Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review credit Mitt Romney for showing competence on foreign policy but wonder why he passed up so many opportunities to point out flaws in the Obama record. They also believe Obama lost points for his sarcastic attacks and dismissal of Romney’s concerns over defense cutbacks. And they are surprisingly impressed by how well Bob Schieffer moderated the debate and avoided becoming involved in it.
‘Their Careers Are on the Line’
Chaplains are being forced to put aside their religious beliefs to perform same-sex ceremonies on military bases and Oklahoma Sen. James Inhofe says that needs to stop.
Inhofe is the second highest ranking Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee and admits some chaplains have opted out but only with the understanding that their refusal to follow orders will mean the end of their careers. The senator considers the Navy the most hostile to the religious freedom of the chaplains.
Inhofe says further frustration flows from the inability of active duty military to publicly disagree with their orders.
“You won’t find many active chaplains who will tell you the truth about this because you know what will happen to them if we do,” said Inhofe. “But you get the retired chaplains, I don’t know of one exception that isn’t outraged by this and saying that government can’t come along and dictate the moral principles that they have always had – both before their current career and up to the present time.”
So who is demanding that chaplains check their scriptural bearings at the chapel door? Inhofe says military brass and civilian leaders at the Pentagon may be enforcing these policies, but he says responsibility lies in just one place.
“It’s the president,” said Inhofe. “I keep hearing Democrats say, ‘ Well, this isn’t what the Pentagon wants.’ The Pentagon answers to the Commander-in-Chief. The Commander-in-Chief if the President of the United States. So he’s the one responsible.”
In response to this pressure on the chaplains, Inhofe and Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker are introducing the Military Religious Freedom Protection Act.
“It stipulates and states specifically that chaplains shall not be ordered or required to perform any ceremony that is contrary to the moral principles or religious beliefs of the chaplain’s faith group,” said Inhofe. “It further says that property under the jurisdiction of (the defense department) shall not be used to perform a marriage or involving anything other than the union of one man and one woman.”
Inhofe says he knows for a fact that military brass don’t like the way the military culture is trending, but they don’t speak out publicly because of the chain of command. Inhofe concedes that following orders is a vital part of what makes our armed forces work effectively but he also advocates an expansion of their speech rights.
“What I’d prefer is for these generals and high ranking officials to say publicly what they really fee land have the courage to do that,” said Inhofe. “Then go ahead and do what they’re commanded to do.”
Three Martini Lunch 10/22/12
Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review are encouraged by a new Rasmussen poll showing Mitt Romney leading President Obama by four points in Colorado. They also groan as polls show Todd Akin lagging behind vulnerable Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill. And they chronicle how Sandra Fluke went from prime time convention speaker to holding a rally small enough to fit in one parking spot.
Debate Fact vs. Fiction
Texas is not considered a battleground state, but the Lone Star State is at the epicenter of two critical issues – energy and immigration – that were highlighted in this week’s presidential debate.
The fireworks started early over the issue of high gas prices, which neither candidate actually addressed. Instead, President Obama contended that he had drastically increased domestic production of energy and Mitt Romney claimed exploration had actually been reduced over the past four years.
Texas Rep. Michael Burgess is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and explained where things really stand.
“They’re both right,” said Burgess, “but President Obama is ignoring the fact that actual drilling activity on public lands, federal lands that he controls is way down. It’s the drilling on private lands, which the president cannot control directly that has gone way up.”
Burgess says the decline in energy production on public land is not an accident.
“There’s no mistake in my mind about what another Obama administration would mean for energy production in this country. They are looking for ways to inhibit the production of energy, whether it be his folks at the Environmental Protection Agency who have been coming forth with their rules on hydraulic fracturing or whether it’s people on Fish and Wildlife and the Endangered Species Act folks who are going to attempt to put lands off limits.”
Obama has stressed his embrace of natural gas production at the debates and at the most recent State of the Union address. Burgess says it’s just talk.
“The State of the Union moment was like something out of a Franz Kafka novel,” said Burgess. “The president spends more time talking about natural gas production by fracking than he does his own health care law. I thought I had gone into a parallel universe where the president was channeling his inner George Bush.”
Burgess says the EPA has picked up the pace on crippling economic restrictions after the failure of the Obama Cap & Trade legislation in the previous Congress. He says the administration has even more repressive ideas that are on hold until after the election.
“They have held off with some of their ideas because they could be a potent political weapon to use against them. Starting another four-year term where he doesn’t have to worry about re-election, I think it’s Katie-bar-the-door and the Environmental Protection Agency is going to be the central focus of the president’s restriction on developing American energy.”
Immigration was also a point of contention at the town hall debate, with both candidates taking a compassionate tone but Burgess says the president’s handling of the issue earlier this year was unconstitutional when he changed immigration law without the consent of Congress to extend work permits to young illegals.
“This is hard and this is hard for a reason,” said Burgess. “The country is divided on this. It’s going to take something called leadership, which the president has refused to provide.”
Burgess says Obama’s actions are not only outside the bounds of his office but have made the immigration problem worse.
“Whoever is president over the next four years is left with a very muddled policy with no clear parameters and no clear direction, and I don’t think he’s done anyone any favors,” said Burgess. “So regardless of how you feel about the predicament of someone who was brought here very young before they knew they were breaking the law or not, regardless of how you feel about that as a class of people, the president has made the situation and the conditions on the ground actually that much worse.”
‘If I Tax A Rich Man’
President Obama made it clear once again in Tuesday’s debate that his top economic goal if re-elected would be to raise taxes on wealthy Americans. The Capitol Steps combine the president and musical theater to explain where that extra money would go.
Three Martini Lunch 10/19/12
Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review are pleasantly stunned by the momentum Mitt Romney is building nationwide, in swing states and even in favorability. They also cringe as Obama refers to the four American deaths in Benghazi as “not optimal”. And they dissect Joe Biden’s latest gaffes suggesting we have troops in Iran and Republicans are aiming bullets at Democrats.
Time to Help Todd Akin
Republicans across the board shunned Rep. Todd Akin for his rape comments back in August, but South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint is now working feverishly to help his friend win the U.S. Senate seat in Missouri against embattled Democrat Claire McCaskill.
“He took a big hit when he got his foot in his mouth,” said DeMint. “He has asked forgiveness. He’s got a good voting record and we are doing everything we can to still win that seat. For me, it’s a choice between Todd Akin and Harry Reid.”
When DeMint uses the word “we”, he is referring to his Senate Conservatives Fund PAC and not the GOP establishment. DeMint says the PAC has already raised $100,000 for Akin and could kick in $500,000 by November 6. However, both the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee still refuse to assist Akin despite polls showing the race essentially tied.
“They thought it was not winnable after he said that,” said DeMint. “They’re finding out that Sen. Claire McCaskill is pretty unpopular in Missouri and people understand the implications of a majority when it comes to Supreme Court justices.”
DeMint says the national party now likely feels as though it cannot change positions after taking such a public stance back in August. Nonetheless, he believes the RNC or NRSC might jump in in the final days if leaders believe it will make a difference.
DeMint understands the uproar over Akin suggesting that women’s bodies can often naturally prevent pregnancies in cases of “legitimate rape” but he says the right thing is to look at the totality of Akin’s record.
“It’s important what we say, but he’s got a voting record and he’s done the right thing over more than a decade,” said DeMint, who noted contributors to his PAC voted overwhelmingly to provide financial backing for Akin. “When the Senate Conservatives Fund…queried its members about what we should do, about 95 percent of them responded they we should get in there and help him. Folks understand the implications of that race and it could be the one that determines whether or not we’ve got a majority and can pass a budget and can actually get some things done with a President Romney.”
For DeMint, it’s a case of putting his money where his mouth is. Last month, DeMint told us that it might be best for the party’s electoral hopes if Akin withdrew from the race but insisted if Akin chose to stay that the party should fully support him. DeMint is bullish in general on the GOP’s chances to claim the majority in the Senate. He believes the party will pick up seats in Nebraska, North Dakota, Montana and Missouri and have good chances in Virginia, Ohio and maybe even Pennsylvania.
He acknowledges some Republicans have tough races to keep their seats, but expects the party to hang in in places like Arizona and Indiana. He’s also hopeful Scott Brown can hang on in Massachusetts and that the GOP might even be able to score an upset win in Pennsylvania. Overall, DeMint predicts a 4-5 seat gain for the GOP, which would be enough to claim the majority regardless of who wins the White House.
Three Martini Lunch 10/18/12
Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review are cautiously optimistic about reports suggesting that the Obama campaign is reducing campaign efforts in Florida, Virginia and North Carolina. They also applaud the foiling of a terror plot against the Federal Reserve Bank in New York but note the threat of terrorism in this country remains very real. And they slam the Obama campaign for it’s pathetic attempt to gain an edge on Mitt Romney’s “binders full of women” comment.
Three Martini Lunch 10/17/11
Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review believe Mitt Romney did well in Tuesday’s debate but could have done much better on a couple of key issues. They liked his point-by-point condemnation of the Obama economic record but believe he missed major points in slamming Obama’s handling of the deadly attack against the U.S. consulate in Libya. They also discuss the impact of the very confrontational tone throughout the debate and the flawed moderating performance by CNN’s Candy Crowley.
Defense Cuts Better Than No Cuts
Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan voted against the 2011 debt ceiling deal that ultimately led to big mandatory spending cuts for the military, but he says the huge resulting cuts in defense spending ought to go forward.
“The only thing worse than defense cuts are no cuts at all,” he said. “I thought this was a bad deal that was put together. I opposed it, fought it every step of the way. The super committee, which was supposed to solve things to come up with actual cuts. It completely failed like many of us thought it would. And now the only scheduled cuts that are to take place in sequester, there’s talk of suspending those. If that happens, then the only thing taxpayers will have gotten out of the deal last summer is $2.4 trillion more in debt.”
Jordan, chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee, says he does not want to see cuts this big inflicted upon our national security efforts. But he says the cuts have to start somewhere.
“We’re going to have to deal with spending,” said Jordan. “I don’t want to cut defense in this haphazard way, but I will tell you it’s better to cut than not to do anything at all.”
Jordan also invoked the dire warning on debt from former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen.
“As Admiral Mullen has said, the biggest threat to national security is the national debt. We’ve got to deal with it.”
The congressman believes spending cuts must be the answer to our debt crisis because he sees tax increases as the worst possible approach to a sputtering economy. Jordan would be open to finding cuts in other programs to lighten the reductions in defense spending. Don’t look for that to happen. House Republicans have already approved that legislation, but Senate Democrats haven’t touched it.
“It’s what we should do,” said Jordan. “After all, we’re supposed to spend your tax dollars on national defense. I have certainly supported that and voted for it and it sits over there in the United States Senate like so many other good pieces of legislation with Harry Reid doing nothing with it. So I hope that the Senate will find Jesus and do the right thing and pass that, and substitute the defense cuts with cuts elsewhere in government which is what we should do.”
Jordan believes there will be real progress in tackling our debt and deficits if Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are elected next month. He says Romney’s selection of Ryan proves this will be a top issue in his administration. Jordan also says they would have no choice.
“We have to,” said Jordan. “The facts are the facts. If we don’t address it pretty quickly, we’re going to have a debt crisis and the greatest nation in history will be in a situation similar to the countries in Europe that we’ve been reading about for the past couple of years.”
Jordan is optimistic Romney and Ryan will win. He says Romney dominated Tuesday’s debate, especially on economic issues, because President Obama has an indefensible record.
“President Obama’s real record is a record of failure,” said Jordan, noting issues ranging from taxes to regulation. “You can go to every major policy area and this administration’s doing it wrong.”