WHAT KIND OF DEATH RATE ARE YOU
WILLING TO LIVE WITH.
LET’S BRING IN THIS MORNING’S
ROUND TABLE NOW.
ZOEY CLARK IS HERE.
NOLAN FINLEY ABOVE HER THERE, TO
THE RIGHT THERE, STEVEN
HENDERSON IS THE DETROIT DAY AND
STEVE MITCHELL, THE POLLSTER AND
ANALYZER.
I WANT TO STAY WITH THE PANDEMIC
AND ITS IMPACT ON THESE UPCOMING
MIDTERM ELECTIONS.
HOW CENTRAL DO YOU EXPECT
PANDEMIC RESPONSE DECISIONS AND
POLICIES TO BE TO THE ELECTIONS
OR DOES IT BEGIN TO FADE IN THE
REARVIEW MIRROR BY THEN?
>> I THINK ASPECTS OF IT WILL
ALWAYS BE PART OF THE DISCUSSION
IN 2022.
I’M NOT CONVINCED IT’S GOING TO
BE AS AN IMPORTANT ISSUE AS
EVERYONE THINKS.
THERE WAS A COMMENT YESTERDAY
FROM -- OR TWO DAYS AGO FROM THE
HEAD OF MODERNA WHO BELIEVES
THAT THE NEXT VARIANT IS GOING
TO BE EVEN WEAKER THAN THE
OMICRON VARIANT AND IN FACT, WE
MAY BE AT THE END OF THENTIRE
PANDEMIC.
>> WE HOPE.
>> THAT’S THE CASE, THERE WILL
BE OTHER ISSUES THAT COME INTO
PLAY.
>> NOLAN, I THINK THERE ARE A
LOT OF REPUBLICANS LYING IN
WAITING TO AFTER, SAY, FOR
INSTANCE, GOVERNOR WHIT MEASURE
ON THE WAY SHE RESPONDED TO THE
PANDEMIC.
DO YOU EXPECT IT TO BE FRONT AND
CENTER?
>> I DON’T THINK SO.
HOPEFULLY BY THE TIME WE GET TO
NOVEMBER, THIS IS ALL STARTING
TO WANE IN A BIG WAY BUT IF
YOU’LL NOTICE, IF YOU TRACK
NUMBERS SINCE THE FALL WHEN SHE
STOPPED ACTIVELY TRYING TO
MANAGE THE PANDEMIC, HER NUMBERS
STARTED RISING AND I THINK
THERE’S A LOT OF DEMOCRATS WHO
TOOK A LOOK AT THAT AND THAT’S
WHY YOU’VE SEEN MASK MANDATED
AND OTHER THINGS STARTING TO
LIFT THE PAST WEEK OR SO WITHOUT
ANY REAL CHANGE IN THE PANDEMIC
OR THE SCIENCE.
SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, HAD THE
ELECTION BE HELD LAST NOVEMBER,
IT WOULD BE A DIFFERENT STORY.
I THINK THIS NOVEMBER IT MAY NOT
BE AS BIG OF AN ISSUE.
>> THE OLD SAYING, IT’S THE
ECONOMY, STUPID.
IS THAT WHAT WE GO BACK TO, WHEN
INFLATION IS RUNNING THE WAY IT
IS, IS THAT WHERE -- WHAT ENDS
UP DECIDING WHAT HAPPENS IN
NOVEMBER?
>> I THINK AT THIS POINT IT’S
HARD TO BELIEVE THAT IT ISN’T,
RIGHT?
YOU HAVE EVEN MODERATE DEMOCRATS
COMING OUT THIS WEEK,
CONGRESSMAN KILDE AND
CONGRESSMAN SLOTKIN FROM
MICHIGAN COSPONSORING A GAS
STACKS AND SO WE ARE DEFINITELY
SEEING THAT ACTUALLY REPUBLICANS
AND DEMOCRATS AGREEING GOING
INTO THE ELECTION.
THEY WANT TO PUT COVID BEHIND
THEM, ALTHOUGH REPUBLICANS ARE
GOING TO CONTINUE TO BRING UP
WHITMER’S HANDLING OF COVID
BECAUSE THIS SEEMS TO BE AN
ISSUE WINNING AT LEAST SOME
INDEPENDENT VOTERS.
>> THE ONES THAT DECIDE MOST OF
OUR ELECTIONS IN MICHIGAN.
STEVEN, WHAT DO YOU EXPECT
EVERYTHING TO TURN ON THIS YEAR
OR IS IT TOO COMPLICATED TO SAY,
TO BOIL IT DOWN TO ONE OR TWO
THINGS?
>> I THINK IT IS MORE ABOUT
MONEY THAN IT IS ABOUT COVID AT
THIS POINT AND INFLATION HAS
GIVEN THE DEMOCRATS FITS.
THEY HAVE NOT FOUND A WAY TO
TALK, I THINK, ABOUT THE BROADER
TRENDS IN THE ECONOMY, THE
STRANGE DYNAMIC WHERE YOU’VE GOT
ALL KINDS OF THINGS BOOMING,
INCLUDING WAGE GROWTH WE HAVEN’T
SEEN IN A LONG TIME AND OF
COURSE, THE STOCK MARKET IS
GOING CRAZY BUT INFLATION IS
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SEEING, YOU
KNOW, WHEN THEY GO TO THE STORE
AND THERE ISN’T A GOOD WAY TO,
YOU KNOW, COMBAT THAT.
DEMOCRATS HAVE TO COME UP WITH A
NARRATIVE THAT TALKS ABOUT THESE
THINGS IN THE ECONOMY THAT ARE
ACTUALLY WORKING AND SOME OF
THEM WORKING WAY BETTER THAN
THEY HAVE IN A REALLY LONG TIME
AND DEEMPHASIZE THE INFLATION.
>> STEVE, IF I PUT YOU IN CHARGE
OF BOTH SIDES, IF YOU’RE THE
KEMS, YOU WANT THIS ELECTION TO
BE ABOUT WHAT AND IF YOU’RE THE
REPUBLICANS, YOU WANT IT TO BE
ABOUT WHAT?
>> BOTH WANT IT TO BE ABOUT THE
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
THE DEMOCRATS WANT IT TO BE
ABOUT THE FORMER PRESIDENT,
DONALD TRUMP, AND THE
REPUBLICANS WANT IT TO BE ABOUT
OUR CURRENT PRESIDENT, JOE
BIDEN.
IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT JOE
BIDEN RIGHT NOW HAS A LOWER JOB
APPROVAL THAN DONALD TRUMP DID
AT A COMPARABLE PERIOD.
SO THAT’S WHAT THIS ELECTION IS
GOING TO BE ABOUT.
BOTH PARTIES ARE GOING TO FRAME
ABOUT BIDEN AND/OR DONALD TRUMP.
>> AND WE KNOW, TOO, TO THAT
POINT THAT THE PARTY IN POWER IN
THE WHITE HOUSE IN MIDTERMS
TENDS NOT TO DO VERY WELL.
SO I MEAN, THIS IS GOING TO BE
REALLY FASCINATING TO WATCH
ABOUT BIDEN BEING AT THE TOP OF
THE TICKET BUT HIS NAME NOT
BEING THERE.
>> AND AS STEVE POINTED OUT
BEFORE, THAT’S OFTEN BAD NEWS
FOR A GOVERNOR BECAUSE THEY
DON’T OFTEN COME UP IN THE
MIDDLE OF A MIDTERM WITH THEIR
OWN PARTY IN POWER AS WELL.
WE HAVE WATCHED A NUMBER OF
CHALLENGES TO THE REDISTRICTING
MAPS FAIL.
ARE THERE STILL ONE OR TWO STILL
HANGING OUT THERE BUT DO WE --
IS THIS IT?
DO WE BASICALLY HAVE A HANDLE ON
WHO IS RUNNING WHEREAS WE GET
NOT THAT FAR AWAY FROM THE
ELECTIONS?
THESE DECISIONS NEED TO BE
POURED.
>> WE GOT TO APRIL 9 SO I WOULD
DOUBT IT’S GOING TO BE THROWN
INTO EVEN MORE CHAOS.
I MEAN, IT’S THE INTERESTING
PART OF THIS WHOLE REDISTRICTING
POJT TO ME AT THIS POINT, IT
DOESN’T SEEM LIKE DEMOCRATS GOT
WHAT THEY PAID FOR IN PASSING
THE BALLOT MEASURE IN 2018.
CONGRESS COULD VERY WELL END UP,
IF IT’S A BIG REPUBLICAN, OUR
DELEGATION WITH THE REPUBLICAN
MAJORITY, I DON’T THINK THAT WAS
THE INTENT OF DEMOCRATS WHEN
THEY PUSHED THIS THROUGH.
I DON’T KNOW ABOUT THE
STATEHOUSE AND STATE SENATE.
STEVE MITCHELL WOULD PROBABLY
KNOW MORE ABOUT THAT THAN I DO
BUT THE MAPS DON’T LOOK THAT BAD
FOR REPUBLICANS.
>> IT LOOKS VERY GOOD FOR
REPUBLICANS.
THE SENATE MAP IS MORE DIFFICULT
BUT GIVEN THE YEAR, I SUSPECT
REPUBLICANS TO RETAIN CONTROL OF
BOTH HOUSES.
>> STEVE HENDERSON, ONE OF THE
THINGS WE’RE ALREADY SEEING
THAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN IS YOU’RE
GOING TO HAVE -- YOU GET TWO
SITTING DEMOCRATS HAVING TO RUN
AGAINST EACH OTHER.
WHAT ARE THE MORE INTERESTING
RACES LOOKING LIKE TO YOU NOW
THAT WE UNDERSTAND WHAT THE
LANDSCAPE LOOKS LIKE?
>> WE HAVE SOME PEOPLE WHO HAVE
NOT RAISED THEIR HANDS BEFORE
SAYING THEY’RE INTERESTED NOW
THAT THEY LOOK AT THE LINES.
ONE OF THE LESSONS OF THIS MAP
IS IF YOU TAKE POLITICAL
INTEREST OUT OF THE EQUATION TO
THE EXTEND THAT WE DID, WHAT YOU
END UP WITH IS SOMETHING THAT
MAKES A LOT OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE
REALLY UNHAPPY.
MAYBE THAT’S THE TEST WE OUGHT
TO BE USING.
THE PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT HAPPY
WITH THIS MAP INCLUDE
REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS AND
WE’RE JUST GOING TO HAVE TO
FIGURE OUT WHAT THE COMMUNITIES
THAT THEY HAVE CREATE READY
GOING TO LOOK LIKE ONCE PEOPLE
START TO VOTE.
I PREDICT THAT IN TWO OR THREE
CYCLES, PEOPLE WILL THINK A LOT MORE OF THESE MAPS THAN THEY
MORE OF THESE MAPS THAN THEY
HAVE OF THE MAPS BRAUN -- DRAWN
IN THE PAST.
YOU’RE GOING TO LOSE SOME
INCUMBENTS
INCUMBENTS, NO QUESTION, BECAUSE
OF THE WAY THIS WAS DONE.
>> SOME INTERESTING PEOPLE ARE
GETTING IN AND I WANT TO MAKE
CLEAR, PORTIA ROBERSON SAID
SHE’S NOT RUNNING JUST TO GET
OUT OF FLASH POINT.
THAT’S NOT THE CASE.
WHAT ARE -- WHAT LOOKS LIKE THE
MOST INTERESTING THING TO YOU AS
YOU LOOK AT THE NEW LINES?
>> WELL, I MEAN, JUST THE FACT
THAT YOU HAVE CONGRESSIONAL
DISTRICTS WHERE THERE WEREN’T
NECESSARILY HUGE NAMES TO JUMP
IN RIGHT AWAY, OPEN SEAT.
YOU FIND WE HAVE JOHN JAMES JUMP
IN VERSUS THEN YOU HAVE THE
DISTRICTS WITH TWO INCOUPLE
BEENS -- INCUMBENTS GOING AFTER
EACH OTHER.
I’M FASCINATED BY THE SLOTKIN
SEAT AND SINCE SHE WON, THAT
DISTRICT HAS BEEN SO INCREDIBLE,
SOMETIMES GOING FOR TRUMP AND
FOR HER, THUS WHY FOLKS LIKE
MODERATE DEMOCRATS ARE LOOKING
TO NANCY PELOSI IN THE HOUSE
BRINGING UP THIS GAS TAX
MORATORIUM AND SO WATCHING WHAT
THESE MODERATE DEMOCRATS HAVE TO
DO COME THIS MIDTERM IS GOING TO
BE FASCINATING.
>> IS THAT THE HOUND THAT’S
JOINING IN RIGHT NOW?
I LOVE THAT.
STEVE, YOUR REFLECTIONS ON WHAT
YOU JUST HEARD?
>> WHICH STEVE?
>> I’M SORRY.
STEVE MITCHELL.
YOU JUMP IN THERE ON THESE NEW
LINES AND NEW RACES.
>> I THINK THERE’S A COUPLE OF
FASCINATING RACES.
YOU HAVE ONE IN WEST MICHIGAN.
THE MICHIGAN DELEGATION.
THE ONLY THING THAT MIGHT SAVE
FRED UPTON FROM BEING DEFEATED
IN THE PRIMARY IS THE FACT THAT
THERE’S A THIRD CANDIDATE
BESIDES SHE AND THE CONGRESSMAN.
CARA HAS BEEN ENDORSED BY
PRESIDENT TRUMP AND THAT MAY
SAVE UPTON FROM LOSING.
THEN YOU’VE GOT THE LEVIN VERSUS
STEVENS RACE.
TWO INCUMBENTS IN MACOMB COUNTY.
I PUT MY MONEY ON LEVIN THERE.
AND DEBBIE DINGELL HAS A MOVE.
IT’S FASCINATING
>> AND I LOOK FORWARD TO
WATCHING IT ALL WITH THE FOUR OF
YOU AND NOLAN’S DOG