NEWS AND OPINION:
House Republican Whip Steve Scalise offers a tidy summary of what the nation — and the nation’s pocketbook — is facing in this day and age.
“We’ve got to get away from these big spending bills. It’s why we have inflation and the high cost of everything today — because the government went on a drunken spending spree for the last two years. You know, every bill was a trillion this and a trillion that, and ultimately, somebody’s got to pay for it,” the Louisiana Republican told Fox Business Network host Larry Kudlow on Wednesday.
“This idea that you can have a free lunch, that student loans can be free, and your house note can be free – there’s no such thing. And yet Democrats sold that bill of goods falsely for the last two years, and it’s wrecked the economy. It’s made energy costs so expensive that people are making tough choices on whether they can even keep their houses warm in a cold winter right now. So this is where we are. We’ve got to get this country back on track,” Mr. Scalise declared.
SOME POST-ELECTION ADVICE
Some have a few hints for the Republican Party following Herschel Walker’s defeat in his bid to become a U.S. senator in Georgia. A round of hearty applause, please, for Mr. Walker’s efforts.
Meanwhile, one veteran observer has advice for the GOP as the 2024 presidential election looms on the not-so-distant horizon.
“Partisan maneuvering will end up dominating D.C. as both parties try to position themselves to gain an advantage in the lead-up to the 2024 presidential nominating season. One thing the new GOP House majority can focus on is fiscal responsibility and transparency. Reform-minded Republicans should lead by example by holding legislative committee hearings and business meetings, and by passing appropriations bills on time with an open and thoughtful amendment process,” advised David N. Bossie in an essay for Fox News.
“The GOP would be wise to make clear that passing 1,000-page trillion dollar omnibus spending bills that no one reads with little to no debate is completely unacceptable and tone deaf. Now, Republicans have the power to prove they are the party of reform, keen on taking on the failed status quo in Washington, D.C. Look for Senate Democrats to moderate their inflation-causing big spending agenda in an effort to protect a slew of incumbents who will all likely face tough challenges in tough terrain in 2024,” Mr. Bossie said.
He noted that Democrats will be very busy defending eight “vulnerable” Senate seats in West Virginia, Arizona, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin.
“By contrast, it’s difficult to find a truly endangered incumbent on the Republican side of the aisle in 2024,” Mr. Bossie continued, also noting that “the American people voted to stop the radical Biden agenda by switching party control in the U.S. House.”
So what’s next?
“Now, Republicans have the power to prove they are the party of reform, keen on taking on the failed status quo in Washington, D.C. Inflation, open borders, and crime are all real problems and the GOP must offer innovative solutions to solve them – and make the case to the American people why they know best heading into 2024,” Mr. Bossie counseled.
He is president of the conservative advocacy group Citizens United, a Fox News contributor, the 2016 deputy campaign manager for Donald Trump for President, and the former chief investigator for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Government Reform and Oversight during the Clinton administration.
FOXIFIED
During the week of Nov. 28–Dec. 4, Fox News Channel marked its 94th consecutive week leading the cable news competition, drawing an average 2 million primetime viewers per night. MSNBC drew 1.2 million and CNN 556,000 during that time period.
Fox News also aired 75 of the top 100 cable news telecasts during the week.
Once again, “The Five” ruled the cable news kingdom with 3.1 million viewers, followed by “Tucker Carlson Tonight” (2.8 million) and “Jesse Watters Primetime” (2.6 million).
Late night host Greg Gutfeld, meanwhile, enjoyed an average audience of 1.8 million, besting ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (1,5 million)), NBC’s “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” (1,5 million) and CBS’s “Late Late Show with James Corden” (789,000).
THE GRASS GROWS GREENER
The 1960s-era hippies of yore would be amazed to know that marijuana — illegal in their day — has taken on considerable consumer appeal at holiday time.
Yes, well. Things change. Time marches on.
Now that laws are evolving and marijuana is legal in many states, there’s a revealing poll of cannabis users on the subject conducted by Jushi Holdings, a multi-state cannabis company with a home base in Boca Raton, Florida.
It reveals that 91% of the respondents plan to use their weed “as part of holiday celebrations this year.” Another 76% plan to give cannabis or its “related products” as gifts or as “the new stocking stuffer.”
Another 88% said they would be more likely to purchase cannabis or cannabis-related products as holiday gifts if the substance in question became fully legalized on a national level. Three-fourths said the brand of cannabis they buy is important to them.
Conducted by PollFish.com, the survey of 1,000 cannabis consumers from U.S. states with state-legalized cannabis sales was conducted online Nov. 3-18 and released Dec. 1.
“Does inflation affect weed sales? The poll shows consumption levels rising but consumers looking for better deals,” noted a Forbes analysis of the findings.
POLL DU JOUR
• 44% of U.S. adults follow what’s going on in government and public affairs “most of the time.”
• 25% follow what’s going on in government and public affairs “some of the time.”
• 15% follow what’s going on in government and public affairs “only now and then.”
• 11% follow what’s going “hardly at all.”
• 5% don’t know or are unsure about the issue.
SOURCE: An Economist/YouGov poll of 1,500 U.S. adults conducted Dec. 3-6.
• Follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin.
