MIRS Monday, October 5, 2026

So I didn't give you guys all a heads up on this.

But as the episode rolls out on Monday, October 5th, it is the eve, the day before Wood TV 8's Grand Rapids gubernatorial debate between Republican U.S. Representative John James and Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.

There's a debate scheduled as well at Wood TV for October 8th, which will be between U.S. Senate candidates Democrat Abdullah Syed and Republican Mike Rogers.

And with that being said, I absolutely have to ask, what do you all have on your bingo card for Wood TV's debate week? What is something that you're putting on that card that you think you're going to get a bingo with? Michael, you kind of have a dangerous smile on your face.

Yeah.

I was thinking the opposite.

The bingo card is what do we think they're going to talk about? I was thinking, what are they not going to talk about? Unfortunately, what I look for in these debates most often don't end up on a bingo card because I just use the example of vice president that came in to McComb recently.

I was expecting him to speak about the Canadian trade war, the tariffs, and that was never mentioned.

And so I would love to hear that from him.

information about that from Mike Rogers as well as Dr.

El-Sayed.

So I'm more so thinking about what's not on the bingo card that they should be talking about.

That's a great way to look at it.

I think that we will hear more of the same things that voters have a lot of fatigue with.

You know, data centers will be a battle.

I think we'll hear a lot of Medicare for all.

I think we'll hear a lot of corporate PAC spending, big business, you know, in the pockets of big business.

But the actual day-to-day kitchen table issues, I have fatigue from that term too.

But it's true.

Are we going to hear what they're going to actually do to fix that? these things to make things more affordable, to make Michigan a more educated state? What are the actual day-to-day issues that they're planning to address and how? And debates just aren't a great forum for getting into the weeds of that.

I think you're going to see some election integrity warfare between Jocelyn Benson and John James at the gubernatorial debate for better or for worse.

I think you're going to see Jocelyn Benson put the pressure on John James of why won't you say that we have safe elections here in the state of Michigan? Why won't you condemn us? Donald Trump, President Trump, for saying that he did not that he did not lose the state of Michigan in the 2020 election cycle when he had lost to Joe Biden.

And then I think you're going to see then John James kind of try to push back and make the argument of, oh, is it appropriate? For someone to be administering an election where they're at the top of the ballot.

And I think you're going to talk to you about those misprinted those misprinted enhanced driver's license that came out in, I believe, what was it like September or late August, I believe.

I think it's really silly to have the debate about should the secretary of state administer the election, because that's literally how our democracy runs.

So I didn't give you guys all a heads up on this.

But as the episode rolls out on Monday, October 5th, it is the eve, the day before Wood TV 8's Grand Rapids gubernatorial debate between Republican U.S. Representative John James and Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.

There's a debate scheduled as well at Wood TV for October 8th, which will be between U.S. Senate candidates Democrat Abdullah Syed and Republican Mike Rogers.

And with that being said, I absolutely have to ask, what do you all have on your bingo card for Wood TV's debate week? What is something that you're putting on that card that you think you're going to get a bingo with? Michael, you kind of have a dangerous smile on your face.

Yeah.

I was thinking the opposite.

The bingo card is what do we think they're going to talk about? I was thinking, what are they not going to talk about? Unfortunately, what I look for in these debates most often don't end up on a bingo card because I just use the example of vice president that came in to McComb recently.

I was expecting him to speak about the Canadian trade war, the tariffs, and that was never mentioned.

And so I would love to hear that from him.

information about that from Mike Rogers as well as Dr.

El-Sayed.

So I'm more so thinking about what's not on the bingo card that they should be talking about.

That's a great way to look at it.

I think that we will hear more of the same things that voters have a lot of fatigue with.

You know, data centers will be a battle.

I think we'll hear a lot of Medicare for all.

I think we'll hear a lot of corporate PAC spending, big business, you know, in the pockets of big business.

But the actual day-to-day kitchen table issues, I have fatigue from that term too.

But it's true.

Are we going to hear what they're going to actually do to fix that? these things to make things more affordable, to make Michigan a more educated state? What are the actual day-to-day issues that they're planning to address and how? And debates just aren't a great forum for getting into the weeds of that.

I think you're going to see some election integrity warfare between Jocelyn Benson and John James at the gubernatorial debate for better or for worse.

I think you're going to see Jocelyn Benson put the pressure on John James of why won't you say that we have safe elections here in the state of Michigan? Why won't you condemn us? Donald Trump, President Trump, for saying that he did not that he did not lose the state of Michigan in the 2020 election cycle when he had lost to Joe Biden.

And then I think you're going to see then John James kind of try to push back and make the argument of, oh, is it appropriate? For someone to be administering an election where they're at the top of the ballot.

And I think you're going to talk to you about those misprinted those misprinted enhanced driver's license that came out in, I believe, what was it like September or late August, I believe.

I think it's really silly to have the debate about should the secretary of state administer the election, because that's literally how our democracy runs.