The presidential race is getting the vast majority of the attention in the 2012 campaign but the battle for the majority in Congress is also critical. Republicans won back control of the House in 2010 by winning 63 Democratic seats, and the man charged with keeping that majority predicts it will get even bigger. Texas Rep. Pete Sessions is chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee. He expects the GOP to add another five to seven seats when the dust settles in November. Sessions says favorable redistricting in states like North Carolina and Texas and open seats in Oklahoma and Arkansas will help his party. Conversely, Sessions worries that newly drawn districts in Illinois and California will make life difficult for Republicans. Sessions also admits a convincing win by either party at the presidential level will have an impact down the ballot. He also rejects the Democratic assertion that House Republicans are obstructing the Obama economic agenda, noting that Senate Democrats won’t even back Obama’s plans and nonpartisan economists believe the president’s plan would grow the national debt yet again. He also vows House Republicans will have a much more responsible approach to spending than they did from 2001-2007. He says tough spending cuts will come because “the medicine is necessary to save the patient” and entitlements must be addressed.
Three Martini Lunch 8/29/12
Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review applaud many of the Tuesday night speeches at the Republican convention while giving high grades but some constructive criticism to Ann Romney and Chris Christie. They also cringe over the rules fight as the RNC tries to assert control over the grassroots and the Ron Paul supporters create a huge ruckus over the issue. And they tear into Juan Williams for saying Ann Romney came across as a ‘corporate wife’.
Three Martini Lunch 8/28/12
Greg Corombos of Radio America and Betsy Woodruff of National Review are glad the GOP turned out a largely conservative platform. They scold the national media for trying to overshadow the Republican convention with hurricane coverage and for constantly bringing up President Bush and Katrina. And they’re pleasantly stunned to see Democrats bringing in disgraced ex-Florida Gov. Charlie Crist to speak at their convention next week.
Obama No Friend of Israel
Israel has weeks and maybe months to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and it cannot count on U.S. support in trying to stop it. That’s the assessment from Deputy Knesset Speaker Danny Danon, who is also author of “Israel: The Will to Prevail”. Danon says intelligence shows Iran must be stopped soon or the world will have to accept a nuclear Iran – a scenario he says Israel cannot even consider. He says the Obama administration seems to think more speeches, more United Nations meetings and more sanctions are going to make the threat go away. He says it is now up to Israel to prevent a nuclear Iran. Danon also wades into the debate over the Israeli-Palestinian standoff. He contends the two-state solution cannot work because there are not two good faith parties to negotiate. Instead, he lays out a three-state solution consisting of Israel, Jordan and Egypt.
Republicans Acting Like Democrats?
Although obscured by the nominations of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan and concerns over a Gulf Coast hurricane, the Republican National Convention is bracing for a contentious floor fight on Tuesday. At issue is an RNC proposal that conservative critics say is an attempt to silence grassroots conservatives by deciding convention delegates based on the direct results of primaries or even based on the desires of candidates or party leaders. Dave Nalle is national chairman of the Republican Liberty Caucus. He says the national party is following the same path as the Democrats did in order to squelch minority dissent for the party’s nominee. Nalle says the smarter move would be to allow debate over the nominees and then the losing side would feel it was treated with respect and allowed to make its case. He says if the rule passes, conservatives not enamored with Romney may conclude their voices don’t matter to the RNC and be tempted to support Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson. Nalle also explains why he thinks side will ultimately win Tuesday’s floor debate.
Three Martini Lunch 8/27/12
Greg Corombos of Radio America and Daniel Foster of National Review Online are relieved that Tropical Storm Isaac did not damage Tampa and the RNC nearly as much as some feared. They also scold the major networks for cutting convention coverage down to one hour. And they urge the Republicans to move their convention earlier now that three in a row have been impacted by hurricanes when on a later schedule.
Three Martini Lunch 8-24-12
Romney makes his pitch for energy independence. New report on projections of deficit growth. The administration is looking far and wide for business leaders to speak at the Democratic National Convention.
Three Martini Lunch 8-23-12
Good news from Connecticut: Rasmussen poll shows Linda McMahon leading the Senate race against Chris Murphy. Bad news for Tampa: hurricane Isaac appears intent on disrupting the GOP convention. Lastly, has the First Lady changed the date of the Presidential election?
Three Martini Lunch 8-22-12
On today’s 3ML: Bias in the mainstream media is so obvious even the mainstream media is complaining. Also, does anyone other than Todd Akin not want him to drop out? Lastly, the Obama administration funnels money to MSNBC for some reason – could it be to pay for favorable coverage?
A Theme, a Storm, and an Apology
The GOP has picked a theme for the convention and you will not be able to get it out of your head. Also, a storm is brewing in Tampa. All of this, and an apology on today’s podcast.