Inside the Beltway Weekly March 7, 2016

THE CONSERVATIVE MISSION, IN 140 WORDS

A round of applause, please, for indefatigable Matt Schlapp, president of the American Conservative Union, who reveals an essential mission behind it all.

“Are conservatives ready to rumble? They’ve got pitchforks in their hands. They are ready to take back their country, to be actively involved in the legislative process — and they’re in the mood to nominate an outsider. Conservatives are in a very interesting state of mind,” Mr. Schlapp tells Inside the Beltway.

“We are all about unifying conservatives — defining their commonalities, their goals, what matters to them on a very basic level. But this is also a reminder about heritage here. The theme with us this year is ‘our time is now,’ taken from a speech Ronald Reagan made before CPAC in 1981. I believe many conservatives are convinced their time is now. Right now. Conservatives believe if they don’t win during this important election year, they’re going to wake up one day and not recognize America. It’s given people a strong incentive, and lots of energy,” says Mr. Schlapp.

And what was it Reagan told his audience 35 years ago? Here it is: “Our time is now. Our moment has arrived. We stand together shoulder to shoulder in the thickest of the fight.”

THE LIBERTARIAN VERSION

The likely Libertarian Party nominee for president took a look at the recent results of Super Tuesday, and came away with a single thought. “I actually believe I may have won Super Tuesday,” says Gary Johnson, the former governor of New Mexico who ran for the White House in 2012 and managed to snag 1.2 million votes in the process. His campaign this time around is underway.

“With the Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton trains becoming more and more unstoppable in their respective parties, I believe a real majority of American voters are going to be left without a political home in November,” Mr. Johnson continues. “To those millions of voters, a successful two-term governor with a solid record of fiscal responsibility and defense of civil and personal liberties could well be the mainstream option.”

Left out of the official presidential debate process, Mr. Johnson recently sued the Presidential Debate Commission hoping to win a spot on the big stage, to no avail — yet. He points out, however, that the Libertarian nominee will be on the ballot in every state in November.

“I hope to be that nominee,” he says. “Both of the major parties are succeeding in alienating more voters than ever before. The Democrat establishment is effectively shutting down its challengers, and Republicans are clearly rejecting their establishment. The net result may be that more Americans than ever before will be looking to a truly independent, experienced and proven candidate.”

TRUMP, THE NEXT VERSION

“Senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio ended Super Tuesday with enough wins or delegates to stay in the race — and both have pledged to remain — so it’s too late for a gentlemen’s agreement among them to arrive at a single alternative,” says Grant Reeher, a Syracuse University political professor who notes that the big night did not resolve much on the campaign trail.

“But the confusion got a lot clearer,” says Mr. Reeher.

“The most likely hope for a Republican nominee other than Trump now rests on a brokered convention. It will be interesting to see whether Trump, looking ahead to the general election, will become more presidential, or whether he’ll stay true to the brash and reckless formula that brought him to this point,” says the professor.

PEACE FOR EVERYBODY

A record 376 nominations have been submitted for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, including the likes of Donald Trump and Pope Francis. The previous record was 278 candidates, nominated in 2014.

“We live in a world where there are a lot of conflicts and where there are also a certain number of processes that are heading in a more positive direction. Clearly, this has inspired a lot of people to exercise their right to nominate someone,” Olav Njolstad, director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute, tells Agence France Presse.

THE DAVOS OF DEFENSE’

This should be quite the gathering. The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation has announced it will stage the fourth Reagan National Defense Forum in early December, just three weeks after the presidential election.

This is the kind of event which includes a “Peace Through Strength Dinner,” complete with an annual award featuring a bronze eagle trophy set in a granite base. The eagle is holding a piece of the Berlin Wall in one talon. Enough said.

“In the past three years, the Reagan National Defense Forum has become the premier high-level global convocation for discussion of the security of the United States and its allies, ultimately becoming the true Davos of Defense,” says Frederick J. Ryan, chairman of the foundation’s board of trustees. He is, of course, referring to the ski resort in the Swiss Alps that hosts the annual World Economic Forum for the planet’s leading political and business elite, those who must make it to “Davos” or else.

The Reagan event is already a destination of choice. In past years, it has drawn Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter and three of his predecessors, Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson, an intense collection of serious military brass and the very biggest of cheeses from key defense industries. The steering committee includes Sens. James Inhofe, John McCain and Jack Reed, Rep. Mac Thornberry, and former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, among many.

THE IRS AND THE GOODY BAGS

Yes, yes, the Academy Awards have finally come and gone. Yay. But one particular after effect won’t be going away, and that has to do with the goody bags doled out to Oscar nominees.

This year the showbiz swag amounted to $232,000 worth of certificates for vacation travel and plastic surgery procedures, jewelry, edibles, cosmetics and other pricey whatnot. The IRS has made its policy known on this, however:
“The Internal Revenue Service is conducting an outreach campaign to the entertainment industry regarding the taxability of gift bags and promotional items. This effort is focused on distribution of celebrity gift bags and goodie bags in conjunction with appearances by the stars at award shows and other gatherings,” the federal agency notes at its website.

So, what are the federal income tax consequences to a person who accepts a gift bag in recognition of involvement in an awards show?

“In general, the person has received taxable income equal to the fair market value of the bag and its contents and must report that amount on his or her federal income tax return,” the IRS states.

NEWS FROM ELSEWHERE

“The first McDonald’s in Kazakhstan to offer horse meat burgers,” reports RT, the Russian cable news channel. The new eatery will open next week; 15 more are planned in the nation.

“We’ll try to adjust our consumers’ requests and cater to Kazakh national cuisine,” explained the owner and developer Kairat Boranbayev.

THE PET WORDS OF 2016

The White House hopefuls talk a lot. But they do have favorite words says Dictionary.com, which used a meta-data analysis of transcripts from every presidential debate through mid-February to determine which words were “most statistically significant” among contenders. “Every idea and belief, down to the level of the individual words chosen, counts,” says Liz McMillan, CEO of the popular information site.

One telling word tops the list for each candidate, however. Donald Trump likes “eminent.” It was “utterly” for Sen. Ted Cruz and “apocalyptic” for Sen. Marco Rubio. Gov. John Kasich favored “blue-collar” while Hillary Clinton relied on “systemic” and Sen. Bernie Sanders “handful.” Here’s the top-10 favorite words from each candidate’s debate lexicon:

Mr. Trump: Eminent, tremendous, sudden, scholar, inversion, Atlantic, businessman, nasty, beautiful, domain.

Mr. Cruz: Utterly, cronyism, ration, Rubio-Schumer, objective, jihad, sessions, distract, suspend, patrol.

Mr. Rubio: Apocalyptic, agent, Guantanamo, sophisticated, modernize, vat, grandfather, Moammar, paycheck, killer.

Mr. Kasich: Blue-collar, surplus, formula, incumbent, architect, balanced, budget, miner, discipline, Pentagon.

Mrs. Clinton: Systemic, children, seller, Libyans, Europeans, recommend, out-of-pocket, elsewhere, LGBT, AIG

Mr. Sanders: Handful, crumble, speculation, tuition-free, substantially, cease-fire, one-tenth, U.K., Cayman Islands, buck.

O’BAMA

“Irish Americans symbolize the perpetual optimism that defines our country, and they have long embodied the truth at the heart of our promise — that no matter who you are or where you come from, in America, you can make it if you try. For centuries, sons and daughters of Erin have come to America’s shores, adding to our rich vibrancy and putting their full hearts into everything they do. From building our country’s cities as preeminent architects and earnest laborers to building our national character as people of great joy and cherished culture, Irish Americans have endured intolerance and discrimination to find a place for themselves and their children here in the United States.

— From President Obama’s official proclamation recognizing Irish-American Heritage Month. Which is March.

ONE FOR ANDREW BREITBART
The feisty Heartland Institute has named its new state-of-the-art digital event space and studio the “Andrew Breitbart Freedom Center” to honor the late media maven and innovative gadfly who died unexpectedly four years ago. The space is a technological doozy, meant for live-streaming policy events, forums, movie screenings and other fare. The Chicago-based non-profit organization plans to offer it free-of-charge to conservative, libertarian and other “liberty-centric” groups.

“Andrew Breitbart was a genuine American hero. He inspired millions of people to stand up and speak the truth about what is happening in America,” says Heartland president Joseph Bast.

LET THE TWITTER FEUDS COMMENCE

A discerning Beltway reader points out that high-profile news media folks duke it out with one another on Twitter — just like politicians. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” the reader notes. Indeed, the practice has become part of the press landscape, just as candidate tweets and counter-tweets now litter the campaign trail.

Two recent examples. Fox News stalwart Brit Hume recently challenged talk radio host Laura Ingraham over a particular quote about Donald Trump’s chances of winning the GOP nomination Vs. the 2016 election. “The discussion was about the general election. Your quote is wrong. Please delete and correct.” Ms. Ingraham did that. Mr. Hume tweeted thanks.

Fox News host Sean Hannity, meanwhile, had a complex disagreement over immigration policy, the 2016 candidates and a New York Times article with pundit Ann Coulter that stretched over two dozen tweets, with input from the reading public. “I’m finished with our mini Twitter feud, I agree with you on immigration,” Mr. Hannity tweeted at last, though some back and forth continued.

There are enormous audiences here. Mr. Hannity has 1.3 million followers, Ms. Coulter 784,000, Ms. Ingraham 654,000 and Mr. Hume 420,000.

SARTORIAL WARS

“The Chinese communist government is taking over the South China Sea, rapidly building up their military. And oh, by the way, they make Donald Trump’s suits and ties in China. If he was interested in bringing back American jobs, he could start this very morning by announcing that every product that says Donald Trump on it will be made in America. I challenge him to do that,” proclaimed Republican presidential hopeful Sen. Marco Rubio, in a recent campaign speech.

And some excruciating details: A brief study of the Donald J. Trump line of clothing reveals that while many of the sports coats have been made in China, most of the suits are actually made in the U.S. The shirts are made in Bangladesh. Mr. Trump’s campaign gear, incidentally, is made in America.

SHALOM AMERICA

“Americans’ views toward Israel remain firmly positive,” writes Gallup analyst Lydia Saad, with 62 percent of Americans saying their sympathies lie more with the Israelis and 15 percent favoring the Palestinians. About one in four continue to be neutral. The Gallup poll in question found that 79 percent of Republicans, 75 percent of weekly church-goers, 72 percent of Christians and those over 50 side with Israel; the figure is 56 percent among independents and 53 percent among Democrats.

“By a slight margin, 44 percent to 37 percent, more Americans favor than oppose the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the West Bank and Gaza Strip,” Ms. Saad also noted.

POLL DU JOUR

55 percent of Americans favor diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba; 34 percent of Republicans, 54 percent of independents and 74 percent of Democrats agree.

51 percent overall approve of President Obama’s decision to visit Cuba; 21 percent of Republicans, 46 percent of independents and 82 percent of Democrats agree.

48 percent overall favor ending the trade embargo on Cuba; 34 percent of Republicans, 44 percent of independents and 64 percent of Democrats agree.

39 percent overall say they would vacation in Cuba; 22 percent of Republicans, 37 percent of independents and 56 percent of Democrats agree.

30 percent overall consider Cuba an ally; 14 percent of Republicans, 29 percent of independents and 45 percent of Democrats agree.

Source: A YouGov poll of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted Feb. 19-22.

Follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin