It’s media day in our year-end Three Martini Lunch awards and Jim and Greg have plenty to say about how things were covered – if they were covered at all. Specifically, they look at the stories the mainstream media covered far too much, the ones they conveniently ignored because they didn’t fit their narrative, and they highlight what they saw as the best stories of 2022.
Listen to “Remembering Queen Elizabeth II” on Spreaker.
Jim and Greg set aside the usual format to discuss the life and legacy of Great Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, who died Thursday at age 96 after more than 70 years on the throne. They discuss her steadfast support of the United States, her commitment to tradition and a stoic public demeanor, her astonishing connection to so much world history, and some fun anecdotes that show a surprisingly feisty side.
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Listen to “Boris Johnson Resigns, Biden’s ‘Strategic’ Blunder, China’s Troubling Plans” on Spreaker.
Join Jim and Greg as they serve up three bad martinis but still manage to have fun with them. First, they discuss the resignation of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, what he did and did not accomplish while in office, and where he stacks up on the list of recent prime ministers. They also fume over reports that President Biden shipped five million barrels from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to countries in Europe and Asia. And they break down reports that China is already taking steps to invade Taiwan and meddle in U.S. elections.
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Listen to “U.K. Reopens Fracking, Collins to Vote for KBJ, Russia Lies on Withdrawal” on Spreaker.
Join Jim and Chad as they celebrate the U.K. lifting its fracking ban. They also react to reports that Senator Susan Collins will support Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson, essentially ensuring Jackson a spot on the high court. And despite assurances they are pulling back from Kiev, the Russian military continues its campaign.
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Listen to “Tories Crush Corbyn, Tentative Trade Optimism, Biden’s Big Problem” on Spreaker.
It’s finally Friday! Yes, we are fully aware of the impeachment votes in the House Judiciary Committee but Jim sums up his analysis in roughly two seconds as we begin today’s podcast. After that Jim and Greg celebrate the big win for the Conservative Party in the UK and are thrilled to report the political demise of Jeremy Corbyn. They are also hoping that the substance matches the excitement as Congress prepares to pass the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement to replace NAFTA and President Trump announces agreement on “phase one” of trade negotiations with China. And Jim details why Joe Biden’s campaign could face serious turbulence after reports that Hunter Biden had a 1988 drug arrest expunged at the same time Sen. Biden was advocating for very tough drug crime sentencing.
Listen to “Allies Blame Iran Too, Impeachment Insanity Looms, Bernie’s Wealth Tax” on Spreaker.
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America are glad to see France, Germany, and the UK conclude that Iran attacked Saudi Arabia earlier this month and that there is no other plausible explanation. They also groan over the political circus about to begin as House Democrats appear to be moving en masse towards impeachment and even President Trump seems to like the idea of getting impeached because it would help him win re-election. And they discuss the dystopian world Bernie Sanders wants us all to live in as he proposes a ludicrous wealth tax to pay for the massive expansion of government that he envisions.
Listen to “Boris Wins Big, Trump Taxes Divide Dems, Gabbard Slams Harris” on Spreaker.
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America serve up three more delicious martinis. First, they cautiously applaud the selection of Boris Johnson as the new British prime minister in hopes the UK can finally deal with Brexit in a good way and they eagerly await the Trump-Johnson press conferences. They also commend Democratic House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal for not bowing to the progressive whims to demand Trump’s New York state tax returns immediately. And they enjoy hearing 2020 hopeful and Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard insist that Sen. Kamala Harris is not qualified to be Commander-in-Chief.
Listen to “Brexit Failure Buries May” on Spreaker.
British Prime Minister Theresa May says she will resign next month over her inability to get a Brexit deal approved by parliament, and a former aide to the late Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher says new leadership will likely mean a clean exit for the country from the European Union.
May took office in 2016 in the wake of British voters approving Brexit. Prime Minister David Cameron immediately stepped down after vigorously leading the effort to defeat Brexit. Cameron said a supporter should lead the effort to leave the EU, but May’s approach led to one failure after another.
“Theresa May has failed to deliver on Brexit. She has also been seen within the conservative party as incredibly weak in her dealings with the European Union,” said Nile Gardiner, director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at the Heritage Foundation and a former assistant to Thatcher after she left office.
May spearheaded two failed attempts for a Brexit deal to clear the House of Commons. It was clear her third attempt would fare no better. Gardiner says the prime minister suffered loss after loss because she kept pursuing the wrong priorities.
“The agreement between the British government and the European Union is in many ways a very bad deal. It doesn’t guarantee that Britain is able to exit the EU Customs Union. What that means is that Britain would not be able to sign its own free trade agreements. It would be subject to EU tariffs It would be, in essence, still a part of the European Union,” said Gardiner.
“In many ways, Theresa Mayu is the antithesis of Margaret Thatcher. She displayed no real courage in the negotiations with the European Union. She did not stand up to the EU. She caved in to all of their demands. It was a disastrous handling of Brexit and it’s time now for a new prime minister who actually fully believes in Brexit and is going to deliver on it,” added Gardiner.
Conservative Party members already raised two no-confidence votes against May, but she survived both challenges. Gardiner believes efforts to change the party rules to remove May, coupled with a looming disaster in EU parliamentary elections, played a significant role in May’s decision to resign now.
“I think she jumped before she was really pushed out,” said Gardiner.
Former London Mayor Boris Johnson is seen as the front-runner to become party leader but Gardiner expects 10-15 people to run for the position. And he’s confident that whoever emerges will be serious about implementing the Brexit that voters approved three years ago.
“The majority of leading contenders to replace Theresa May are Brexiteers. They’re people who voted for Brexit and believe in Brexit and who are prepared to implement a no-deal Brexit as well,” said Gardiner.
Listen to the full podcast to hear Gardiner explain the specific Brexit idea that sealed May’s doom within her own party and how the leadership change will likely impact U.S.-British relations for the better.
Listen to “Theresa May Survives: Now What?” on Spreaker.
On Wednesday, British Prime Minister Theresa May survived a no-confidence among her fellow Conservative Party members of Parliament.
While May survived, the margin was far from convincing. Over a third of her own party expressed no confidence over her rocky handling of the Brexit effort.
But without an election hanging over her head, what can May do to build confidence and where will the UK head on Brexit after the latest effort failed to pass the House of Commons.
Listen to our conversation with Anglosphere Society Founder Amanda Bowman as she discusses these issues and why she shudders to contemplate where Great Britain would go if the Labour Party’s Jeremy Corbyn ever became prime minister.
David French of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America applaud new developments in the Middle East as ISIS loses its grip on Mosul and its defeat appears increasingly likely. They condemn the appalling Charlie Gard decision in which a London court decided that a terminally ill child will be removed from life support — against the wishes of his parents — and reflect on the implications of single-payer healthcare. They criticize President Trump’s latest Twitter barrage against Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, claiming Trump’s language debases the culture. Plus, a follow-up revelation in the McEnroe-Williams tennis controversy.