Bruce Springsteen follows Jay-Z in Michigan for Barack

Monday was the last day to register to vote in Michigan, and the Democrats worked tirelessly until the last minute to register new voters, hoping not only to boost support for Obama but also to help down ticket Democrats. Especially since McCain has pulled his campaign from Michigan, the state GOP has focused more on maintaining its current Republicans over registering new voters. On Monday, former University of Michigan football star Desmond Howard encouraged people to register on Obama's behalf in Detroit. Later in the day, Bruce Springsteen performed at Eastern Michigan University, also for the Democratic candidate (Springsteen's performace follows Jay-Z's performance on Saturday). The concert was free, and followed performances in Columbus, Ohio and Philadelphia over the weekend.

All this goes to show that the Obama campaign is taking nothing for granted in Michigan, with or without McCain campaigning there. They consider it worthwhile to engage in extensive voter registration and GOTV efforts there because they know that it could still be close in November. However, after McCain's move away from Michigan and the continuous if not increasing focus on domestic issues, things look alright for Obama in this state with an 8.9% unemployment rate. This voter's views reflect many in Michigan:

"I've been a Republican all my life, but right now I'm not sure,'' said Joyce Moynihan, a retired homemaker and member of St. Mark Catholic Church in Macomb County who's leaning toward Obama. "Of course, I'm anti-abortion, but you can battle this forever. The economy and the war have got to be addressed'' and
"something dramatic has to happen,'' she said.

Several people interviewed see Obama as the better candidate to deal with the economy, and that topic is extremely important to Michigan voters (it was even before the financial world came tumbling down in recent weeks). Michigan is struggling to transition from an industrial state to something else that they haven't figured out yet. They have lost 40,000 manufacturing jobs in the past year. With their future so uncertain, many see more potential for domestic stability in Democrat Barack Obama. Nonetheless, there are cries to the McCain campaign to return to Michigan. This blogger says Michigan voters are mavericks, too, and directs readers to sign a petition to ask for McCain's return.