Talkers, doers, winners, losers

And, lo, in the closing days of Year One for a Michigan painted red, the call went out to all those not yet gone and making merry: Who are the best (and worst) in Big Mitten business and politics — and beyond?

There are pols and bureaucrats who can't get much done. There's the CEO whose generosity belies the tired, politicized caricature of the tight-fisted "one-percenter" obsessed with enriching only himself, and a second CEO whose rumpled demeanor and humble patter obscure a fierce competitor delivering results. And there's a band of brothers and sisters bound by shared pain and righteous indignation.

Herewith, dear reader, are the best and worst of 2011:

World-Class Dribbler: To Detroit Mayor Dave Bing, the Pistons great-turned-industrialist-turned politician who dribbles like the pro he is, but can't shoot. He can't manage the city's money, as the state Treasurer made clear this week; can't build political consensus with a majority of the City Council; and can't play straight with a governor ready and willing to help.

The mayor asks his pals in the region's business community for help, but he doesn't take it. He seeks advice, but he doesn't heed it. He wants talent, but he can't keep it. He deplores the racially tinged politics of the past, but he shows he's willing to embrace it if circumstances warrant.

World-Class Ditherer(s): To Bing, whose management of Detroit's fiscal crisis will be remembered for waiting too long, listening to the wrong people and alienating those who could have helped.

WCD II: To the Obama administration, Senate Democrats and House Republicans for repeatedly failing — on the budget, on the "grand bargain," on the debt ceiling, on the "supercommittee" and now on a payroll tax-cut extension set to expire pending a last-minute vote.

WCD III: To the European Central Bank and the Keystone Kops routine masquerading as the euro-zone's heads of state. They still don't understand, nearly 20 summits into their sovereign debt-fueled crisis, that leadership and history require them to seize the world as it is, not as they want it to be.

The Anti-Ditherer: To Gov. Rick Snyder, whose first year of "relentless positive action" delivered a state budget on time, rebalanced the state's tax load, improved the state's outlook with credit ratings agencies, avoided nasty public fights with public-sector unions and finally forced the city of Detroit to come to terms with a financial calamity largely of its own making.

His biggest challenges going forward will be maintaining an economy-first agenda by containing the rightward (if not sanctimonious) urges of his party's social conservatives. And, second, avoiding a direct confrontation with Detroit over who will control financial and political decision-making in the city — elected officials working in concert with restructuring experts or a state-appointed emergency manager.

Not Forgotten, Not Gone: To the men and women of the Delphi Salaried Retirees Association and all of the 20,000 Delphi Corp. salaried retirees they represent. Hosed out of roughly two-thirds of their expected pensions, these people won't go away because they possess legitimate grievances their government refuses to address, much less redress.

Namely, why can the Treasury use public money to "top-up" union pensions at Delphi and former parent General Motors Co. and administer minor haircuts to GM salaried retirees but can dump their Delphi counterparts on the ministrations of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp.? They'll keep asking until they get an answer, and they should.

Merger Made Right: To Sergio Marchionne. After nine years of German rule and the mendacious "Merger of Equals" that was anything but, Fiat SpA's big boss is bringing the real thing to Auburn Hills. His management of the transnational automaker is proving that Europeans really can work and play well with others, even Americans.

One-Percenter Done Good: To Detroit Medical Center CEO Mike Duggan and his wife, Lori Maher. They plan to use his shares in Vanguard Health Systems Inc., currently valued at $770,000, to establish a college scholarship fund for the children of DMC employees.

Tells you everything you need to know in the season of giving — which is what separates this year's winners from the losers is the difference between talking and doing. Imagine that.

dchowes@detnews.com

(313) 222-2106

Daniel Howes’ column runs Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.