“I know James Craig, but he has thin skin. […] This was a statement by the Republicans and those folks that came there that this is their choice, we have crowned him the nominee…” – Adolph Mongo
LANSING — Over the weekend on Deadline Detroit’s “The Week That Was” hosted by Craig Fahle, local panelists gave their candid reactions to Detroit native James Craig’s “off-Broadway” dress rehearsal that took place before the Jackson County Republican Party last week.
As has been noted previously by MDP and repeated here, James Craig continues to refuse access to local press, dodging questions that would give Michiganders any insight into where he stands on one of the main issues that already define this primary — commitment to challenging the legitimacy of our elections. Instead of answering questions, Craig spends his time huddling with his cabal of political consultants who tell him exactly what to say and sitting for chummy Fox News interviews.
Key comments from Fahle, talk radio host Adolph Mongo, and Detroit journalists Nancy Kaffer and Nancy Derringer are excerpted below:
Deadline Detroit “The Week That Was” host Craig Fahle
“We saw this with John James of course running twice for Senate here in Michigan, losing both times. The Republicans really trying to get people to embrace him. Now James Craig seems to be the flavor of the day in the hopes that they can somehow defeat Gretchen Whitmer next year. James Craig, I’m not sure about this. He’s made the forays into Fox News…but is anyone really going to push him on policy issues any time soon?”
“If he loses, it’s probably not that bad for him because I really think a whole lot of this is designed to get him more facetime and paid facetime on Fox News. That seems to be the playbook for a whole lot of people. And if not them, Newsmax or OANN, or one of those places.”
910 AM radio host Adolph Mongo
“I know James Craig, but he has thin skin. We’re going to see when the press and the political folks come at him how he will handle that. I think this was a statement by the Republicans and those folks that came there that this is their choice, we have crowned him the nominee, and we’re going to fix him up. We’re going to see how they are going to package him because he is a work in progress. At this point, he isn’t ready to take on the governor.”
“Recruiting Craig to run for office is the same as the Republicans who went to Milwaukee and went and got David Clarke the sheriff, another nut job. I don’t have to tell you. They lost on that one because he fizzled out. […] Craig will not like criticism. He’s sticking to a script…what does Maxine Waters have to do with the issues here in Michigan?”
Detroit Free Press columnist Nancy Derringer
“There was nothing really specific to Michigan…there was nothing about the need for infrastructure spending, or anything like that. It was strictly culture war.”
“It started a little rocky. He was reading from [tele]prompters.”
Detroit Free Press columnist Nancy Kaffer
“The thing that Chief Craig would have to make the case for on a candidacy is what is the thing he can do for Michigan that he can credibly promise to do. He doesn’t have a track record that suggests he can fix the damn roads. Where are his credentials on education?”
“I think the idea that he’s going to pull off any significant number of votes in Detroit is not a thing. He might do better than John James, but that’s a pretty low bar.”
