Congressman Glenn Thompson Says No to Punxsutawney Phil Getting Replaced

Punxsutawney Phil isn’t going anywhere, except maybe back in his hole on Groundhog Day to signal 6 more weeks of winter … so says the congressman representing the city of Punxsutawney.

Rep. Glenn Thompson tells TMZ … PETA calling for the famous Pennsylvania groundhog to be retired and replaced by an AI robot is crazy and goes against something he strives for — job creation.

Thompson’s half-joking about supporting Phil’s right to work like any other resident of Punxsutawney, but he’s serious about what the groundhog means to the city and its economy … and calls PETA’s suggestion “crazy” and misguided.

The animal rights organization argues groundhogs — which are mostly solitary animals — are subjected to “great stress” during the February 2 tradition and claims an artificially intelligent robot that could actually predict the weather would be better for all parties.