Michigan members of Congress point the finger at the media for elevating conflict in government

Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Bruce Twp.) at the Mackinac Policy Conference, May 30, 2024 | Anna Liz Nichols

Michigan’s two Democratic U.S. senators and two Republican U.S. representatives joined together at the Mackinac Policy Conference on Mackinac Island this week to discuss the current political climate and what it takes to get things accomplished in Washington.

Both the U.S. House and Senate are closely divided, with Republicans controlling the former and Democrats leading the latter.

But it’s hard to focus on working towards progress when news and other media platforms make political attacks the main story of the day, lawmakers said.

“Stop covering it,” U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Bruce Twp.) said Thursday in regard to news outlets. “When the cameras are gone, when the microphones are out of your face, it’s a totally different environment.”

The moderator, Nolan Finley, the Detroit News’ editorial page editor, opened up the conversation with McClain, U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing), U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Twp.) and U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Tipton) by asking, “When did Congress become a junior high school cafeteria?”

Finely then referenced the recent exchange of “mean girl taunts” between Republican U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Democratic U.S. Reps. Jasmine Crockett of Texas and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. 

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) speaks at a Macomb County Trump rally, Oct. 1, 2022 | Laina G. Stebbins

Greene said in a House Oversight Committee meeting that she thought that Crockett’s “fake eyelashes are messing up” her ability to understand what she was reading. Crockett responded by asking the chair if it would be appropriate for anyone on the committee to reference “somebody’s bleach-blonde, bad-built, butch body.”

Peters said bad behavior gets rewarded with attention and overshadows the reality that bipartisan work happens. It’s up to news outlets, lawmakers and constituents to be firm and not allow conflict to be rewarded.  

“This is performative politics, … I guarantee you that each of those individuals raised a ton of money when they went out there and said, ‘Look at this … we’re out here attacking each other’ and people are giving their $20, $25. And so what you get is you get more bad behavior,” Peters said. “Even if the media doesn’t cover it, although they do … it’s still on social media.”

Stabenow, who is retiring this year, said what was said in that committee was “embarrassing,” adding that the four panelists on stage may be from different political makeups, but want to get things done in Washington.

And as Americans it’s in our DNA to come together when bad things happen or we’re faced with challenges, Stabenow said, recalling in her first term as U.S. senator when the 9/11 attacks happened. Then-U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland said she should start singing and members of congress sang “God Bless America” on the U.S. Capitol steps after the attack.

U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing) at the Mackinac Policy Conference, May 30, 2024 | Anna Liz Nichols

“I will never forget that day. I would love to see that coming together regardless of outcome or election of people coming together and standing on the steps and being able to sing, ‘God Bless America,’” Stabenow said.

What’s happening in the world and holding power accountable can’t be avoided, Stabenow said, pointing at the Jan. 6, 2020, attack on the Capitol from supporters of former President Donald Trump who didn’t accept the result of the election.

McClain and Walberg both voted not to certify election results in January 2021 in some states.

While Democrats placed the blame on Trump for the current partisan divide marked by insult-hurling, Walberg called for lawmakers to control what they can and take responsibility for their own actions. Even so, leadership matters, Walberg said. And so if the Democratic President Joe Biden administration wants to see more bipartisanship, he has to come to the table with Republicans and understand they represent a large portion of the country.

“I think the main premise of what we’re talking about today is what we can control. As a member of the House I want to be the one that helps control our body so that overwhelmingly we do work together,” Walberg said. “I think that’s possible and I’m glad to have senators from Michigan from the opposite party that we can sit on the plane together, we can communicate together and ride motorcycles together.”

U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Twp.) at the Mackinac Policy Conference, May 30, 2024 | Anna Liz Nichols

Walberg and Peters are in the Congressional Motorcycle Caucus together, a fact that was frequently brought up during the discussion.

McClain, who entered Congress in 2021, talked about her perception of politics and bipartisanship upon arrival in turbulent times.

“I thought I was to hate. … I thought I was not supposed to engage and have conversations with the other side because I was supposed to be pure. In divided government, I’m just going to tell you, it doesn’t work,” McClain said. “My biggest surprise was how functioning Congress was. … If you remove the media, we all want what’s best for the next generation. We all want us to leave the next generation, our children, in a better spot than they are now. … We all can agree that we want to put Michigan at the top of the list.”

Although lawmakers from opposite sides of the aisle often have different ideas of how to leave a better world for the next generation, there are areas of consensus in Michigan of how to make Michigan a better state, such as investing in mental health, Stabenow and McClain said. They both expressed gratitude for each other’s work on that issue.

Even with the desire for collaboration in governance, Stabenow said it can’t be ignored that some politicians just want chaos and that’s when common ground is hard to attain.

“There are people who honestly are coming to Congress opposed to government and their agenda is to shut it down. Their agenda is to create chaos. That’s when it gets tough,” Stabenow said.

U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing) (L) and Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Bruce Twp.) (R) at the Mackinac Policy Conference, May 30, 2024 | Anna Liz Nichols

The panel of lawmakers was asked if they trust each other, Stabenow and Peters said yes.

McClain said, “Heck no,” which was greeted with some laughs from the audience. She then said that everyone on the panel is “predictable” and trust comes through relationships and time. So far, McClain said she can trust that Stabenow and Peters seem to care about the welfare of some common areas that she values.

Walberg recalled lessons he learned from his time serving alongside the late U.S. Rep. John Dingell (D-Dearborn), the longest-serving member in congressional history.

“He had a policy to never campaign against a colleague in Michigan and I asked him why. He said because we have to work together and what he was saying is we have to trust each other. We don’t agree with each other, but we’ve got to trust that we’re going to deal openly and fairly and we’re not going to intentionally hurt, even at the campaign process,” Walberg said. 

“That didn’t mean that he didn’t endorse my opponent, for instance, but he wasn’t in there with his sleeves rolled up like a John Dingell could do. That taught me a lot and I think our conference to the greatest extent, is still that way, our delegation, and that promotes trust.”

U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Tipton) at the Mackinac Policy Conference, May 30, 2024 | Anna Liz Nichols

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