Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America return with three crazy martinis. First, they shake their heads as President Trump tweets that those who died for our country would be really proud of his economic record. They also roll their eyes as liberal politicians and media figures express outrage over images of illegal immigrant children being confined to cages – until they learn the images are from 2014 during the Obama administration and then delete their tweets. And they react to California scrambling to find records for tens of thousands of voters who were mistakenly enrolled twice, all of this just a week before primary day in the state.
California
Florida Senate Slugfest, Twitter CEO’s Real Agenda? Seeing Government as Parents
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America have fun with three different headlines, starting with the news that Florida GOP Gov. Rick Scott will run for U.S. Senate this year, possibly giving Republicans their best chance of winning that race. They also scratch their heads as Twitter CEO and supposed free speech champion Jack Dorsey describes a Medium article as a “great read” after it calls for all of America to follow the progressive path of California, says that conservatism must be thoroughly defeated, and labels Republicans as “bad guys on the wrong side of history.” And they fume after former First Lady Michelle Obama likens the presidencies of her husband and Donald Trump to parenting children. They also get a kick out of Mrs. Obama saying we shouldn’t look to make someone president just because they give a good speech.
Senate Dems on the Ropes, Sanctuary State Showdown, Let’s Try Socialism?
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America welcome a new Axios/Survey Monkey poll showing five incumbent Senate Democrats losing to specific or unnamed Republicans right now and a few others barely ahead. They also rip California for brazenly impeding efforts of federal immigration officials and wonder where all the liberal love for states’ rights was when Arizona wanted to enforce federal laws when the federal government refused to do it. And they swat down a Washington Post columnist for suggesting the U.S. pursue a socialist system and dig deeper into why so many people are not satisfied with the way things are going right now.
GOP Senate Hopeful Believes California Winnable
Conventional wisdom suggests 2018 will be a good year for Democrats but one GOP candidate believes not only that Republicans can win but that he can win in California – one of the bluest states in the U.S.
John Estrada is challenging incumbent Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who is seeking a fifth full term and her sixth overall election to the U.S. Senate. Estrada is a U.S. Navy veteran, a small business owner, and a decades-long activist in California Republican politics.
He ran twice for Congress in the 1990’s and once for lieutenant governor in 2014, bowing in the primary each time.
Estrada says his reasons for getting in the Senate race are simple.
“I care about America. I want to help the America First agenda. I have been in the military and I care about my fellow veterans and the people in the military that are trying to keep us safe,” said Estrada.
He says his Navy service showed him just how special the United States is.
“During that time, I got a chance to travel to a lot of foreign destinations which were pretty incredible. I learned how great America is and how great it has to continue to be,” said Estrada.
There’s a reason that sounds similar to Make America Great Again. Estrada is running as an unabashed pro-Trump Republican.
“I think Donald Trump has really put a strong message to America and the world that America needs to be first, so I will work with the president,” said Estrada.
Estrada is also clear about why he thinks Feinstein ought to lose her job.
“If somebody has been in office for 25 years and hasn’t done her job yet, I think it’s time to move on. I think California and America needs a change,” said Estrada.
He points specifically to Feinstein’s work as the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee and what he sees as her lack of effort into determining the role of the FBI during the 2016 campaign.
“I hold her as one of the responsible parties. She isn’t overseeing the process of what’s going on with the FBI and why they’re going rogue on us,” he said.
In 2016, Hillary Clinton defeated Donald Trump in California by nearly a two-to-one margin. On that same ballot, two Democrats faced off in the general election as a result of the state’s primary system that advances the top two vote-getters to the general election.
Since 2016, California effectively became a sanctuary state and passed laws making it a crime to call someone by the “wrong” gender pronouns while significantly lessening the penalties for knowingly infecting someone with HIV. This year Democrats are pushing legislation to raise state taxes on corporations and jail waiters for giving plastic straws to customers without being asked.
So is winning in California beyond hope for Republicans?
“Not at all,” said Estrada, who believes he can win votes other Republicans cannot.
“I truly believe I have the ability to cross over party lines, get conservatives and independents and make it a very competitive race,” said Estrada.
Estrada says Republicans just need to address what really matters in California.
“I think (former House Speaker) Tip O’Neill said is greatly many years ago, and that’s that all politics is local. What I have found is that the problems in California can be solved by the federal government,” said Estrada.
He says water access is a good example of this.
“We have a great opportunity to bring sustainable, safe, clean, water for our residents. Unfortunately, environmentalists have allowed so much of this fresh water to go into the Pacific Ocean and we keep losing opportunities to save that in water storage facilities,” said Estrada.
“With federal dollars, I think we can build enough water storage facilities to help everybody out, all water users,” said Estrada.
Estrada would also take aim at the Endangered Species Act, which he says California and the federal government are using to stifle economic development and even the construction of low-income housing, which he says is a major contributor to the growing problem of homelessness in the Golden State.
But while Estrada has issues he is most passionate about, he says his actions will be dictated by what the people of his state want from him.
“I will take my personal views, being a conservative and take a look, case by case, at how we can help the people of California, because really, it belongs to them. It’s their state and I’ll be working for them,” said Estrada.
But he is quick to add that when he serves the people of California, he means the citizens of California.
“We have to help our citizens first. America is a very generous nation. When there’s disasters across the world, we’re there helping everybody, but there’s a lot of corrupt administrations around the world – a lot of dictators and a lot of corruption – and America’s got to lead,” said Estrada.
Trump Doesn’t Fire Mueller, Left Freaks Over DACA Concession, Left Coast Lunacy
David French of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America are amused by the media frothing over President Trump allegedly trying to have Special Counsel Robert Mueller fired seven months ago, while largely overlooking the fact that Mueller wasn’t fired. They also discuss President Trump’s major concessions on amnesty in his his immigration legislation framework – concessions that haven’t stopped his critics from accusing the president of being a white supremacist who is tearing apart families. And they throw up their hands as the majority leader in the California State Assembly proposes penalties of six months in jail or $1,000 fines for any waiter who gives a customer a plastic straw without being asked.
Libs & Columbus, Cali’s Crazy Sexual Politics, Pence’s Protest & Trump Uncorked
David French of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America start the week with a whole menu of crazy martinis. They rip CNN and other social justice types for declaring President Trump’s Columbus Day statement insufficient because he didn’t mention the suffering that the explorers inflicted upon the indigenous people who were already adept at slaughtering each other. They’re also staggered as California enacts one law to criminalize the use of pronouns that conflict with a person’s stated gender identity and another law that no longer makes it a felony to expose a partner to HIV without telling them. And they react to Vice President Pence leaving Sunday’s Colts-49’ers game after some 49’ers knelt during the national anthem and President Trump’s tweetstorm against Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker.
CA Dem Dissension, Healthcare Exasperation, Hill Staffers’ Crimes Exposed
Pro-Life Court Victory, FBI Strikes Out, Social Media Gestapo
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America celebrate with the pro-life community over the news that a California court is dropping 14 of 15 charges against activists David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt, whose undercover videos show Planned Parenthood illegally selling aborted baby body parts. They also express concern over the FBI’s reluctance to state that the Alexandria shooter was politically motivated. And they discuss reports that German police are raiding homes and interrogating people over controversial social media posts.
Voter ID Irony Nails Dems, Ossoff Takes the Lead, Right Response to Terrorism
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America enjoy watching California Democrats fight over who won the election to be the next state party chairman, with supporters of the losing candidate alleging lax voter identification enforcement. They also wince as Jon Ossoff moves to a seven-point lead over Karen Handel in the special House race in Georgia. And they sigh as the Manchester terrorism attack elicits more generic calls for unity rather than identifying the obvious motivation for such heinous attacks.
Trumping the Green Agenda, More Health Reform Hiccups, ACLU Strikes Again
David French of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America discuss President Trump’s executive orders that scrutinize the amount of land designated as national monuments and Obama-era restrictions on offshore drilling. They also groan as it looks like the update health care bill is also struggling to find the votes to pass. And they take aim at the ACLU for suing a Catholic hospital for refusing surgery for a transgender patient.