In this episode: An analysis of the Iowa debates; Do the enthusiasms of Ron Paul supporters hurt or help? The Super Committee is comprised mostly of “Old Guard” Congressional veterans – does this really bode well for innovative change?
Three Martini Lunch 8-11-11
What to expect from the debate in Ames, IA and a closer look at the strange summer event and its role in the winnowing process. Also, why are teaching assistants, life guards, chefs, and 11 year old boys really rioting in London?
Three Martini Lunch 8-10-11
To the unions’ despair, republicans keep control of state Senate in WI; Harry Reid’s hard-core partisan choices for “The Super Committee” set the tone of compromise; The U.S. appears impotent to have any effect on the situation in Syria.
Three Martini Lunch 8-9-11
Rick Perry may announce a bid for the Presidency this weekend in South Carolina in advance of a trip to NH. If Obama really wants us to notice what he inherited from Bush, doesn’t that include a better job market, less debt and a better credit rating? Does he really want to run on this argument? Could those London-style riots ever happen here? The Second Amendment might say NO!
Three Martini Lunch 8-8-11
Good Martini: Bob Scheiffer from CBS News calls out Obama for bad economic policies in interview with David Axelrod.
Bad Martini: Wall Street Meltdown
Weird Martini: Newsweek has cover claiming Michele Bachmann is driven by rage and has crazy eyes.
Can’t Stop This Biden Guy
The Capitol Steps focus their good-natured jabs at our gaffe-prone vice president, Joe Biden.
Government vs. Small Business
The unemployment rate remains stubbornly high and leaders in both parties agree small businesses are the key to our economic engine moving forward again. So what’s the problem? One major issue seems to be the onset of many new government regulations. Radio America’s Brittany Brady details the frustration felt by business owners and some lawmakers over the reach of these regulations and their impact on efforts to grow the economy.
Rollback
The debt ceiling debate engendered fierce political rhetoric and plenty of disappointment on both sides of the aisle. So how much was accomplished compared to what needs to be done? Why do both parties deserve a lot of the blame? And why should younger workers plan never to retire? We discuss it all with Thomas Woods, scholar at the Ludwig von Mises Institute and author of “Rollback”.
Shell Oil Eyes Alaska, 50,000 Jobs
Curtis Smith, executive affairs manager for Shell Alaska, explains why Shell wants to expand its exploratory drilling program off Alaska’s coast. Smith says the go-ahead to drill off Alaska’s shore would create over 50,000 jobs for over 50 years. How did the BP spill impact their plans? What will Shell have to do before they can begin drilling? What have they done to prevent another disaster like the BP oil spill? Find out this and more as we speak with Curtis Smith.
Obama Offers Nothing New on Jobs
On Friday, the unemployment rate edged down to 9.1 percent and the Labor Department reported a net gain of 117,000 new jobs in July. However, the number of people giving up on the job search is growing even faster. So how should we read these latest numbers? And what would be the right and wrong ways for President Obama to encourage job creation? We ask Diana Furchtgott-Roth, chief economist for the Department of Labor under President George W. Bush.