Those CEOs snapped their fat wallets shut and hadn't given anything to Obama through September. In fact, GM vice president Debbie Dingell, wife of powerful Democratic Congressman John Dingell, gave $1,000 to Hillary Clinton and $250 to John Edwards, but nothing to Obama through September, federal records show. There is no record of Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick giving anything to Obama—including his endorsement. After Obama's speech, Kilpatrick told NEWSWEEK: "He left a lot to be desired with that message."

Now, though, Obama isn't even on the Michigan primary ballot. Only Clinton choose to remain on the ballot after the Democratic Party punished Michigan for pulling its primary forward in violation of party rules. Still, there is a stealth way to vote for Obama. If more than 15 percent of primary voters mark "uncommitted" on their ballot, delegates not bound to any candidate could go to the Democratic National Convention and endorse whomever they want. That means Clinton, despite essentially being the only horse in the race, could still be embarrassed in Michigan. "Hillary can lose by winning in Michigan if she doesn't break 55 or 60 percent," says Sarpolus.

In the Mitchell poll, Clinton gets 44 percent of the vote, while "uncommitted" takes 26 percent. Among African-Americans, Clinton wins only 20 percent of the vote, while "uncommitted" lands 47 percent. Unusual as it sounds; African-American community leaders have begun a get-out-the-vote campaign called Detroiters for Uncommitted Voters. Democratic Rep. John Conyers and his wife, Detroit City Councilwoman Monica Conyers, are airing ads encouraging voters to make sure they show up at the polls Tuesday to cast their ballot for no one. Since Clinton has promised not to campaign in Michigan as part of her party's "punishment," the Conyers campaign effectively means that only Obama is getting support on the airwaves.

Despite the Democrats ham-handed handling of their Michigan primary, they appear to be in the ascent among Detroit's automakers. In the last presidential-election cycle, Republicans took in nearly two thirds of donations from political action committees and individuals at GM, Ford and Chrysler. This time around, the political pendulum has swung the other way: GM's political donations are split 50-50 between the parties, while 60 percent of Ford's funds have gone to Democrats and 55 percent of Chrysler's contributions have gone Blue, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Still, there's not much passion behind the political giving. It's more a mood of resignation, which explains why McCain's downbeat realism resonates. After all, there's a recession looming, and Toyota is still trouncing the not-so-Big Three. That fills Detroiters with a lot more fear than hope for their future, no matter what any candidate promises.

© 2008