Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review believe Democrats downplaying the Obamacare anniversary shows it’s a winning issue for conservatives. They also scold Rick Santorum for suggesting Americans might as well vote for President Obama since Mitt Romney isn’t that different. And we dissect President Obama’s lame efforts to distance himself from Solyndra and claim he pushed the payroll tax cut because he knew gas prices would rise.
As part of his two-day trip to highlight his energy policies, President Obama stopped in Oklahoma to tout the Cushing pipeline and announce he is expediting its construction. But Obama’s event does not mesh with the truth, according to Kentucky Rep. Ed Whitfield, chairman of the House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Energy and Power. Whitfield says the pipeline from Cushing, Oklahoma, to the Gulf Coast is a privately funded venture and Obama had nothing to do with it. Whitfield says this is an attempt by the president to claim he is for pipelines while continuing to block the Keystone pipeline from Canada to Cushing. The congressman also rebuts arguments from the Obama administration that Republicans killed Keystone by demanding a hurried decision and that the GOP governor of Nebraska stopped the original plan from being pursued.
Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review breathe another sigh of relief that John Edwards never became president or vice president following revelations that he was a client of a Manhattan call girl ring and still owes the taxpayers $2.1 million from his 2008 campaign. They also wince as multiple economists raise fears of oil soon costing $200 per barrel. And they discuss the news that Al Qaeda was upset when MSNBC fired Keith Olbermann.
Bankrupted solar panel manufacturer Solyndra has been back in the news lately, but not for the right reasons. Reports in recent days showed that Solyndra used tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to buy its own products in order to make its balance sheet appear more solid. Florida Rep. Cliff Stearns is chairman of the Energy and Commerce Subcomittee on Oversight and Investigations. He offers his reaction to the latest revelations and explains why his probe of Solyndra and the Department of Energy loan program is in a holding pattern. Stearns also explains why he believes Energy Secretary Stephen Chu is wrong to give himself an ‘A’ on the issue of keeping energy prices under control. Stearns explains why he thinks Chu deserves an ‘F’ and a pink slip. The congressman also offers his reaction to President Obama’s plans to begin constructing the southernmost portion of the Keystone pipeline.
Congress has not declared war since World War II, although American participation in many future conflicts were approved in less formal ways. But on some recent occasions, our military has been ordered into harm’s way without any consultation with Congress. North Carolina Rep. Walter Jones says this has happened at least twice in his years in Washington. He says this is a direct violation of the authority the Constitution gives to Congress to declare war. Jones explains why this undermines the separation of powers and why he believes some very bad precedents have been set. Jones stresses this resolution is not aimed specifically at President Obama but he believes a healthy debate is warranted on the House floor about the role of Congress with respect to military hostilities.
Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review are encouraged that President Obama’s partial reversal on the Keystone pipeline is a sign he’s losing the energy debate. They also cringe as a Romney adviser says he’s not worried that his candidate got pushed too far to the right in the primaries because once the nomination is secured the campaign is like an an Etch-A-Sketch and Romney can start all over again. And they discuss the NFL drama of Peyton Manning landing in Denver and Tim Tebow being on the move.
Texas Rep. Bill Flores is a member of the House Budget Committee and collaborated with Chairman Paul Ryan and other members of the panel on the new GOP budget blueprint. Flores explains why the plan calls for two tax brackets and an end to loopholes. He also walks us through the provisions for reforming Medicare while keeping it the same for those in or about to enter retirement. Rep. Flores says Democratic accusations that the Ryan plan ends Medicare as we know it can’t possibly be true because President Obama already killed it through his health care laws. The congressman also discusses how much of a political football this budget plan could be in this election year.
On Tuesday, House Republicans unveiled their Fiscal Year 2013 budget blueprint. Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan is pushing for a simplified tax code and an end to the bulk of loopholes. He also advocates $5.3 trillion in cuts from projected spending over the next decade. Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist is very happy with the plan and says it’s the only plan being promoted that pulls us away from the financial abyss towards which our nation is heading. Norquist praises the Ryan plan for offering options in tax reform and for shoring up entitlements for generations to come. He also contrasts the Ryan budget with the budget put forward by President Obama earlier this year.
Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review applaud House Republicans for actually producing a budget and for offering one that looks at first glance to be rather responsible. They also discuss the revelations that President Obama’s emotional story about the fight his cancer-stricken mother had with her health insurance company is largely fabricated. And we comment on President Obama blaming Fox News for the big GOP wins in 2010 because Fox proclaimed incessantly that Obama was a Muslim.
The conservative blogosphere is abuzz over a 1995 video in which then-U.S. Attorney Eric Holder says in order to reduce youth gun violence that teenagers must be brainwashed and carrying a gun must be made as unpopular as cigarette smoking. Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert is a member of the House Judiciary Committee. He says this quote explains a lot about the administration’s motives in the failed ‘Fast & Furious’ operation. That’s the program that allowed guns into the hands of Mexican drug cartels and were responsible for the deaths of many people, including U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry. Gohmert explains how pursuing strict gun control laws were one of the main goals of the operation – only after gun dealers were pressured by the government to allow illegal sales. Also a former judge in Texas, Rep. Gohmert says the 1995 comments show Holder’s state of mind then and probably still today.
