Archives for June 2010

Sen. John Barrasso says he has witnessed a ‘helpless’ administration deal with the Gulf of Mexico oil spill which is now in its ninth week.  What does he think Obama should have done differently?  What should be his first priority right now?  Should the government mandate the creation of a fund paid for by BP but doled out by the government?  And is this the time to pursue the president’s energy agenda or precisely the wrong time?  We ask Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, a member of the Senate Energy Committee and Environment and Public Works Committee.

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President Obama is back along the Gulf coast pushing for better results on the oil spill and trying to shore up his own reputation.  And North Carolina Rep. Bob Etheridge is forced to apologize after roughing up a young man on video last week.

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President Obama is on a two-day trip to the Gulf coast, and will address the nation on the oil spill and energy policy on Tuesday night.  Is Obama showing the nation that he is on top of all this or has the public already declared his efforts a failure?  How tough is it to reverse public perception?  We ask Rich Galen, former press secretary to Dan Quayle and Newt Gingrich and author of the online column mullings.com.

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North Carolina Rep. Bob Etheridge was not supposed to be in political danger this year, but now the seven-term Democrat is in serious damage control mode after being seen yelling at student journalists and even grabbing them angrily.  So how will this impact his re-election effort?  Will his apology make this embarrassment go away?  We ask National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Paul Lindsay.  We also get his thoughts on the impact of the Tea Party.

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After two weeks of withering international condemnation, Israel has agreed to ease its blockade on Gaza with respect to food.  Why did Israel allow this?  How do we know Hamas will allow the food to get to the people?  Does this compromise Israeli national security?  We ask Dr. Walid Phares of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.  We also get his reaction to the U.S. sending $400 million in aid to Gaza.

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President Obama has ordered a six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling leases in the wake of the massive BP oil spill.  But what economic impact will this moratorium have on the U.S. economy and on jobs along the Gulf coast?  Just how much energy is beneath the Gulf of Mexico?  Why is the Obama response short on substance?  We ask Elizabeth Ames Jones, head of the Texas Railroad Commission, which is the state agency which oversees energy production.

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Liberals allege that conservatives are pushing an agenda through changes they’ve approved to Texas history books.  So the Capitol Steps call on the most famous Texan of all to verify the accuracy of the changes.

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On Wednesday, four major figures in the conservative movement will be honored as the seventh annual Bradley Prizes are awarded at the Kennedy Center in Washington.  What is the Bradley Foundation and why does it give these awards?  What ideas and work is honored by the awards?  And who are this year’s winners?  We ask Mike Grebe, president and CEO of the Bradley Foundation.

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In just two weeks, the Senate Judiciary Committee will begin confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan.  Why are many college students concerned about the impact Kagan might have on the court?  What issues raise red flags for them right now and which ones could impact them in the years ahead?  And what kind of influence could young activists have on the confirmation process?  Radio America’s Jasen Sokol looks at this week’s “Keep Out Kagan” event and how the confirmation fight is heating up online.

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On Thursday, the U.S. Senate is taking up a bill from Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski that would forbid the EPA from regulating carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.  Why is this imperative?  Why should the idea of expanded EPA power scare every small business owner in America?  We ask William O’Keefe, CEO of the Marshall Institute and former CEO of the American Petroleum Institute.  He will also discuss President Obama’s moratorium on new offshore oil leases.

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