Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review are hopeful Republicans can benefit from the stunningly stupid comments of Obama supporter and DNC spokesman Hilary Rosen, who said Ann Romney never worked a day in her life since she chose to stay home and raise her children. They also wonder how the government can spend $369 billion – just in the month of March. And they have some fun with a new survey that asks people to compare President Obama to a car.
No, They Can’t
For millions of Americans, the instinct whenever a problem arises is to look to government for a solution. However, John Stossel of the Fox Business Network says history shows that government almost always makes things worse. In his new book, “No, They Can’t”, Stossel explains why government stifles individual responsibility and the incentive to work hard. He also sets the record straight on the battle over “fairness” and explains why letting big and small businesses fail is ultimately a good thing for the economy.
Santorum Suspends Campaign
On Tuesday, Rick Santorum announced he was ending his quest for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. The move comes exactly one week after Santorum lost three contests but declared the fight was only half over and that he was planning to reverse his fortunes in Pennsylvania later this month. University of Virginia Professor Larry Sabato explains what factors went into the timing of this decision and why this was actually a very smart move by Santorum. Sabato weighs in on whether this gives Newt Gingrich any chance at a final resurgence and why Romney should be happy today but his campaign coffers are even happier.
It Gets Worse Every Day
On Tuesday, President Obama went to Florida to pitch what he calls tax fairness. That’s the idea that wealthy Americans have a responsibility to pay more in federal taxes. And since some rich people make most of their money through investments that are taxed at a lower rate than traditional income, Obama wants to mandate they pay at least 30 percent in taxes. It’s called the Buffett Rule, since Obama often repeats the contention that billionaire Warren Buffett has a lower tax rate than his secretary. Illinois Rep. Joe Walsh says this is exactly the wrong approach, since the higher taxes will stifle investment and saddle small business owners with additional burdens. He also says wealthy Americans already pay far more than their “fair share” in taxes. Rep. Walsh also slams the administration for allocating $500 million to the IRS as part of the implementation of the health care laws. He discusses the projections of greater and greater debt incurred by the health care laws and predicts the Supreme Court will strike down the individual mandate and probably the entire law. And Walsh updates us on his tough re-election effort in an increasingly left-leaning district.
Three Martini Lunch 4/10/12
Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review are encouraged that 62 percent of Americans disapprove of President Obama’s performance on gas prices – including a lot of Democrats. They also groan as Obama trots out his latest tax hike pitch cloaked as “The Buffett Rule”. And they remind Ozzie Guillen and other sports figures that complimenting dictators for any reason is always a bad idea.
Voter ID Effort Targets Holder
Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe has released videos from three states that show his undercover colleagues easily gaining access to ballots for dead and living people and even registering to vote as Tim Tebow and Tom Brady. Thus far, O’Keefe’s efforts have been dismissed by the Justice Department and Attorney General Eric Holder himself. Well, the latest Project Veritas video shows a young white man getting easy access to Eric Holder’s ballot in the District of Columbia primary on April 3 since not photo identification is required. O’Keefe tells us what message he’s trying to send to Holder and state leaders around the country about the need for Voter ID laws. He also reveals how the Justice Department reacted to this video and gives his response to the DOJ criticism. O’Keefe reveals how two states have passed Voter ID legislation in the wake of his videos and how leading Democrats in those states have been more outraged by his actions than by the apparent ease of committing voter fraud. And he reveals what the next videos from the DC primary will show.
Still Threatening the Court
Last week, the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals demanded a written explanation from the Obama administration as to what it saw as the court’s role in reviewing acts of Congress. Most reports suggested a much more deferential tone from Attorney General Eric Holder than we heard from President Obama just a few days earlier. But Grace-Marie Turner of the Galen Institute says that’s not the case. Turner says Holder stated the obvious in the beginning of the letter that the courts can strike down Congressional resolutions, but the rest of the letter seemed to echo Obama. She explains why the administration’s written position still seems to be an attempt to intimidate the court – an effort she says seems to be failing given the soaring approval ratings for the court. Turner also reveals why she’s even more optimistic that the individual mandate and possibly the entire health care law could be overturned.
Three Martini Lunch 4/9/12
Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review cheer Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal for successfully passing his education reforms. They also wince as James O’Keefe once again demonstrates the ease of voter fraud – this time by easily gaining access to Eric Holder’s ballot in the DC primary. And they sense some progress in the effort to stop labeling every political squabble as “the war on…”.
Doesn’t Pass the Laugh Test
Last week, House Republicans passed their budget for Fiscal Year 2013 without a single Democratic vote. This week, President Obama ripped the GOP budget as one that gives more breaks to the rich, burdens the poor and threatens everything from higher education to Medicare to accurate weather forecasts. Obama called the plan a Trojan horse and claims it would lead to social Darwinism. Missouri Rep. Todd Akin is a member of the House Budget Committee. He says House Republicans are the only ones serious about producing a budget and that the president’s remarks are little more than baseless scare tactics. Akin also explains how taxpayers can be misled by the term ‘spending cuts’ – since some consider cuts actual reductions in spending and others use it to refer to reductions in projected spending increases. And Akin tells us why he’s more than happy to have voters choose between the House GOP budget and the Obama budget that received zero votes in the House.
The Grim Road Ahead in Iraq
About a year ago, members of the Iraqi army killed 34 members of the People’s Mujahedin of Iran at Camp Ashraf. The story drew little coverage but serves as a symbol of countless mistakes from both the Bush and Obama administrations in Iraq. That’s the opinion of retired U.S. Army Col. Wesley Martin, who was commander of Camp Ashraf at the time of the massacre. Martin explains why he’s outraged that the Iranian group was considered a terrorist group by our own government at the time and still is today. He also offers his blunt response to the official government response that removing the terrorist label on such groups would risk more involvement from Iran inside Iraq. Col. Martin also explains why he is very pessimistic about the future of Iraq, why he expects Iraq to drift further away from the U.S. and why many of the problems there stem from mistakes made by the U.S. before the war even began.