Harsh medicine

At least one Michigander reads this, so I'll appeal to him for some enlightenment while the rest of us speculate wildly.

The setting Al Gore's endorsement of Obama (to which is due an entirely expected but nevertheless enthusiastic "BOOM!") in Michigan struck me as interesting. Given the UAW's hostility to any sort of legislation or regulation which acknowledges and acts upon the threat of global climate change, I wonder how a Gore endorsement is received by the families in Michigan who are still dependent upon the automotive industry. Likewise, I was also struck by comments Obama made while campaigning in the state:

Obama focused on his plan to improve the economy while in Michigan, which has the nation's highest unemployment rate. He told a crowd in Flint, which had a seasonally unadjusted April unemployment rate of 9.3 percent, that they cannot fear globalization but must embrace it as a reality of the future.

"At critical moments of transition like this one, success has also depended on national leadership that moved the country forward with confidence and a common purpose," he said.

Perhaps I'm reading too much into this, but it seems like Obama sent a pretty big message to Detroit about what his priorities are going to be, and while I think the priorities (attention to energy policy that will necessarily impact automobile manufacturers, new investment spending, possibly as assistance for economically dislocated workers) are solid, I'm wondering if this is a bitter pill to swallow in Michigan.