DETROIT – I hope things are off to a good start this morning around your place. It was groundhog day last week --
Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, which Jimmy Fallon said means six more weeks of classified documents being found. That was pretty good.
But Washington is an interesting place right now. The new Republican majority in the house is trying to find its footing -- trying to figure out what kind of unity they have among themselves while at the same time flexing their control of the chamber. Interestingly, the parties tend to oppose one another even while each state’s caucus tries to work together for the good of their state’s interests.
Freshman congressman Republican John James and veteran Democratic congresswoman Debbie Dingell discuss the priorities where we can find agreement and the places where there will be an agreement to disagree. Debt ceiling, anyone?
Also -- last week, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a bill to move Michigan’s primary to make it the fifth primary in the nation, the idea being that Michigan voters can wield more influence over the eventual winners. Many have argued that more diverse states like Michigan should be heard early to help balance out the more homogeneous states like Iowa and New Hampshire. Now while we’ll accept that this is a tricky race -- I mean, every state would like to be among the first -- it certainly feels like a good idea. But Michigan republicans say not so fast -- why?
You can view the February 5, 2023, episode of Flashpoint in the video player above.