Radio America Online News Bureau

Trump

Dems Unveil Same Agenda, Trump Staff Rumors Swirl, Fury Over Phelps vs. Shark

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Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America rib Democrats for their new “Better Deal” agenda which looks a lot like their old agenda. The hysterics continue at Pennsylvania Avenue following the resignation of Sean Spicer and the hiring of Anthony Scaramucci, with more possible changes on the horizon for Jeff Sessions and other characters; Jim and Greg remind Americans of Scaramucci’s not-so-conservative political past. It’s unclear what the Twitterverse expected from Discovery Channel’s “Great Gold vs. Great White” event in which Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps “raced” a great white shark, but they are outraged by the use of CGI in place of a real shark — much to Jim and Greg’s amusement.

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Trump’s ‘Unfortunate Decision’ on Iran

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President Trump made an “unfortunate mistake” by re-certifying the Iran nuclear deal on Wednesday and he was pushed into a decision he didn’t want to make through the power of an entrenched government bureaucracy, according to former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton.

On Monday, after almost an hour of animated debate with his national security team, President Trump reluctantly declared that Iran is complying with the terms with the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, hammered out by the Obama admnistration, Iran, and five other nations.

“It was an unfortunate decision for the administration to issue this certification,” said Bolton.  “I think the president was blindsided by the bureaucracy.”

Bolton, who served in the State Department during the first term of the George W. Bush administration, says the foreign policy bureaucracy is a powerful force in Washington.

“It was the bureaucracy on autopilot from the Obama administration.  If you don’t tell them to change direction, they just keep doing what they were doing before,” said Bolton.

But it’s not just Obama holdovers pushing the status quo.  Reports confirm that Defense Secretary James Mattis, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford all pleaded with Trump to re-certify the agreement.

Bolton says the bureaucracy has a way of winning over new cabinet members to embrace existing policy.

“The bureaucracies have a way of capturing the appointees.  Some of those (Trump officials) are still in the bureaucracy or never really left it.  It’s an art form.  People who know Washington, particularly who have watched the State Department seduce political appointees, especially Republicans and they make reasonable-sounding arguments that are simply justifications for continuing the prior policy,” said Bolton.

The Iran deal has now been re-certified twice in the first six months of the Trump administration.  Each time, the official recognition of Iranian compliance has been accompanied by a Trump administration denunciation of Iran’s human rights record and sponsoring of terrorism.

Bolton says the disconnect is jarring.

“It’s a committee camel that came out and it reflects the confusion that happens when you don’t give the president options and when you don’t allow time for a full debate.  Those mistakes will not be made again,” said Bolton, who firmly believes Trump will not certify the agreement again.

Those who applauded the decision to re-certify say abrogating the deal would create a great deal of chaos, particularly with our allies who were part of the negotiations with Iran.

Bolton doesn’t think that should be a deterrent from doing the right thing.

“If the allies are going to be upset by something, what you do is a vigorous diplomatic campaign to explain why we think the deal was a mistake, indeed why they made the same mistake we did, and why we’ve got to correct it before it’s too late,” said Bolton.

“The consequences of a bad deal are a regime of religious fanatics in Iran getting nuclear weapons,” said Bolton.

Bolton says the problems with the JCPOA are legion, starting with the painfully unclear language that he says Iran can manipulate and insist it is meeting its obligations.

“Many provisions of the deal are so badly worded, they’re so ambiguous, that a reasonable person could say, ‘The Iranians came right up to the line of their interpretation of the deal and they didn’t cross it so it’s hard to say it’s really a violation.’  That’s the argument,” said Bolton.

“That argument fails for several reasons.  First off, the fact that the agreement is badly worded is one more reason to junk it.  It shows just how poorly our negotiators, including Secretary of State John Kerry, did.  It shows the leeway that it affords Iran.  And it shows the way forward.  They’re going to press the ambiguities right to the outer limit,” said Bolton.

And he expects Iran to eventually blow right past those limits.

“If they can hide what they’re doing, they’re going to press beyond the outer limits and make it impossible to enforce the deal strictly.  That’s part of the problem.  The deal is so bad that trying to enforce it strictly is like trying to nail jello to the wall,” said Bolton, while also nothing the deal offers no inspections of Iranian nuclear sites and has no binding provisions concerning ballistic missile development.

Bolton says the bottom line is that nothing has changed as a result of this agreement.

“Iran has never abandoned its policy to get deliverable nuclear weapons.  It’s exploiting this deal.  It’s made temporary, easily-reversible concessions.  It’s cooperating with North Korea, which is getting ever closer to its own deliverable nuclear weapons capability,” said Bolton.

“We’re living in a delusion if we think this deal is slowing Iran down,” he added.

So what is the right U.S. posture?  Bolton says the U.S. bring back economic sanctions immediately and be prepared to do whatever needs to be done to prevent Iran from being able to deploy nukes.

“To be realistic, if we don’t want Iran to have deliverable nuclear weapons, if that’s really what we believe, we and Israel have to look at a military option,” said Bolton.

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Inside the Election Commission

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One of the newest members of the Presidential Commission on Election Integrity says he is impressed that the bipartisan group appears to be on the same page of protecting the rights of eligible voters while putting provisions in place for those who shouldn’t be casting ballots.

He also categorically rejects assertions from the political left that the commission’s actual intent is to disenfranchise vulnerable segments of the population who are unlikely to support President Trump, such as minorities, immigrants and the poor.

On Wednesday, the commission held its first meeting, a public session at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building adjacent to the White House.  Vice President Mike Pence is chairman of the commission, while Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach serves as co-chairman.

Hans von Spakovsky is among the most recently appointed members and is excited that the group seems clear on its task.

“This is a bipartisan commission but I was really struck by the unanimity of all of the commissioners on all of the issues we need to look at, the kind of data we need to gather, and the work that needs to be done,” said von Spakovsky, who also serves as the manager of the Election Law Reform Initiative at the Heritage Foundation.

He says the goal of the commission is clear.

“This commission is going into this with an open mind, no preset conclusion, and we were directed to do everything we can to take a look at, review, and examine the American election process and make sure, in essence, that every American who’s eligible can vote and no one’s vote is stolen through voter fraud or administrative mistakes,” said von Spakovsky.

President Trump has ordered the commission to report on its findings and offer recommendations by next year.  Von Spakovsky says gathering data is the first big step and getting voter information from the states is the key to understanding whether people who shouldn’t be voting are gaining access to ballots anyway.

“That’s obviously important data when it comes to looking at the kind of problems that may be out there,” said von Spakovsky.

However, the request for data is sparking significant controversy, with many Democratic state officials refusing to comply with at least parts of the request.  Critics of the president’s decision to create the commission allege that the commission will end up sparking action to disenfranchise poor and minority voters, who are unlikely to back the president or have the means to protect their rights.

Von Spakovsky says that assertion is ridiculous.

“That’s really an absurd claim,” he said.  “It’s really just a nutty claim, frankly.  Look, this is an advisory commission.  It has no power of any kind.  It has no ability to tell anyone what to do.  It’s only purpose is to research the issues.  And all it can do at the end is to make recommendations to the president, to the states,” said von Spakovsky.

When the formal recommendations come next year, von Spakovsky says there could well be calls for Congress or the Justice Department to take action, but he says any meaningful clean-up of the voter rolls will have to happen state by state.

While the data continue to come in, von Spakovsky’s own research shows three major areas of concern when it comes to election integrity: non-citizens voting, citizens voting in multiple jurisdictions, and the names of dead people remaining on the rolls and being vulnerable to abuse.

Von Spakovsky says getting everything right is a major task.

“It is a big job.  About five years ago, the Pew Center did a study and they found almost three million people registered in more than one state and almost two million people who were dead still on the voter rolls,” said von Spakovsky.

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Blasting Drones & Regulations, McCain’s Diagnosis, Trump Vents About Sessions

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Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America start with an appetizer by cheering the U.S. Navy’s use of a new laser weapon meant to target small watercraft and drones. They also praise the Trump administration for its success in halting hundreds of regulations that would stifle job growth and business expansion. They also address the tragic news that Arizona Sen. John McCain is diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, and they express disgust at the tasteless and nasty reactions from both sides of the political spectrum. And they sigh over President Trump griping to the media about his frustrations over Attorney General Jeff Sessions recusing himself from the Russia investigation.

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‘Tone Deaf Up in the Bubble’

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Senate Republicans appear unable to pass a straight repeal of Obamacare or a more comprehensive plan, and one of the most fiscally conservative members of Congress says the GOP either needs to do what it promised or prepare to watch the rest of the Trump agenda wither away.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he still plans to hold a vote on repeal, identical to the one that passed Congress in 2015.  However, four Republicans are already opposed, including three who voted for the the 2015 plan which was ultimately vetoed by President Obama.

Sens. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Shelley Moore Capito, R-West Virginia, are the ones now opposing the plan they backed two years ago.  Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, is also opposed, but she also opposed the 2015 bill.

For those pounding the table for repeal, the dashing of hopes in the Senate is stunning.

“I thought there would be some movement toward the 2015 plan, but then the three senators who previously voted for the 2015 bill came out and said they were going to vote against the 2015 bill.  That is fairly shocking,” said Rep. Dave Brat, R-Virginia, a member of the House Freedom Caucus and the House Budget Committee.

“When you vote 50 times to repeal and you say you’re going to repeal, then it’s fairly simple.  You ought to do what you told the American people you were going to do.  So now these folks are really, really hurting the Republican brand,” said Brat.

He says the GOP needs some serious soul-searching.

“What do we stand for?  Do we stand for small federal government?  Do we stand for free markets?  Do we stand for fiscal responsibility or are we just going down the Democrat path and bankrupting the country?” asked Brat.

“The rest is just pure politics and I don’t care for that realm.  The first principles are what made us the greatest country on earth.  You put Adam Smith and James Madison together and you get some great outcomes.  We’re departing from those first principles every day,” said Brat.

He says what many Republicans are focused on in Washington is a far cry from what voters want from them.

“I just don’t understand how you can be that far off the reservation politically and that tone deaf to what the American people want.  Everybody back home is just yelling to get it done.  We’re once again tone deaf up in the bubble,” said Brat.

Brat is also frustrated by how Republicans have tortured a simple policy approach into something far more complicated.

“Once you change the definition of repeal…to a health care thing run by the federal government with all sorts of subsidies and billions of dollars for other programs attached, you’re getting too far away from Republican first principles.  The messaging hasn’t been good because we keep twisting the meaning of common sense words,” said Brat.

Brat is also concerned about how the failure to pass health care legislation will impact other major priorities in this Congress, especially major tax reform.  He says between not eliminating Obamacare taxes and the expected scuttling of the border adjustability tax, Congress is already starting with a two trillion dollar disadvantage.

As a result, the Trump administration is now adjusting it’s push for a corporate tax rate.  Instead of dropping it to 15 percent, Brat says the president’s team is now gunning for the 20-25 percent range.

He says the GOP simply cannot screw up tax reform.

“The worst thing we can do is to goof up tax reform and not get this economy rolling again.  Everything hinges on that,” he said.

Brat still hold out hope for a health care bill since President Trump is still energized to get something done, although Brat suggests the president has been more “transactional” in his approach and needs to be more specific about what he wants.

However, Brat is not enthused about bringing Democrats into the talks since that would lead to government in health care.

“I think he’s starting to recognize that when you move toward the Democrat side, the policy end up utterly complex and fails,” said Brat.

The congressman also laughs off the assertion of Democrats that Republican opposition to Obamacare – and not the law itself – is responsible for uncertainty that drives up the cost of premiums and deductibles for many Americans.

“What’s a central planner going to say about the monopoly.  It’s never their fault because they own it,” said Brat.  “They have to give that kind of response because they don’t have a free market system that is sustainable over the long run.”

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GOP Flip-Floppers, Trump’s 2nd Putin Meeting, Mensch’s Russia Madness

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Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America shake their heads in disgust as a straight Obamacare repeal appears doomed in the Senate, due to opposition from multiple Republican senators who voted for the very same bill two years ago – when they knew it would be vetoed.  They also react to reports that President Trump engaged in a dinner conversation with Vladimir Putin without any other members of his staff, including a U.S. translator.  And they wonder if an intervention is necessary for liberal writer Louise Mensch, after she tweeted that unnamed people might seek the death penalty for White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon due to his supposed espionage on behalf of the Russians.

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GOP’s Healthcare Failure, Iran Deal Angst, Sessions Sanctions More Seizures

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Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America endure three bad martinis today as two more GOP Senators bail on the plan to overhaul Obamacare and a new effort to vote on a clean repeal is already in grave danger of failing.  They criticize President Trump for keeping Obama’s infamous Iran Nuclear Deal without giving his advisers enough time to develop a new policy.  Attorney General Jeff Sessions is another source of disappointment today as he declares his intention to increase the use of civil asset forfeiture, which allows the federal government to seize the property of suspected criminals — without charging them with a crime.

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Secret Service Disputes Sekulow Claim, Sanders Cries Sexism, Coulter v. Delta

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Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America start the week off with three crazy martinis, beginning with the Secret Service disputing a Trump lawyer’s claim that it vetted the people who met with Donald Trump Jr. in June 2016. They also scold both Jane Sanders and Kellyanne Conway for asserting – in separate situations –  that harsh criticism of them is a result of their gender. And they sigh as Ann Coulter unloads on Delta Airlines in a Twitter rant after having her seat assignment changed.

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VA Cleaning Up, Impeachment Idiocy, Kid Rocks the Senate?

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Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America praise the leadership of new Veterans Affairs Secretary Dr. David Shulkin as he makes sweeping administrative changes to improve veteran care. They also dismiss California Democratic Rep. Brad Sherman’s introduction of articles of impeachment against President Trump while California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom implores his party to tone down impeachment rhetoric. And they enjoy the news that rock star Kid Rock is seriously considering a run for the U.S. Senate in Michigan and speculate about future celebrity candidates.

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Bolling Urges Trump to Drain the Swamp

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Fox News host Eric Bolling says corruption in Washington has been around since D.C. became the nation’s capital but that it’s getting worse, is a plague on both parties, and that President Trump is in a unique position to uproot the system.

That’s the focus of Bolling’s latest book, “The Swamp: Washington’s Murky Pool of Corruption and Cronyism and How Trump Can Drain It.”

Bolling, an unabashed Trump supporter, says politicians have been corrupted by all sorts of vices since our founding but says the infusion of big time lobbying money really changes the game into what we witness today.

“As more and more money got introduced, the type of scandal changed and they all became money scandals.  Literally hundreds of billions of dollars come to D.C. on an annual basis to find a home in lawmakers’ pockets for votes.  Everyone became corrupt.  Everyone became up for sale,” said Bolling.

He says many lawmakers come to Washington with the best of intentions but the system quickly swallows them up.

“Some actually think they’re actually going to go there and make a difference and be difficult from the typical swamp creature that resides in D.C.  But when they get there, they realize how lucrative it is,” said Bolling.

He offered an example of how the swamp gets deeper.

“A senator’s salary is $174,000 a year.  You say that’s a lot of money but not if he were in the private sector.  So he gets there and says, ‘After taxes, I make a hundred grand, but I can go and have a lobbyist pay for my dinner every single night of the week, maybe even fly my family to Mexico for a vacation as long as we talk about something of material importance to my district.’

“They come back from these dinners or these trips, and then the lobbyist says, ‘Thanks for the time, but the people I represent want you to vote this way on that water issue coming up next week.’  That may be something the lawmaker was going to vote against.  All of a sudden it’s, ‘I like these things and my family loves these trips, so I’ll vote for it to keep the gravy train coming,'” said Bolling.

Bolling stresses that this is a problem afflicting both parties.

“There’s so much special interest and corporate money flying around on both sides of the aisle,” said Bolling.  “I’m getting phone calls from some Republicans in the book.  Well, let’s call them ex-friends.  They don’t want to talk to me anymore.”

While lobbyists and lawmakers find themselves entangled, critics of President Trump suggest his history of back scratching in the business world makes him more likely to perpetuate the problem than to solve it.

Bolling strongly disagrees, starting with the notion that what Trump his in his real estate ventures was anything like what happens in Washington.

“Back scratching is one thing.  That’s not what they’re doing.  They’re buying and selling influence.  If you and I were to do some of the things they’re doing, we’d go to jail,” said Bolling.

Despite the entrenched swamp in Washington, Bolling believes Trump is uniquely qualified to effectively undermine business as usual.

“He’s going to treat the country like a business rather than how the politicians have treated the people over the last 24o years, where, ‘It doesn’t matter.  I’m not paying for it.  Go ahead and buy it it no matter what the price is,'” said Bolling.

He says Trump’s actions over the first six months are encouraging.

“He continues to call out and get rid of people.  It doesn’t matter if they’re on his staff or are Republicans or Democrats.  If you’re not holding your end of the bargain, if you’re not treating the country and the taxpayer and the voter the way you would treat an investor in a company, get out.  There’s no reason for you,” said Bolling.

Bolling is also bullish on the policies coming out of the White House.

“He stepped into D.C. and he started rolling back regulations,” said Bolling.  “People’s eyes glaze over when you talk about that until you realize that the rollback of the regulations is the reason the stock market is making new highs every week and the reason we have more Americans employed now than ever in history.”

Bolling says another key is Trump making good on not allowing people in his administration to jump over to a lobbying position until at least five years after leaving government service.

“If he holds by that, that’ll be a big, big, big start to draining the swamp,” said Bolling.

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