Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review talk about the Supreme Court ruling that upholds a decision on corporate contributions to political campaigns. The Supreme Court also ruled on the Arizona Immigration law, striking down several portions of the bill but kept the most controversial provision alive. The Obama campaign is also urging supporters to ask their wedding and birthday guests to donate to his campaign instead of giving gifts.
Lankford Rebuts Pelosi, Carney
On Wednesday, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee voted to find Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress for his ongoing refusal to fully cooperate with the ongoing probe into the botched Fast & Furious operation. In the intervening days, both Holder and White House Press Secretary Jay Carney have insisted that the Justice Department turned over all “relevant” documents. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi further alleges that this is all a Republican “scheme” to distract and discredit the man tasked with stopping GOP voter suppression efforts in this year’s elections. We get reaction from Oklahoma Rep. James Lankford, a member of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee. He also defends his committee vote and explains why it was necessary.
The Brief Against Obama
Any presidential campaign that seeks to defeat an incumbent must make the case for why the current officeholder needs to be fired. Radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt is now releasing what he considers to be a thorough and frightening indictment of the Obama record on everything from the economy to ignoring the Constitution to a very weak record in foreign policy.
March Like an Egyptian
Just over a year after Egyptians demanded and eventually got the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak, many of those people are back in the streets over what they fear is a stolen election. We look back at last year’s developments with selections like “March Like an Egyptian” and “Mubarak’s Way”. Our guest is Steps star and co-founder Elaina Newport.
Three Martini Lunch 6/22/12
Greg Corombos of Radio America and Dan Foster of National Review cheer Mitt Romney for staying focused on the economy and doing a good job of articulating the stark differences between him and Obama. They also debate Romney’s flip-flop on the DREAM Act and whether this move was a necessary lurch to the political center or further confirmation that Romney will change positions to suit the moment. And they recoil as Michelle Obama emails supporters and compares the president’s treatment of his wife to how he treats the nation.
Will Hatch Survive?
Utah Republicans will choose their U.S. Senate nominee on Tuesday. Incumbent GOP Sen. Orrin Hatch is favored to win a seventh term, but he is facing a vigorous challenge from State Sen. Dan Liljenquist. Hatch resisted just about every debate request so Liljenquist employed a Hatch tactic from 1976 and debated video clips and a cardboard cut-out of his opponent. As for their one actual debate, Liljenquist explains where he believes he nailed Hatch on his role in Washington’s growing debt. Liljenquist also tells us how he would react to critical issues in Washington – from staving off the massive tax increase set for the start of 2013 and what to do about Obama’s executive order to change immigration enforcement laws.
Supremes Curb Union Power
On Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled that non-union members in a closed shop were not required to pay special dues used solely to engage in political campaigning. The case stems from California, where the local chapter of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) tried to compel additional dues with what the court deemed insufficient notice. The 7-2 majority also called this a First Amendment free speech issue. Barbara Comstock is a member of the Virginia House of Delegates and is affiliated with the Workforce Fairness Institute. She says this is not a huge step towards fairness for employees and employers but it is a step in the right direction. Se also explains what this could mean down the road and where the union movement and right to work movements stand right now.
Three Martini Lunch 6/21/12
Greg Corombos of Radio America and Dan Foster of National Review applaud the Supreme Court for ruling unions cannot force non-members in closed shop to pay additional dues used solely for political campaigning. As rumors abound that Tim Pawlenty may be among the top contenders to be Mitt Romney’s running mate, Greg and Dan debate whether that would be a good choice. And they get a kick out of NBC suddenly having to cover Fast & Furious after ignoring it for well over a year.
Privilege and Contempt
In recent days, Attorney General Eric Holder gave strong indications that he would provide additional documents related to the Justice Department’s handling of Operation Fast & Furious. The focus of a Congressional probe for nearly 18 months, Fast & Furious is the gun-walking program that allowed thousands of guns to end up in the hands of Mexican drug cartel members, resulting in the deaths of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry and hundreds of Mexican citizens.
But a Tuesday meeting with Congressional investigators resulted in nothing but posturing between Holder and Republicans. Wednesday morning, President Obama invoked executive privilege at Holder’s request. That means the documents won’t be turned over to Congress any time soon. South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy is a member of the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees – the two committees that have spent the most time investigating this issue. Gowdy is outraged and says the Justice Department deliberately stalled for many months in turning subpoenaed documents over to the Oversight Committee. He also cries foul over Obama’s latest move, saying Obama can’t use ‘executive privilege’ to protect information that doesn’t directly involve him. Gowdy says that either means Obama is directly involved in this scandal after insisting he wasn’t or that Obama is taking extraordinary measures to protect communications that should not fall under executive privilege. But Gowdy says whether Obama acted lawfully or not, there’s not much Congress can do to get the critical documents from the Justice Department.
Gowdy also discusses Wednesday’s committee vote holding the attorney general in contempt of Congress, explaining the vote is not specifically about Fast & Furious but about Holder’s disregard for the role of Congress and the rule of law. The congressman also rejects Democratic complaints that this probe and today’s vote are about damaging the administration, distracting from the focus on job creation or about racial animosity against Obama and Holder.
Three Martini Lunch 6/20/12
Greg Corombos of Radio America and Dan Foster of National Review discuss President Obama invoking executive privilege on the Fast and Furious documents. They also discuss the possible political upside for the GOP thanks to the raw politics of Obama and Holder. And they elaborate on the extreme distortion of a Mitt Romney speech by MSNBC’s Andrea Mitchell.