Archives for January 2012

On Tuesday, the Congressional Budget Office projected a deficit of $1.1 trillion in 2012, jobless rates to stay well above 8.0 percent and economic growth to stay around two percent.  Nebraska Sen. Mike Johanns says these numbers prove that the Obama agenda is not working  and is actually making things much worse.  Johanns is stunned that Obama hardly even referenced deficits in his State of the Union speech.  He also says projections of much lower deficits in the coming years will not happen because those estimates assume all of the Bush tax cuts will expire.  Johanns says scrapping the Bush tax cuts would depress our economy.  He also gives a glimpse at the fiscal restraint Senate Republicans will be advocating this year.

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After watching more than a week of ad blitzes, debates and character attacks, Florida Republicans will decide the winner of today’s primary and the recipient of its 50 delegates to the GOP convention later this year.  Florida Rep. Dan Webster tells us why the economy will undoubtedly be the top issue for Floridians this year and why he believes President Obama has failed to make economic conditions better there.  Webster also discusses the negative tone of the campaign in Florida and whether it will turn off independents and some Democrats away from the eventual Republican nominee.

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One of the provisions of the president’s health care plan that helped to make the package fiscally palatable was the CLASS Act.  It’s a program originally designed to allow people to pay a small amount monthly for a few years and then receive about $18,000 per year if they require long-term care in a nursing home or some other way.  Last year, the Obama administration announced it was not implementing the program because it was no fiscally sound.  But at the same time, Obama says he opposes its repeal.  The fight comes to the House of Representatives on Wednesday, as GOP lawmakers try to repeal the provision.  Most Democrats will defend it.  Grace-Marie Turner of the Galen Institute joins us to explain how the CLASS Act originated, why it was deemed financially unfeasible and why there needs to be a repeal effort when it’s not being implemented right now.

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Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review like a new poll showing Republican Denny Rehberg in very good shape to defeat incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Tester.  They also groan as the Congressional Budget Office projects high deficits, little job growth and sluggish economic growth in 2012.  And they wonder why the D.C. government and police don’t seem interested in enforcing the laws when it comes to the Occupy movement.

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Former Michigan Rep. Pete Hoekstra is running for U.S. Senate against Democratic incumbent Debbie Stabenow.  Hoekstra says Michigan suffered through a deep recession because of a terrible tax code, too much regulation and way too much spending.  He says Washington has followed suit and reaped the same dismal results.  Hoekstra says Michigan’s new governor has reversed course in those three and the economy is picking up as a result.  Hoekstra also says President Obama deserves some credit for reviving the auto industry but fears the president is also saddling the industry with the same type of mandates that crippled it in the first place.  The former House Intelligence Committee Chairman also weighs in on the proposed military spending cuts and warns not to gut our national intelligence system like we did prior to 9/11.  And Hoekstra tells us which Republican presidential candidate would do his campaign the most good in Michigan.

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Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review cheer the remarkable recovery of three-year-old Bella Santorum after a very serious health scare and give Rick Santorum credit for putting his child before his campaign.  They also rip the Occupy movement for once again demonstrating it’s real legacy is lawlessness, anarchy and destruction of property.  And they have some fun with Herman Cain’s endorsement of Newt Gingrich.

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Missouri Rep. Todd Akin is seeking the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill later this year.  The six-term congressman tells us what he’s hearing most from voters across his state and he gives his reasons for why Sen. McCaskill does not deserve a second term.

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Missouri Rep. Todd Akin is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and is not at all comfortable with the amount of cuts in military spending proposed by the Obama administration.  Rep. Akin explains why the sheer volume of cuts is alarming to him and which specific reductions in funding and personnel concern him most.  Also an expert in sea power, Akin details why Obama’s proposed focus on Asia requires many more ships rather fewer.  He also highlights the concerns expressed by Obama’s own defense secretary.

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President Obama claimed in his State of the Union message that since his economic policies took effect, three million jobs have been created.  Is that true?  Americans for Limited Government ran the numbers and concludes that not only is Obama’s total wrong, it’s horribly misleading.  ALG Senior Editor Robert Romano explains how the basic arithmetic does not add up and why the average rate of job creation suggests the overall unemployment rate should be increasing or remaining about the same.  Romano explains what the unemployment rate would be if the labor force had not shrunk dramatically in the past three years and why Obama’s claims still don’t work, even if you try to add “saved jobs” as well.

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President Obama delivered his State of the Union message on Tuesday.  While Obama tried to paint a positive picture on the economy, it was clear he felt much more comfortable discussing the one undeniable achievement of the past year – killing Osama bin Laden.  The president mentioned it twice in his speech and even used the skill and teamwork of the Navy SEALs as a metaphor for how he wants government to function.  But the Capitol Steps are pretty sure that Obama wanted to celebrate even more – as evidenced in their parody, “Under the Sea”.  Our guest is Capitol Steps impressionist Mark Eaton.

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