Newly-elected Minnesota Republican Chip Cravaack made a debut of sorts Tuesday night as a member of a Fox News "focus group" of GOP freshmen on the eve of their swearing-in to Congress. Cravaack sat in the front row of the assembly, which at times resembled a well-dressed high-school civics class with Fox News pollster and analyst Frank Luntz serving as teacher/discussion leader. Hardly one the most vocal members of the class, Cravaack averred that "the majority of us have never been politicians, and we're here because we've got skin in the game. We have a future that we're here to fight for." Topic A was cutting spending and curbing debt, though there was little in the way of specifics – a difficulty that could haunt the GOP as it takes over the reins in the U.S. House. Amid much cross-talk in response to host Sean Hannity's question about maintaining a debt ceiling and being willing to shut down the federal government, Cravaack could be heard to say "the easy answer is yes." But he didn't elaborate and it wasn't clear which question he was answering.
