Archives for November 2011

Part of the summertime agreement to avoid breaching the debt ceiling was a deal to vote on a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.  Next week, the House of Representatives will vote on the idea.  Republicans are admittedly short of the 290 votes they need to pass the amendment by a two-thirds majority.  So a new online effort is underway to pressure more Democrats to back the amendment.  So how important is a balanced budget amendment?  How popular is it with the American people?  Which version of the amendment will be voted upon?  And will there be exceptions for national emergencies like war or disaster relief?  We discuss it all with Joanna Burgos of the National Republican Congressional Committee.

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Greg Corombos of Radio America and Daniel Foster of National Review Online applaud the latest GOP debate as the most substantive to date.  They also groan over Rick Perry’s major stumble.  And they’re outraged after learning the military was placing unidentified remains of soldiers in a landfill.

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Earlier today, we learned of the passing of longtime ABC News Political Director Hal Bruno.  Hal was old school.  That means he believed in hard work, professional reporting and coverage of the meaty issues – characteristics sorely lacking in much of today’s political coverage.  Hal was widely known and widely respected as one of smartest, most knowledgeable people in the business.  He was a political encyclopedia.  Hal was also a tremendously nice man.  As a producer, I booked him as a guest many times following his retirement.  I also interviewed him a number of times for my own show.  I didn’t know him well, but what I knew of him I admired.  Hal was always good-natured and perfectly willing to contribute whenever his schedule allowed.  And if he had time to share some of his stories, you were in for a treat.  Hal Bruno was a true credit to American political journalism.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee continues to investigate the implosion of solar panel-maker Solyndra despite over half a billion dollars in guaranteed taxpayer loans.  And now the Obama administration is refusing to submit some of the documents requested by the committee.  We get reaction from Louisiana Rep. Bill Cassidy, a member of the committee.  Cassidy explains why the missing documents are important, whether Solyndra is the tip of the iceberg in bad government loans and what he makes of President Obama’s position that some investments pan out and this one didn’t.

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The Obama administration was poised to impose a 15-cent tax on every Christmas tree sold by vendors selling more than 500 trees.  But immediate uproar forced the administration to scrap the plan.  David Addington of the Heritage Foundation discovered the proposed tax and revealed it this morning.  How did he learn about this planned tax?  What was the supposed purpose of the money to be collected?  How credible is the administration claim that the public would not actually face this tax?  We discuss it all with Mr. Addington, who formerly served as chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney.

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Greg Corombos of Radio America and Daniel Foster of National Review Online enjoy watching Newt Gingrich destroy the mainstream media.  They also fear the impact if the Italian economy plummets.  And they slam the Obama administration for extending its intrusive, big government agenda all the way to the Christmas tree lot.

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The latest International Atomic Energy Agency report on Iran’s nuclear program is expected to reveal activities that can no longer be plausibly explained as part of a peaceful domestic energy program.  So what is this evidence?  How close is Iran to deploying a nuke?  Is Israel about to launch a preemptive strike?  Would an airstrike really cripple or set back Iran’s program?  We discuss it all with former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton.

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On Tuesday, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled 2-1 that the mandate for all individuals to purchase health insurance is not unconstitutional.  The suit was filed by the American Center for Law and Justice.  ACLJ attorney Ed White tells us how his organization got involved in the fight and why today’s decision ought to terrify all Americans.

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Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review like that Mitt Romney is telling people to expect more huge deficits and an economy looking more like Europe if Obama wins a second term.  They also groan at polls showing that voters in Ohio plan to overwhelmingly reject changes for state workers’ benefits and pensions.  And they react to President Obama and French President Sarkozy being caught on an open microphone at the G-20 Summit criticizing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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A pair of Congressional committees have recently been frustrated by a lack of cooperation from the Obama administration on subpoenaed documents.  They are not alone.  According to Pajamas Media, the Obama administration has been very slow to respond to Freedom of Information requests.  Until the past few days, the administration was pursuing a new rule that would give federal workers the right to lie to those seeking government documentation by simply claiming the papers do not exist.  So why would the administration even consider such a policy?  Has the lack of cooperation increased since Republicans took control of the House?  What is the expected response to a Freedom of Information request?  Is this president much different than his predecessors on this front?  And will the problem be lessened by the administration backing away from this proposed rule?  We discuss it all with Patrick Richardson of Pajamas Media.

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