Delegate breakfast drew important guests, commentary

Thursday’s final delegate breakfast drew the most marquee names of the week, sending off the party on a note of unity (the week’s buzz word) and intensity. From local legislators to national figureheads, the stars came out before Michigan’s 157 delegates ship out in the next few days. Highlights from Thursday’s sendoff:

— Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean stopped by to address the audience. He called on the delegates to start a “Pay It Forward”-type campaign of knocking on 40 doors for four weeks leading up to the November election. Dean’s appearance on the day of Obama’s speech demonstrated the state’s importance in the general election. About a third of the way through Dean’s remarks, his microphone gave out on him, prompting Dean to wonder aloud if “Karl Rove’s running the microphone here.”

— One day after Hillary Clinton ended a roll-call vote that officially made Barack Obama the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee, an adviser for the New York senator thanked the Michigan delegation who supported Clinton’s run. Ann Lewis, Clinton’s senior campaign adviser, urged Democrats to not be divided by Republicans. “We have now got to work together and work hard to elect Barack Obama and Joe Biden,” Lewis said. “You know why it’s so important. I don’t need to go through the list. This is about our children and my grandchildren and families and their futures.”

— Gov. Jennifer Granholm downplayed any boost that the Republican Party might gain in Michigan if former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney becomes John McCain’s vice presidential nominee. McCain is expected to announce his choice tomorrow and Romney is said to be on McCain’s short list of candidates. Granholm questioned whether Romney would be able to relate to the average citizen given his well-off background. Romney’s father, George, was Michigan’s governor for several years during the 1960s.