Gov. Snyder flops at Macomb County GOP gathering

Last night’s “town hall” meeting in Sterling Heights with Gov. Rick Snyder has to be labeled a disappointing flop for the Macomb Republicans.

This may have been the first Macomb County public event in recent memory – especially one held during a heated campaign season – that featured a governor yet left many chairs empty. The banquet room at Villa Penna was set up for 150 people but only about 65 showed up. In fact, when only about 25 people were seated about 15 minutes before the 6 p.m. start, it appeared that the GOP organizers were stalling in hopes of more people showing up.

Empty seats for a partisan gubernatorial event – that’s a first for me.

The other bad news for the Republicans was that the event was supposed to be a joint appearance with Snyder and Sean Clark, a state House candidate from Warren who is considered a rising star in the party. But Clark was ill with flu-like symptoms and never addressed the small crowd.

Instead, the event consisted of a short speech from the governor, followed by questions written on cards from those seated in the rows of chairs. A town hall, it wasn’t.

Snyder received some applause over the course of the 1-hour event but, at the conclusion, when he emphasized the need for GOP “passion” as the election approaches and a get-out-the-vote effort that shows “you’re on fire,” the remark was greeted by silence.

Snyder may be one tough nerd, but he’s not much of a cheerleader.