the debate ended we asked who you thought won this round. Our talkback line was jammed throughout the night, and here’s what some of you had to say.
Caller #1 – I think Dick DeVos was the winner this evening. Michigan needs a change. We need jobs; we need to be turned around in the education department, especially in jobs and our economic plan. Probably anything will be better than what we have experienced in the last four years.
Caller #2 – I think Governor Granholm absolutely won all three debates. One thing that particularly annoys me about DeVos is whenever he is asked a question he deflects everything; he will not give a straight answer to anything he is saying.
Caller #3 – I think Dick, with his business background, could do a lot for the state of Michigan. He has done a lot for the city of Grand Rapids.
Caller #4 – I definitely thought Jennifer Granholm once again won the debate. She clearly, I believe, is not just a business chum, she has a lot more experience being a governor, I think she cares about the people in this state, and I think he truly cares about business.
Newreader #2 – You still have a chance to tell who you thought won. Go to wzzm13.com now and vote on our poll 13. The link is in the table of contents, in the bottom of the home page
Newsreader #1 – And you can find much more information on the upcoming election on the website, wzzm13.com. In our election coverage section you will find video and footage from tonight’s gubernatorial debate and stories we have produced. Also, we brought back a voter’s guide, which gives you a chance to compare candidates on a national and local level at the website in our table of contents.
Total Time: 7 minutes, 54 seconds
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