Michigan is the main stage of presidential politics now and today's headline events star Mitt Romney and Rick Snyder in Farmington Hills and Rick Santorum in Detroit. Here's a sampling of fresh national and local observations:

• Santorum in Detroit: "He got his message right for a business crowd (Thursday at the Detroit Economic Club), touting a plan to rescue manufacturing with massive tax breaks, cutting capital gains taxes and topping off the income tax rate at 28 percent for individuals." – Nolan Finley, editorial page editor, blogging at The Detroit News

• Metro Detroit roots: "[Romney] is trying to regain his home advantage by emphasizing his Michigan roots -- never mind that he has lived in five states since he left Michigan and his primary home now is listed outside of Boston." -- Shikha Dalmia, former Detroit News editorial writer blogging at Reason.com
• Working-class appeal: "Santorum is using his upbringing in the western Pennsylvania manufacturing town of Butler, his rougher-edged style and his 'Made in America' proposals for boosting U.S. manufacturing to woo Michigan's many blue-collar voters." – Alan Fram, politics writer, Huffington Post
• Young Romney fan: "He is the future of the United States. We need a businessman and not a politician. His work in the private sector proves itself." --- Donald Randazzo, Grand Valley State University junior quoted by Mlive.com
• Oakland resident says: "As a president, would Mitt Romney really understand most of his constituents? A president has to try and represent everyone, not just a few." – Michael J. Bauer, Commerce Township, commenting at Mlive.com
• GM, Chrysler help: “Michigan very uniquely believes that the impact (of federal aid) on the auto industry was positive, and that it was a necessary act, and Mitt Romney has a challenge to try and explain his position against doing that." -- Bernie Porn, Lansing pollster at EPIC-MRA, quoted by Bloomberg Business Week
• Region's first delegates: "Romney's attempt at repositioning himself (is) a particularly acute task in this state, the first in the industrial Midwest to award delegates." – Paul West, politics writer, Los Angeles Times
• Impact of primary: "While a loss here might doom Romney's candidacy, a victory will assure him neither the GOP nomination nor a general election victory." – Brian Dickerson, columnist, Detroit Free Press
• Homecoming cloud: "Mitt Romney’s Michigan homecoming as its native son is not going quite the way he had planned. . . . Michigan now represents a critical proving ground for the remaining Republicans, but particularly for Mr. Romney. A loss could prove devastating at worst, and embarrassing at the very least." – Ashley Parker, politics writer, The New York Times
• No spin possible: "The Romney campaign has done little or nothing to control expectations for their performance in Michigan. . . . But then, there was never really going to be a good way to spin a loss or a squeaker in Romney's home state. . .  If Romney is only around 30 percent with all his name ID, family history and establishment support, then he might have trouble getting the rest of the way home." – Alexander Burns, Politico.com blog post
• Retiree says: "I voted for his dad [George Romney]. Right now, I’m still undecided if I’m going to vote for him." -- Jerome Bush, 81, after shaking Romney’s hand Wednesday in Kentwood, MI (quoted by Mlive.com)