Craig James has enjoyed some big wins in Texas. As a star running back in SMU’s famed “Pony Express” backfield, James was one of the most celebrated athletes in America. He later enjoyed impressive NFL and sports broadcasting careers. But none of that is why James is running for U.S. Senate in Texas. He tells us how a childhood spent moving from apartment to apartment because of evictions helps identify with the very real struggles of Texans today. He also points to 30 years as an entrepreneur in ranching and real estate. James says he’s running for office because he understands the economy and know to grow jobs and sees two critical paths to getting the job done. James says he would abolish the Department of Education and return that money to local leaders. He would also encourage life trades that don’t require a college education to be taught in high school since jobs like plumbers, electricians, mechanics and other solid careers don’t require tens of thousands to be spent on higher education. Energy is next on his priority list for growing the economy. James would also end the Environmental Protection Agency and responsibly tap American resources to create jobs, reduce prices and end dependence upon foreign energy sources. Mr. James also expresses strong support for Israel and details his uphill battle in the crowded GOP race to replace retiring Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.
Three Martini Lunch 5/11/12
Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review react to President Obama saying the American people forget how bad the economy was when he took office – and so does he. They also pick apart the irrelevancy and inaccuracies of The Washington Post story branding Mitt Romney as a high school bully. And they discuss the report in a new book that Bill Clinton wanted Hillary to run against Obama this year.
My Life Without God
William Murray was barely a teenager when his mother sued Baltimore schools and demanded that prayer and Bible reading be removed from public schools. Madalyn Murray O’Hair won her case at the Supreme Court but that didn’t make her happy. She was still the same bitter, vulgar woman. That’s William Murray’s assessment of his own deeply dysfunctional family. Murray tells us how bitterness and an embrace of Marxism combined to fuel his mother’s atheistic movement. He also explains how he changed from a much calmer Marxist and atheist than his mother to a Libertarian-type atheist. This shift alienated him from his mother to a great extent and set him on a path of seeking worldly fulfillment. But rather than satisfy him, that course left Murray broke, divorced and begging the mother he loathed to raise his daughter. Murray also explains how he found salvation in Jesus Christ in 1980 and how he can now see the steps leading to that dramatic conversion. Now the head of the Religious Freedom Coalition, Murray discusses the role his family had on our nation and his work now to defend the freedom of religion from those still seeking to scrub God from the public square.
Apple Has Fallen Far from the Tree
Republicans see Florida as a strong opportunity to pick up a Senate seat currently held by Democrats. Two-term Sen. Bill Nelson has low approval numbers and three Republicans are fighting for the chance to take on Nelson in November. But before the general election can get going, the bad blood in the GOP race is already clear more than three months ahead of the August 14th primary. Rep. Connie Mack IV is the current Republican frontrunner despite getting a late start in the race. Former Sen. George LeMieux says that lead will evaporate when Florida voters realize that this Connie Mack is not the very popular former senator but the son of that man. LeMieux says Rep. Mack has a violent personal history and has been part of the spending problem in Washington by embracing earmarks and the notion of “bringing home the bacon”. LeMieux, who served over a year in the U.S. Senate in 2009 and 2010 after being appointed to fill out the unexpired term of Sen. Mel Martinez, says his record is quite different. LeMieux points to his votes against earmarks and against raising the debt ceiling. Claims of illegal campaign tactics are also being alleged. LeMieux says Mack has just recently been busted for using his Congressional mailing privileges to send thinly veiled campaign materials to voters outside of his district. He also tells about his approach to job creation that his state sorely needs and debt reduction that will keep our nation solvent.
Three Martini Lunch 5/10/12
Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review are encouraged by more revelations from Tuesday’s voting in Wisconsin. They also marvel at President Obama’s blatant political calculation behind his “evolving” on gay marriage. And they scratch their heads as Rep. Michele Bachmann pursues dual citizenship in Switzerland.
Rand Paul: Abolish the TSA
Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul has long been a vocal critic of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). His position only intensified after the TSA detained him at length earlier this year and caused him to miss a flight and an important speech in Washington. Sen. Paul says it’s time to abolish the TSA and claims to have bipartisan support for his plan. Paul insists this effort is not because of his own experience but because the very young, very old and frequent travelers have been humiliated by a system that he calls ‘ridiculous’. Sen. Paul explains why he believes TSA measures are not necessary to maintain secure flights and asks how far the invasive techniques must go before Congress makes changes. He also highlights some the principles he wants to include in a new passenger “bill of rights” and why he thinks airport security should be handled by private firms and possibly by the airlines themselves.
Helms Protégé Targets NC Dem
North Carolina’s embrace of traditional marriage was the marquee election result from Tuesday night, but the complexion of the U.S. House races in redrawn districts also became a bit clearer. In the Tar Heel State’s seventh Congressional district, State Senator David Rouzer edged out 2010 GOP nominee Ilario Pantano. Rouzer is a former staff member for the late Sen. Jesse Helms and says Helms taught him how to say ‘no’ and how to defend what needs defending. Rouzer says he holds many of the same beliefs and positions as Sen. Helms but this campaign is focused mainly on job creation and controlling the nation’s soaring debt. Rouzer also offers his case for why voters in his district ought to fire eight-term Democrat Mike McIntyre.
Three Martini Lunch 5/9/12
Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review cheer big wins by conservatives in Indiana and North Carolina. They shake their heads as Joe Biden completely fabricates the Bush administration’s policy on Iran. And they laugh as convicted felon Keith Judd wins over 40 percent of the vote against President Obama in the West Virginia Democratic primary.
Student Loan Embarrassment
On Tuesday, the U.S. Senate failed to reach a final vote on the Democratic plan to extend the current interest rates on student loans. Nebraska Sen. Mike Johanns is one of those who voted to kill the plan. Johanns tells us why he believes Senate Democratic leaders ought to be embarrassed by their tactics and why the Democratic bill would hurt small businesses and entitlement programs. Johanns explains why he supports the House GOP approach of tapping Obamacare funds to offset to revenues lost by not allowing interest rates to rise. He also rejects Democratic contentions that using those funds threatens health care for women. In fact he says President Obama calls for tapping the fund in his own budget. Sen. Johanns also talks about the growing fears that student loan debt could be the next economic bubble to burst and why the problem only gets worse as young people fail to find jobs.
Three Martini Lunch 5/8/12
Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review cheer the foiling of a new terrorist plot that apparently involves an enhanced version of the underwear bomb. They also discuss how the Obama campaign and the media seem intent to focus on anything besides Obama’s record. And they’re disgusted as Massachusetts prepares to ban school bake sales and candy fundraisers over concerns about childhood obesity.