Just days after a federal judge in Florida struck down the new health care laws and declared the individual mandate unconstitutional, Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is leading an effort to have this legal fight skip the appellate phase and head straight to the Supreme Court. Why does he believe it should be fast-tracked? Why could an expedited hearing at the Supreme Court save states a lot of money? Will he be able to overcome Obama administration opposition towards this request? And how does he respond to the suggestion that the longer the court fight plays out, the more Americans will warm up to the laws? We ask Attorney General Cuccinelli and ask him what response his office will have to recent videos suggesting Planned Parenthood workers in his state are willing to aid sex traffickers in obtaining secret and illegal abortions for girls as young as 14 years old.
Cash for Codgers
This past week, a second judge has ruled individual health care mandate unconstitutional in the president’s new health care laws. So as the legal fight continues, the Capitol Steps take a comedic look at what the Democrats may try next. Our guest is Steps star Elaina Newport.
Three Martini Lunch 2/4/11
Greg Corombos and National Review’s Jim Geraghty cheer New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s verbal smackdown of Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley. They’re also unimpressed with the January jobs report and scoffing at Al Gore latest feeble attempt to link every major weather event to global warming. Greg and Jim also offer thoughts on the Superbowl and on the liberal media trying to draw comparisons between President Obama and President Reagan.
Three Martini Lunch 2-3-11
Greg Corombos and Jim Geraghty of National Review like the push to expedite the court fight over Obamacare to the Supreme Court and wonder why Obama is saying almost nothing about Egypt and have fun with Sen. Jon Tester ripping his opponent over who is supporting his campaign.
First Obamacare Brick to Fall
On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate failed to repeal the entire health care plan that Democrats in Congress approved last year. But in a separate vote, 81 senators voted to repeal a provision in the laws that force small business owners to fill out much more paperwork for the IRS than they ever did before. Why did this pass so easily now since Democrats killed efforts to repeal it late last year? Will it pass easily in the House or get hung up on procedural issues? What other provisions of the health plan might be ripe for bipartisan repeal? We ask Nebraska Sen. Mike Johanns, sponsor of the effort to repeal the 1099 provision in the U.S. Senate.
Planned Parenthood Exposed Again
In recent days, the pro-life student organization Live Action has released undercover videos showing activists at Planned Parenthood clinics while posing as a pimp and prostitute in the sex trafficking business. The videos reveal Planned Parenthood workers in New Jersey and Virginia offering advice to the “sex workers” on how to get birth control for girls as young as 14 and avoid parental consent laws for abortions for girls of the same age. What else did the videos show? What is Live Action asking officials in Virginia, New Jersey and in the U.S. Congress to do? What does Planned Parenthood say in response? What does Live Action say in reply to those explanations? And will more undercover videos be released? We discuss it all with Lila Rose, president of Live Action.. You can watch the undercover videos at liveaction.org.
‘We Did Everything Wrong on the Health Care Bill’
Tonight, the Senate will vote on a proposed repeal of the President’s health care plan. It likely won’t pass since Democrats still have the majority, so why is having the vote still very significant? Why does Dr. Tom Coburn, a Republican senator from Oklahoma, say that we are staring at much higher costs and much lower quality of care if Congress or the courts don’t scrap the Obama plan soon? What ideas does Coburn have for addressing the pre-existing problems with the health care system? And how confident is he that this week’s overturning of the health care laws in court will pass muster at the Supreme Court? We discuss it all with Dr. Coburn.
Muslim Brotherhood: The Truth
Over the past several days, the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt has been depicted in the press as embracing peace and possibly being a reputable partner in a new Egyptian government. But after decades of spawning other radical and violent groups, are current descriptions of the Brotherhood based on anything close to reality? What is the Muslim Brotherhood all about? What are their goals? How much power do they already have in Egypt? And what is the extent of their contact with the Obama administration? We ask Andy McCarthy, prosecutor of the blind sheikh and others following the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
Radicals Boosted by U.S. Weakness
Just a couple of hours after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak announced he would not seek re-election, President Obama declared that a new government was the right course. But will America like what comes next in Egypt? Will the toppled governments stop with Tunisia and Egypt or will radicals be emboldened throughout the region? How are these protests a sign of a lack of respect for the U.S. around the world? And what will happen with Israel? We discuss it all with South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson, a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Three Martini Lunch 2/2/11
Greg Corombos and National Review’s Jim Geraghty discuss the favorable U.S. Senate landscape for the GOP in 2012. They also lament the latest chaos in Egypt and President Obama’s apparent inability to stay on top of it. And they have some fun with Sen. Chuck Schumer and the Democratic rationale for choosing Charlotte to host their 2012 convention.