Greg Corombos of Radio America and Daniel Foster of National Review Online like seeing Florida Sen. Marco Rubio step up as a leader in the raging debate over contraception mandates in Obamacare. They also fear and question a new poll suggesting 20 percent of Republicans are leaning towards President Obama in 2012. And they discuss Los Angeles County’s new $1,000 fines for such dastardly crimes as playing frisbee or throwing a football at the beach.
It’s Still Mitt’s to Lose
Rick Santorum swept all three contests on Tuesday, winning as expected in Missouri and Minnesota and stunning Mitt Romney in Colorado. Many conservatives believe the results altered the state of the GOP race in major ways, but Human Events Political Editor John Gizzi says Mitt Romney is still the man to beat. Gizzi explains why Santorum’s wins were not as big as they could have been and why Romney has the edge going forward. Gizzi tells us why President Obama is risking huge defections in the Catholic vote if he does not change his policy on mandating contraception coverage by all employers. And Gizzi offers his insights on a rapidly deteriorating Middle East.
Three Martini Lunch 2/8/12
Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty are encouraged that Rick Santorum’s wins on Tuesday will shift the GOP presidential race to the right. They also rip the Obama administration for shredding religious freedom over its mandate for all employer health plans to cover contraception. And they discuss the lack of any delegates at stake in Tuesday’s contests and Ron Paul’s shaky caucus strategy.
New Regs Shut Down Power Plants
Ohio Rep. Bill Johnson is denouncing the Obama administration and the Environmental Protection Agency in particular for imposing new regulations that have already forced six coal-fired power plants to announce plans to shut down. Johnson explains the different regulations that are at issue and why they are having such a significant impact. He also addresses the question of how his constituents and Americans in two other states will get their power and why President Obama and Senate Democrats have the ability to reverse this.
A Localized Loss on Marriage
A three-judge panel from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco upheld a lower court ruling on Tuesday in striking down a voter-approved definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman. The 2-1 decision states that the referendum known as Proposition 8 violates the 14th Amendment on equal protection. The ruling might pave the way for the official return of gay marriage in California, although supporters of Proposition 8 could appeal to the full 9th Circuit or to the U.S. Supreme Court. Liberty Counsel Chairman Mathew Staver is disappointed in the decision but says it could have been worse for traditional marriage advocates. He tells us why this decision really only mandates that gay couples can use the word marriage and doesn’t change basic laws in the state. Staver explains why he believes that the gay rights lobby is probably not completely thrilled with this decision. And he tells us why defenders of Proposition 8 should not appeal this decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Three Martini Lunch 2/7/12
Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review are chuckling as President Obama starts up a Super PAC just two years after scolding the Supreme Court over them. They also discuss the Chrysler ad during the Superbowl that some see as a thinly veiled ad for Obama’s re-election bid. And they shred Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg for telling Egyptian television that she would never model a new Constitution on the one that we have today.
Now or Never, Part 2
In the second part of our conversation with South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, we discuss the legislative wish list that DeMint would pursue if Republicans do well enough in November. The senator also discusses whether the eventual Republican presidential nominee will be able to articulate the type of message he thinks is needed to win in 2012, and DeMint also offers a candid assessment of whether he thinks the current GOP House and Senate leaders are up to the task of advancing the type of agenda that he believes is necessary to save America from the financial abyss.
Now or Never, Part 1
South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint is author of the new book “Now or Never: Saving America from Economic Collapse”. In the book and in our discussion, Sen. DeMint contends that America still has some time to turn our debt-ridden economy around through fiscally responsible, market-driven ideas. He tells us how close we are to the economic cliff, what could push us even closer to the edge and why compromising with the Democrats cannot get this nation where it needs to go.
Three Martini Lunch 2/6/12
Greg Corombos of Radio America and Jim Geraghty of National Review are grateful for the coming lull in the Republican presidential primary and caucus schedule. They’re also worried that Saturday’s really bad turnout is a sign of a very unmotivated GOP base. And they slam the Nevada Republican Party for taking well over 24 hours to count slightly more than 30,000 votes.
Shutting off the DOJ Money Flow
Three states have passed tougher immigration enforcement laws since their leaders believe the federal government can’t or won’t fulfill its responsibilities to provide national security. However, the Justice Department mounted legal challenges to those states by insisting border security is Uncle Sam’s job. Now Tennessee Rep. Diane Black is offering legislation to block funding for any further Justice Department challenges to the state laws. Rep. Black explains why she thinks this move is necessary and reacts to potential criticism ranging from the federal role in border security to the possibility of Congress denying funds for any DOJ investigation the majority doesn’t find acceptable.