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Archives for September 2018

Brat: Legislative Success Will Mean Midterm Success

September 6, 2018 by GregC

Listen to “Brat: Legislative Success Will Mean Midterm Success” on Spreaker.

Congress still has time to accomplish major legislative goals this year and one embattled incumbent believes success in Washington will lead to success back home in November.

Rep. Dave Brat, R-Virginia, stunned the political world by toppling then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in the 2014 Republican primary.  This year Brat finds himself in a toss-up race against Democratic challenger Abigail Spanberger.

The race leaves voters in the Old Dominion’s seventh congressional district with a stark contrast between the free market-oriented Brat and a staunch liberal challenger in Spanberger, who favors sanctuary cities and government-run health care.

Brat says the venom of the far left is up close and personal in his campaign.

“The last town hall I had, this hard left fringe is swearing at the pastor while he’s giving the opening prayer.  It’s all on tape.  Abigail Spanberger was in the front row and didn’t do anything about it,” said Brat.

But before November 6 arrives, Brat and his congressional colleagues hope to pass major legislation that proves to voters that they can still be entrusted with the majority.  Brat says getting the spending bills done is at the top of the list, but he also wants to see action on health care, immigration, opioid addiction treatment funding and more.

In holding town halls, Brat says the one thing that transcends party is that frustration everyone has with the health care system.

“I had Democrats, independents, and Republicans.  They would sit down with horror stories.  ‘I’ve got one insurance company.  I’ve got one prescription drug.  I have no alternatives.  I can’t choose another company.  I can’t choose another prescription.  I have to pay whatever price they have.  My doctor’s not involved in it in any way shape or form,'” reported Brat.

He’s hearing the same stress from small business owners, who either can’t afford to hire skilled workers or offer health benefits at all.

Brat points out that the Senate has not done a budget resolution yet for this year so leaders could still pursue budget reconciliation, which would allow a health care bill to pass with a simple majority in the Senate.

Brat thinks turning around major repeal legislation in two months is a tall order but that it would also send a powerful message to voters that Republicans will do what they promise to do.

“That would be a home run if we could accomplish that.  The election would be over,” said Brat.

While not diving too much into what would have to be included in a GOP plan to win his support, Brat says Spanberger and the Democrats want government to have complete control over health care, even though “Medicare for all” carries a 10-year price tag of $32 trillion.

Brat says the Richmond Times-Dispatch ran the numbers and discovered that both personal and corporate income taxes would have to be doubled to pay for that.

“That would not put you into a recession.  That would put you into a depression,” he said.

The alternative of course is bigger deficits, which Brat condemns, but Democrats can now say that Republican leadership is producing trillion-dollar deficits as far as the eye can see.  Brat says that’s true but not because of the tax cuts passed last year.

He says three percent growth is enough to offset the tax cuts and anything greater, like the 4.2 percent growth posted in the second quarter of this year, will lead to a net positive.  Brat says the real culprit is the $400 billion in new spending agreed to back in February in both chambers of Congress.

Brat is also hoping to see progress on immigration policy through the budgetary process.  He wants to see funding for President Trump’s border wall and also hopes to see Congress approve mandatory E-Verify programs, by which all employers must confirm that their employees are in the country legally.

“That would be a huge component.  E-Verify goes a long way to making sure we have a legal workforce,” said Brat, who says rooting out illegal hires would lead to higher wages for citizens and legal residents and help the country see what areas of the economy need help through legal immigration.

He says immigration enforcement is another clear difference in his campaign, pointing out that prominent Democrats who endorse Spanberger, like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, want to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.

“I want to defend ICE.  I want to help them keep our country safe.  The left wants to prosecute the ICE agents who work every day, put their life on the line to keep us safe,” said Brat.

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Filed Under: News & Politics, Podcasts Tagged With: Abigail Spanberger, congress, Dave Brat, immigration, Obamacare, spending, taxes

The Long Goodbye, Anonymous Op-Ed Frenzy, Booker’s Bogus Stand

September 6, 2018 by GregC

Listen to “The Long Goodbye, Anonymous Op-Ed Frenzy, Booker’s Bogus Stand” on Spreaker.

Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America get a kick out of Missouri Rep. Billy Long drowning out a protester during a House committee hearing by drawing upon his old auctioneering skills.  They also scratch their heads as an anonymous administration official writes an op-ed in the New York Times to explain how the Trump White House is in chaos and that many people are secretly thwarting Trump’s worst instincts, but they wonder why anyone would go public about secretly undermining the president.  And they roll their eyes as Cory Booker invites punishment for releasing confidential materials connected to the Brett Kavanaugh hearings – and that was before we found out the documents were no longer actually confidential.

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Filed Under: News & Politics, Podcasts Tagged With: Billy Long, Brett Kavanaugh, Cory Booker, Laura Loomer, National Review, New York Times, op-ed, President Trump, Three Martini Lunch

Kavanaugh Shines, Dems Embarrass Themselves

September 6, 2018 by GregC

Listen to “Kavanaugh Shines, Dems Embarrass Themselves” on Spreaker.

Two days into confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, Judicial Crisis Network Chief Counsel Carrie Severino believes Kavanaugh is proving himself to be a brilliant, thoughtful jurist while Democrats look ridiculous by trying to throw up roadblocks and encourage protesters.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is holding three days of hearings this week.  Before the proceedings began, more than forty Senate Democrats announced their opposition to the Kavanaugh nomination.  Severino agrees with Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C, about how that makes Democrats look.

“If this were 20 years earlier, he would have gotten 90-plus votes.  Judge Kavanaugh is someone who has a dozen years on the bench, 300-plus opinions to his name.  He’s so smart that he’s recognized as being one of the leading federal judges by litigators across the spectrum,” said Severino.

On Tuesday, Democrats on the committee interrupted Republicans dozens of times to protest the late release of more than 40,000 pages of documents.  Severino says Americans need to realize the documents have nothing to do with why Democrats are trying to stall.

“Don’t be confused.  This is not the reason they want to postpone it.  They had a conference call earlier in the day that Sen. (Richard) Durbin admitted to, talking about what they were going to do.  ‘Are we going to walk out of the hearings?’  Ultimately, they decided to disrupt the hearings.

“It’s actually been really shameful.  There were 70 people arrested yesterday for disrupting the hearings, not just the senators interrupting 44 times.  These are people standing up, shouting, being dragged out of the room.  You even had some of the senators encouraging them and rooting them on.  This is so disrespectful to the process,” said Severino.

She says the Democrats are making a spectacle about ancillary issues because they have no good reason to oppose Kavanaugh and some are trying to boost their own political ambitions.

“They’re going for ratings.  They’re going for get out the vote efforts.  Three of the people on the committee are running for president in 2020.  They’re interested in cutting campaign video, not in finding out about the nominee,” said Severino.

Even when Democrats got down to asking questions Wednesday, Severino says it was clear that many were looking to grandstand than listen to Kavanaugh’s responses.

“Especially Democrat senators, they just want to ask the question and then go, ‘Mic drop’ and walk away.  You can’t just do that.  [Kavanaugh] was saying, ‘No, there’s an answer to that question.  You might think that was quite witty, but there really is an answer,'” said Severino.

In fact, Severino was most impressed by Kavanaugh’s thoughtful and thorough explanations about the various cases he has considered.

“I think he really shines when he’s explaining his logic.  He doesn’t try to hide and tell them what he thinks they want to hear.  He’s happy to explain carefully,” said Severino.

Listen to the full podcast to hear Carrie Severino’s analysis of how Kavanaugh handled Democrats trying to pin him down on various issues and what she thinks the vote on Kavanaugh is likely to be at this point.

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Filed Under: News & Politics, Podcasts Tagged With: democrats, Kavanaugh, protesters, SupremeCourt

Sasse’s Constitutional Smackdown, Kyl Replaces McCain, Rahm Finally Leaves

September 5, 2018 by GregC

Listen to “Sasse’s Constitutional Smackdown, Kyl Replaces McCain, Rahm Finally Leaves” on Spreaker.

Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America savor three good martinis for conservatives.  First, they applaud Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse for reminding his fellow senators of the constitutional purpose of the judicial branch, how Brett Kavanaugh out to be evaluated, and why the political “charades” needs to stop.  They also cheer Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey for naming former Sen. Jon Kyl to replace John McCain in the U.S. Senate until the 2020 election.  And they welcome Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s decision not to seek another term and reflect on his disastrous record in both Washington and the Windy City.

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Filed Under: News & Politics, Podcasts Tagged With: Ben Sasse, Chicago, Ducey, Emanuel, Kavanaugh, Kyl, mccain, National Review, Three Martini Lunch

Will Kyl Appointment Revive Obamacare Repeal?

September 4, 2018 by GregC

Listen to “Will Kyl Appointment Revive Obamacare Repeal?” on Spreaker.

A leading health care policy expert is imploring congressional Republicans to renew the push for an Obamacare repeal or risk the full wrath of many of their constituents, and timing for such a move just got better.

On Tuesday, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey tapped former Sen. Jon Kyl to fill the U.S. Senate vacancy created by the death of Sen. John McCain, bringing a staunch conservative back to the Senate perhaps the decisive vote on repeal legislation.

Galen Institute President Grace-Marie Turner is part of a coalition pleading with Congress to take up the issue again – specifically on a plan to send power out of Washington and back to the states to establish their own rules for their own health systems.

She says many lawmakers like the idea but are reluctant to bring it up just two months before Election Day.

“They’re so frightened of bringing health care up again after the failed vote in July of last year,” said Turner.  They’re afraid of bringing it up again and failing.”

However, Turner says they might have more to fear from doing nothing based on the scolding lawmakers are getting from voters this campaign season.

“Members are getting hammered on the campaign trail because they haven’t done anything to give people relief from the high costs and the limited choices of Obamacare,” said Turner.

She cited one Virginia voter who makes over $100,000 per year but is saddled with monthly health insurance payments of more than $4,000 per month because the Obamacare exchange only offers one plan.  The rising costs are more than eating up the raises and extra income from the recent tax cuts.

“That’s what they’re hearing on the campaign trail: people trying to do the right thing and the costs just go up and up and up,” said Turner.  “The markets are really imploding.  The pools are not stable.”

In giving power back to the states, Turner says Republicans would once again be trumpeting what most Americans have always known.

“One of the things we’ve learned is that the federal government just cannot manage anything as complex and diverse as health insurance markets in the fifty states.  We need to give them not only more power but new resources to begin to give people more choices of more affordable coverage,” said Turner.

Turner says 46-47 Republican senators are on board with the prescribed legislation while a handful of others are diving into the specifics.  She says Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, want specific provisions for their states.  Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, wants a bigger focus on health savings accounts, and other conservatives want regulatory relief.

Listen to the rest of the interview with Grace-Marie Turner to hear all of her thoughts on the health care debate, the midterm elections, and how the liberal and media push for single payer is a tacit admission from the left that Obamacare is a failure.

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Filed Under: News & Politics, Podcasts Tagged With: Kyl, mccain, Obamacare, repeal, Trump

Confirmation Hearing Hysterics, Kerry Comes Clean, Inherited Senate Seats

September 4, 2018 by GregC

Listen to “Confirmation Hearing Hysterics, Kerry Comes Clean, Inherited Senate Seats” on Spreaker.

Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America sigh as Democrats repeatedly interrupt the start of the Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearings in a futile attempt to delay him from joining the court.  They also give John Kerry credit for explaining how President Obama’s failure to enforce the red line over chemical weapons in Syria led to major diplomatic headaches.  And they respond to calls for Meghan McCain to replace her father in the U.S. Senate by saying such seats are not family heirlooms and any family members who wants to serve should have to get elected.

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Filed Under: News & Politics, Podcasts Tagged With: Brett Kavanaugh, John Kerry, John McCain, Meghan McCain, National Review, red line, Supreme Court, Syria, Three Martini Lunch, U.S. Senate

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