Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America groan as President Trump disinvites the Philadelphia Eagles from their White House visit, after most players decided to boycott the event. They also laugh as the normally loquacious Sen. Ted Cruz is left speechless after being asked if he thinks President Trump has the power to pardon himself. And Jim rips outgoing Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz for his pathetic noncommittals on the 2020 presidential race, while explaining how Schultz would likely be a flop in the Democratic primary.
national anthem
Clinton & Obama Silence, Twitter Censors GOP Video, NFL Madness Gets Worse
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America give credit to the mainstream media for calling Democrats to account for their silence over the sexual assault and harassment allegations lodged against Hollywood mogul and prolific Democratic Party donor Harvey Weinstein. They also fire back at Twitter after the social media service censors a video from Tennessee GOP Senate hopeful Marsha Blackburn because her efforts to stop the sale of aborted baby body parts were considered inflammatory and likely to elicit negative reactions. And Jim and Greg sigh as the latest NFL protest chaos includes ESPN host Jemele Hill getting suspended for encouraging Dallas Cowboy fans to boycott team sponsors, Al Sharpton vowing to boycott the NFL unless Hill is reinstated, and President Trump gloating over the Hill suspension.
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.
Bongino Sounds Off on Hillary, NFL Protests, GOP Failure on Obamacare
In a week full of of political frustration, former Secret Service Agent Dan Bongino is blasting Hillary Clinton for blaming racism and uninformed women for her defeat, NFL players for not standing for our national anthem, and the latest failure of Republicans to address Obamacare.
Bongino served 12 years in the U.S. Secret Service after spending multiple years before that with the NYPD. Since retiring from the Secret Service in 2011, Bongino ran twice for the House of Representatives and once for U.S. Senate. He is also a conservative commentator and author of the new book “Protecting the President: An Inside Account of the Troubled Secret Service in an Era of Evolving Threats.”
Bongino served on the protective detail for Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. In 2000, he was part of the detail protecting First Lady Hillary Clinton as she campaigned for U.S. Senate in New York. He says it was a nightmare as Mrs. Clinton, through her staff, made it clear they were to protect the candidate but never be visible so the public would see her as “approachable.”
As Clinton makes the rounds promoting her new book on the 2016 campaign, Bongino says he is infuriated by Clinton’s attitudes towards those who did not support her. As an unsuccessful candidate in a very close race, Bongino says he knows how tough it is to lose, but he says Hillary is taking her frustration to a different level.
“Now it’s not that she lost and she’s blaming people. It’s that she lost because we’re all racists and women who voted for Trump are all unacceptable examples of females. It’s so personally condescending that I felt the need to tell people who Hillary really is,” said Bongino.
On Monday, Bongino tweeted, “I worked with Hillary. Hillary is an obnoxious, rude, condescending, fraud who cares about ONE thing-herself.”
He doubled down later in the week.
“I’ve seen her behind the scenes. She’s not a good person. She’s condescending. She’s rude. She’s obnoxious. She’s fake. She’s a fraud. And the fact she gets to go out now on this national scale on this book tour and basically indict every single group or person who didn’t vote for her is really grotesque,” said Bongino.
The new book is the first time Bongino has spoken out on his experiences as a Secret Service agent. While acknowledging the culture of remaining mum about while on detail, Bongino says speaking out is warranted in the case of Hillary Clinton.
“I get it. There is an omerta in the Secret Service. I opened up with this. I understand that, but I think there are times it’s more appropriate to set the record straight, and the record on Hillary is clear. She’s a fraud and she’s a fake. Don’t believe a word she says,” said Bongino.
After putting his life on the line as a police officer and Secret Service agent, Bongino is also appalled at the extent of protests taking place by NFL players during the national anthem.
“I think these guys are a disgrace. They’re a total disgrace to this country, to our veterans, to our police officers, to people who put out everything. That flag means something to them. It’s not a tablecloth. It’s not a curtain. This isn’t some joke and it’s really an absolute disgrace that these guys are able to kneel and embarrass our republic like this.
“This is an issue that really hits me deep beneath the skin. These guys should be humiliated and yet the far left celebrates them as heroes. It’s a joke,” said Bongino.
During his congressional campaigns, Bongino, like virtually all other Republican candidates, promised to repeal Obamacare if elected to office. Senate Republicans failed again this week to advance a bill, this one to block grant federal dollars back to the states.
Bongino says the GOP’s inability to get something passed when it controls all the levers of legislative power in Washington is unacceptable.
“This is probably the greatest political disaster and broken promise of our generation. Is there another way to frame this thing? Every single Republican in the House or the Senate – outside of Susan Collins, who’s not a Republican, she’s literally a Republican in name only – ran on the issue of repealing Obamacare. Yet when it came time to do instead of talk, what did they do? They all folded like cheap suits,” said Bongino.
He fears this series of failures on Obamacare exposes the weakness of Republicans but suspects President Trump won’t take as much heat on this as Congress.
“This is going to have ramifications long past this election. I think this hurts Republicans. It doesn’t hurt Donald Trump. I’m not a Trump acolyte. I support the president. I just think this isn’t going to effect Trump. He’s managed to distance himself from this really pathetic shell of a party we have now,” said Bongino.
Trump’s Solid Court Picks, NFL to Stand? Crazy Left Targets Melania Over Books
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America applaud President Trump’s nomination of Don Willett and James Ho for spots on the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. They also are cautiously optimistic that this NFL weekend might actually focus on football as three teams announce they will be standing for the national anthem. And they throw up their hands as a anti-Trump elementary school librarian publicly rejects the donation of Dr. Seuss books from First Lady Melania Trump, while also slamming Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and falsely accusing Dr. Seuss of racism.
Weiner’s Sentence, GOP’s Latest Health Care Flop, Damage Control for Steelers
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America believe the judge made the right decision in sentencing former congressman/predator Anthony Weiner to 21 months in prison for transferring obscene material to a minor. They also discuss the latest GOP health care bill going up in flames as some Republicans think it’s not conservative enough and others think it’s too conservative, making the likelihood of anything getting done on this issue in this Congress very slim. And they’re disturbed as Pittsburgh Steelers offensive tackle – and former Army ranger – Alejandro Villanueva apologizes to his teammates, coaches and the Steelers organization for being the only one on the field Sunday for the national anthem.
Trump’s Firing Offense, Ugly Anti-Trump Backlash, McCain Breaks Promise Again
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America agree with President Trump’s disapproval for national anthem protests but also believe it is wrong for the president to suggest anyone be fired for their constitutionally-protected beliefs. They also unload on those who took a knee during the anthem, which turned into a referendum on Trump – a fight Trump is sure to win. Thy hammer three NFL teams for refusing to take the field for the anthem, blast the Pittsburgh Steelers for condemning their own player who is an Afghanistan war vet for defying the decision and honoring the anthem, and shake their head as Bob Costas frets that the anthem is only used to honor military instead of teachers and social workers. Finally, they slam John McCain for once again breaking his promise on health care reform and planning to vote against the latest Senate bill. They also question Rand Paul’s decision to oppose it.
GOP Obamacare Debacle, Scaramucci’s Loose Screw, Politics Plunge NFL Ratings
The Three Martini Lunch is on vacation for the week and will return on Monday, September 11. Please enjoy this encore presentation of a recent podcast.
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America condemn Republican Senators John McCain, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski for failing to deliver on their campaign promises to repeal and replace Obamacare during a vote late Thursday night, while also stressing the mistakes made by GOP leaders and the major flaws in the “skinny repeal”. Jim mocks new White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci for threats and vulgar comments about his colleagues, underscoring already fractious conditions in the new administration. In an attempt to end the week on a good note, Jim and Greg discuss a new poll showing that more fans stopped watching the NFL last season because of the national anthem protests than for any other reason.
GOP Obamacare Debacle, Scaramucci’s Loose Screw, Politics Plunge NFL Ratings
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America condemn Republican Senators John McCain, Susan Collins, and Lisa Murkowski for failing to deliver on their campaign promises to repeal and replace Obamacare during a vote late Thursday night, while also stressing the mistakes made by GOP leaders and the major flaws in the “skinny repeal”. Jim mocks new White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci for threats and vulgar comments about his colleagues, underscoring already fractious conditions in the new administration. In an attempt to end the week on a good note, Jim and Greg discuss a new poll showing that more fans stopped watching the NFL last season because of the national anthem protests than for any other reason.