Archives for September 2011

A dispute between parties over whether to offset additional disaster aid funding with cuts in other areas triggered another showdown in recent days on Capitol Hill.  It turns out FEMA was able to find enough money to get through the month, but what did this latest debate show us?  Why did Republicans insist on cuts elsewhere in exchange for more disaster recovery assistance?  What was the Democratic response to GOP calls to pay for the extra disaster aid?  How might the Democrats be compared to a teenager?  We discuss it all with Texas Rep. Blake Farenthold, who also urges his own party to get moving on appropriations bills or else risk losing the moral high ground with Democrats on fiscal responsibility.

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On Saturday, President Obama told the Congressional Black Caucus to stop complaining and put on their marching shoes for him and his agenda.  But how frustrated are black Americans with Obama and the results to date of his agenda?  How are many of them reacting to his demand that they stop complaining?  Why did such language get such a positive response from the very people he was scolding?  And are black voters really ready to look for another candidate or sit out the 2012 campaign?  We talk with Deneen Borelli, a fellow with the Project 21 Black Leadership Council.

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Greg Corombos of Radio America and Daniel Foster of National Review Online are happy to see Obamacare and the individual mandate fight coming to the Supreme Court sooner than many expected.  They also groan as President Obama fields a town hall question from a man pleading to have his taxes raised and unload as the government bans typical asthma inhalers and mandates more environmentally friendly ones that are much more expensive.

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President Obama says it’s time for the rich to pay their fair share in taxes.  So, what percentage of income is earned by those targeted in the Obama plan, and how does that compare to the percentage they pay in taxes?  What exactly does Obama mean by a “Buffett Tax” and how much would it be?  Why will Americans see higher investment and Medicare taxes even if the Obama plan fails?  What other taxes does the Obama plan include that could make an upcoming flight very uncomfortable for you?  And will any of this make a serious dent in our national debt?  We discuss it all with Peter Sepp, executive vice president of the National Taxpayers Union.

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Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review Online are glad to see Herman Cain’s campaign get a shot in the arm with a win in the Florida straw poll.  They’re also weary of the latest Chris Christie speculation and fear he could be getting pushed into this race even though he doesn’t want to run.  And they have some fun with Obama finding critical common ground with Lady Gaga – on the campaign against bullying.

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South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson says the Obama administration would be wise to veto any resolution trying to advance Palestinian statehood.  But Wilson also believes Obama missed a golden opportunity at the United Nations to condemn Iran’s terrorist activities and nuclear weapons program.  Why is Wilson strongly opposed to Palestinian statehood?  Does a peace process even exist right now?  What should be our policy toward Israel?  And what does Wilson wish Obama would have said about Iran and Syria?  We discuss it all with Rep. Joe Wilson.

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Former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer is now the only major Republican presidential candidate to be excluded from the televised GOP debates.  What does he make of the networks continuing to ignore him?  How are actual voters responding to his message?  And how would he have answered some of the most important questions from Thursday’s debate?  We discuss it all with Buddy Roemer, a former Louisiana congressman and governor who is now seeking the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.

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Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review Online are glad it will be tough for President Obama to duck the Solyndra scandal after company executives plead the 5th before Congress.  They also slam Rick Perry for suggesting anyone who opposes his in-state tuition for illegals doesn’t have a heart.  And we wonder why Rep. Thaddeus McCotter is endorsing Mitt Romney just months after describing Romney and Obama as “running mates”.

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Despite an economy in crisis, Middle East tension and an intense presidential campaign, millions of Americans were outraged to learn Facebook had changed several of its features this week.  The Capitol Steps try to put the Facebook craze in perspective.  Our guest is Steps star Elaina Newport.

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In the final weeks of the 2010 health care debate, Democrats added a long-term care provision known as the CLASS program.  Democrats pitched the program as reducing the cost of the health care overhaul by $70 billion over 10 years.  So why do experts on both sides of the aisle now see the CLASS program as a financial time bomb that will saddle taxpayers with another massive entitlement?  If that happens, what will it mean for the care that members of the CLASS program receive?  What can Congress do about it?  And what parallels are there between the CLASS program and Solyndra in terms of what was promised and what taxpayers actually get?  We discuss it all with Texas Rep. Mike Burgess, a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

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