The Thought of McCotter as President a ‘Bit Scary,’ Says Michigan Newspaper

U.S. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter of Michigan, the latest entrant in the increasingly congested field of GOP presidential contenders, might be a rock star in some conservative circles, but his candidacy for the highest office in the land hasn’t exactly been embraced by his home state newspapers.

“The thought of Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, R-Livonia, being president is a bit scary,” stated the Oakland Press in an editorial on Wednesday.  “In fact,” continued the newspaper, “the idea of him being selected to run as the GOP candidate isn’t a pleasant thought.”

Describing the guitar-playing congressman as “cold, arrogant and egotistical,” the paper’s editorial writers don’t believe that McCotter is ready for the presidency.

While giving the unorthodox five-term Representative credit for bucking his party in voting for the bailout of the auto industry in 2008 — a measure strongly opposed by many in his party, including current GOP frontrunner Mitt Romney — the Oakland newspaper gives McCotter relatively low marks as a congressman.

“He does not respond well to calls from constituents or even the media,” continued the editorial.  “It’s important for any representative to keep the lines of communication open, from the standpoint of transparency alone.  However, communication also is important in keeping the public informed.”

His spiel, they say, is more rhetoric than substance.

“The Oakland Press likes to support native sons,” the newspaper concluded, “but this is one sibling we think should just stay home here in Michigan and work on his people skills.”

“Sometimes presidential candidates aren’t very presidential.”

Ouch.

If that wasn’t bad enough, the editor of the South Lyon Herald weighed in with a few observations of his own, saying that McCotter’s seemingly preposterous decision to seek the White House — seen by many as a vanity candidacy — isn’t something one would do “unless you have a pretty healthy ego.”

“Whether he tries to or not, McCotter, 45, just seems to carry around with him an aura of arrogance,” wrote Kurt Kuban.

“If there is one thing I have always said about McCotter,” observed Kuban, who’s been covering the congressman for more than a decade, “it is that he is the smartest guy in the room.  Just ask him.”

The problem, says Kuban, is that the little-known Livonia congressman just doesn’t connect very well with the average citizen.

“He is just too intellectual for his own good.”