Radio America Online News Bureau

On Thursday, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist announced he would leave the Republican Party and continue his campaign for U.S. Senate as an independent.  But how will this switch be viewed by voters?  Will Crist have to run to the left to have a chance?  What message does this campaign send to national Republicans as base voters and independents reject their hand-picked candidates in Florida and other places?  Will the rise of grass roots GOP candidates make life easier or harder for Democrats in November?  What will be the Democratic strategy?  We ask Richard Benedetto, former longtime White House Correspondent for USA TODAY.

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The Tea Party will be a powerful force in this year’s mid term elections…which means it is now prominent enough to be lampooned by The Capitol Steps.

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Senate Republicans say they’ve made enough progress to allow the financial reform debate to proceed and hope to make more progress through amendments.  But some conservatives say the bill is still hopelessly flawed.  Plus, the Obama administration prepares to assist in the clean-up of a major oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico.  And, Florida’s Charlie Crist is ready to leave the GOP and run for U.S. Senate as an independent.

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New Jersey Rep. Scott Garrett says Senate Republicans agreed to move forward on a financial reform bill that is still nothing more than a bailout plan.  Why does he believe that even after the controversial $50 billion fund appears to be off the table?  What does the plan do about Fannie and Freddie?  What insight does he have on the process for this bill in the House and Senate?  What needs to be included in meaningful reform and what needs to be left out of it?  We ask Rep. Garrett.

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As Florida Gov. Charlie Crist leaves the GOP to run for U.S. Senate as an independent, John Gizzi of Human Events says the tactic will not work.  Why does he see Crist fading down the stretch and why won’t the Democrat take advantage of the three-man race?  Who does Gizzi see emerging from the Indiana GOP senate primary?  Have Republicans caved on financial reform or are there many more twists and turns to come in this debate?  We’ll discuss all of this with John Gizzi.

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The mortgage crisis was a major factor in the Wall Street crisis, but the new financial reform bill once again demands that banks give mortgages to low-income people who can’t afford them.  What else does the bill provide?  Why is this a great deal for banks but not the taxpayers?  Why is the president’s choice to lead the new Consumer Financial Protection Agency another red flag?  And should the Senate Republicans have allowed debate to begin?  We ask Brian Johnson, federal affairs manager at Americans for Tax Reform.

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Tensions heighten as Senate Republicans block financial reform debate for a third day.  Senator DeMint blames Obama for meltdown of a bipartisan effort.  Janet Napolitano is blamed for complicating enforcement of new crackdown on illegal immigrants.  The Supreme Court allows a veterans memorial cross to stand.

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Police in Arizona will soon be tasked with cracking down on illegal immigrants.  What will that look like?  What is profiling and how is it different than racial profiling?  How has Janet Napolitano made enforcement of the new laws much more difficult?  Will police really use reasonable cause or will they just randomly target Hispanics?  We ask Jim Kouri, vice president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police.

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The Supreme Court made it clear that a cross on public land does not violate the establishment clause in the first amendment to the Constitution.  However, the high court also left it up to lower courts to finally resolve a dispute over a Mojave Desert memorial to veterans which is in the form of a cross.  So what happens now?  Is this decision a precedent for future cases about religious symbols and expression on public grounds?  Why is the other side really trying to remove any notion of religion from the public square?  We ask Joe Infranco, senior counsel at the Alliance Defense Fund.

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On Wednesday, Senate Republicans blocked Democratic financial reform legislation for the third consecutive day.  A growing number of GOP senators say a good, bipartisan deal was on the verge of completion.  So what happened?  What common ground was the committee finding?  Why is the Democratic leadership pushing the original, disputed bill?  What responsibility does President Obama bear for all of this?  How does it fly in the face of of public statements blaming Republicans for the partisan deadlock?  And what does Obama really think of the American people?  We ask South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint.  We also get his thoughts on the immigration debate and why conservative upstarts are thriving in this election year while the establishment candidates are struggling.

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