Archives for April 2012

Last week, the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals demanded a written explanation from the Obama administration as to what it saw as the court’s role in reviewing acts of Congress.  Most reports suggested a much more deferential tone from Attorney General Eric Holder than we heard from President Obama just a few days earlier.  But Grace-Marie Turner of the Galen Institute says that’s not the case.  Turner says Holder stated the obvious in the beginning of the letter that the courts can strike down Congressional resolutions, but the rest of the letter seemed to echo Obama.  She explains why the administration’s written position still seems to be an attempt to intimidate the court – an effort she says seems to be failing given the soaring approval ratings for the court.  Turner also reveals why she’s even more optimistic that the individual mandate and possibly the entire health care law could be overturned.

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Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review cheer Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal for successfully passing his education reforms.  They also wince as James O’Keefe once again demonstrates the ease of voter fraud – this time by easily gaining access to Eric Holder’s ballot in the DC primary.  And they sense some progress in the effort to stop labeling every political squabble as “the war on…”.

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Last week, House Republicans passed their budget for Fiscal Year 2013 without a single Democratic vote.  This week, President Obama ripped the GOP budget as one that gives more breaks to the rich, burdens the poor and threatens everything from higher education to Medicare to accurate weather forecasts.  Obama called the plan a Trojan horse and claims it would lead to social Darwinism.  Missouri Rep. Todd Akin is a member of the House Budget Committee.  He says House Republicans are the only ones serious about producing a budget and that the president’s remarks are little more than baseless scare tactics.  Akin also explains how taxpayers can be misled by the term ‘spending cuts’ – since some consider cuts actual reductions in spending and others use it to refer to reductions in projected spending increases.  And Akin tells us why he’s more than happy to have voters choose between the House GOP budget and the Obama budget that received zero votes in the House.

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About a year ago, members of the Iraqi army killed 34 members of the People’s Mujahedin of Iran at Camp Ashraf.  The story drew little coverage but serves as a symbol of countless mistakes from both the Bush and Obama administrations in Iraq.  That’s the opinion of retired U.S. Army Col. Wesley Martin, who was commander of Camp Ashraf at the time of the massacre.  Martin explains why he’s outraged that the Iranian group was considered a terrorist group by our own government at the time and still is today.  He also offers his blunt response to the official government response that removing the terrorist label on such groups would risk more involvement from Iran inside Iraq.  Col. Martin also explains why he is very pessimistic about the future of Iraq, why he expects Iraq to drift further away from the U.S. and why many of the problems there stem from mistakes made by the U.S. before the war even began.

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The 2012 presidential candidates have been aggressively raising money, but some of their biggest help is coming from the supposedly independent Super PACs that are popping up on behalf of the different campaigns.  And as usual, the Capitol Steps have their own unique take on this new political wrinkle.

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Greg Corombos of Radio America and Daniel Foster of National Review are encouraged by a national poll showing Mitt Romney ahead of President Obama even in the midst of a bruising primary.  They also discuss the rocket strike from Egypt into Israel and what is means for the stability of that relationship.  And they remark on the Republican National Committee video showing President Obama using the exact same language he used last year to condemn Paul Ryan’s budget.

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On Monday, President Obama raised many eyebrows by claiming the Supreme Court would be taking an unprecedented, activist step by striking down all or part of his health care laws.  Fierce criticism ensued and the administration has sought to water down those words for the rest of the week.  Texas Rep. Michael C. Burgess is a longtime physician and says Obama likely failed to influence any of the justices if that was his intent.  Burgess also speculates whether Justice Elena Kagan may have tipped off the administration as to the way this decision could go.  He also wonders why Obama is claiming the courts can’t strike down Obamacare while simultaneously asking federal courts to declare the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional.  Burgess says without action by the Supreme Court or major changes mandated by voters in November, the full enactment of Obamacare will “crater the ship of state.

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Mitt Romney took an important step towards the GOP nomination this week by sweeping primaries in Wisconsin, Maryland and the District of Columbia.  But Rick Santorum says only half of the delegates have been determined and he intends to keep his campaign going all the way to the convention.  John Gizzi of Human Events says he takes Santorum at his word but still believes Romney will wrap up the 1,144 delegates he needs before the convention.  He explains how Romney can do that and why Santorum and Newt Gingrich will stay in the race even though they know the odds are stacked against them.  Gizzi also weighs in President Obama’s strong comments about the Supreme Court, his harsh criticisms of Paul Ryan’s GOP budget and the rocket launched into Israel from Egypt.

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For weeks now, the highly emotional story of George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin have elicited very strong opinions.  But away from the details of this case, the mainstream media are badly misrepresenting the facts of the so-called “stand Your Ground” laws in Florida and 40 other states.  Economist John Lott is also the author of “More Guns, Less Crime”.  He explains why the actual laws are much more restrictive than the media would have us believe and those who use deadly force to defend themselves could still face criminal charges.  Lott walks us through the laws and tells us what factors need to be in place for a successful defense based on these laws.  And he details the impact “Stand Your Ground” laws have had on crime rates in the states where they have been implemented.

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On Wednesday, the First U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments on the constitutionality of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act.  The law allows each state to define marriage for itself but also permits states to deny recognition of marriages that don’t meet its definition.  The statute also makes clear that the U.S. government defines marriage only as the union of one man and one woman.  In 2010, a federal judge declared the law unconstitutional, asserting that it discriminated against legally married gay couples because they were denied federal benefits that traditionally married couples in their state received.  Mathew Staver is the founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel.  He says the lower court’s decision was based on very weak reasoning and that there are many things a state government may allow people to do that the federal government does not.  He says the federal position of only recognizing marriages between a man and a woman proves that no discrimination is occurring.  Staver also scolds the Obama administration for refusing to defend the law and tells us whether this could be the next big showdown at the U.S. Supreme Court.

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