The Water Cooler is written by Washington Times staffers.
By Jennifer Harper — Published May 24, 2013 Comments
Implications of the 2,100-page health care reform legislation that went on to become the Affordable Care Act are beginning to emerge. Americans appear to be getting a little nervous about it all, says a new poll from Fox News. The majority want to return to a previous era. The poll found that 56 percent of U.S. voters say it would be 'better' if the U.S. went back to the health care system that was in place in 2009. Of course there's a partisan divide: 85 percent of Republicans, 74 percent of conservatives, 30 percent of Democrats and 27 percent of liberals agree with that. A third of voters overall - 34 percent - say it would be better to leave the new health care law in place; 7 percent of Republicans, 18 percent of conservatives, 61 percent of Democrats and 64 percent of liberals agree. The voting public is not ...
by Jennifer Harper — Published May 23, 2013 Comments
"As each day passes, Americans find ourselves with more questions about the IRS targeting of conservative groups and donors - and what the White House and Treasury Department knew and when," says Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, who has asked in-house attorney Jonathan Waclawski to file a Freedom of Information Act request with the IRS to get to the bottom of things. The request has been sent, asking for correspondence between IRS employees and officials, dating from Jan. 1, 2010, through Monday. The agency has 20 days to respond. In his request, Mr. Waclawski also expressed his hope that the RNC would warrant as speedy service as ProPublica did in the very recent past. Pro Publica is the watchdog group that filed the initial FOIA with the IRS that revealed the agency had targeted the conservative groups in the first place. Here's the letter. "There's clearly something serious the ...
by Jennifer Harper — Published May 22, 2013 Comments
It would not be the first presidential beer summit. "Barack Obama and Vladimir Putin are set to raise a pint together as part of plans for the G-8 summit. The U.S. president and Russian president will clink glasses in front of cameras, but away from the official venue," reports The Irish Sun, with some glee - but no predictions on the leaders' libation of choice. They will have some company, apparently. "Details of the off-site meeting involving all eight world leaders have already been drawn up. Names of guests for the event have been submitted to security chiefs, but the location remains top-secret," the newspaper says. Local officials, not to mention the proprietor of the pub in question, have time to plan, though. Situated at the five-star, 600-acre Lough Erne resort in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, the G-8 summit does not begin until June 17.
by Jennifer Harper — Published May 21, 2013 Comments
They've got their own way of doing things, even when it comes to raising money. A pocket knife carried by former SEAL Team 6 member "Mark Owen" during the raid that killed Osama bin Laden went for $35,400 during "The Silent Professional" online charity auction to aid special forces personnel in need. Mark Owen is the pseudonym of the former Navy SEAL who wrote "No Easy Day," a memoir of the mission. He carried the knife for eight years; it was crafted for him Ernest Emerson of Emerson Knives, who offered a letter of authenticity to the winning bidder. "'Owen' is the real guy and this is the real knife," Mr. Emerson says. "Giving back to our community is very important to me, and if donating this knife to charity helps with that process then I'm more than happy to do it," Mr. Owen says. "One team, one fight." Other ...
by Jennifer Harper — Published May 20, 2013 Comments
Just out from Sen. Marco Rubio. The Florida Republican issued this statement after a report was released claiming that the Obama administration targeted a FOX News reporter during a leak investigation: "I am very concerned by reports the Obama administration targeted a FOX News reporter for possible criminal prosecution for doing what appears to be normal news-gathering protected by the First Amendment. The sort of reporting by James Rosen detailed in the report is the same sort of reporting that helped Mr. Rosen aggressively pursue questions about the administration's handling of Benghazi. National security leaks are criminal and put American lives on the line, and federal prosecutors should, of course, vigorously investigate. But we expect that they do so within the bounds of the law, and that the investigations focus on the leakers within the government - not on media organizations that have First Amendment protections and serve vital function ...
by Jennifer Harper — Published May 20, 2013 Comments
Republican lawmakers are often condemned by the press, framed as uncooperative aggressors - or worse. But not this week. Amazingly enough, the GOP has the backing of many Americans for their reactions to both the Benghazi terrorist attack and the the IRS investigation of conservative groups. A few numbers from a CNN/ORC poll released Sunday: 71 percent of Americans say IRS targeting of conservative groups about their tax-exempt status is "unacceptable"; 84 percent of Republicans and 62 percent of Democrats agree. 54 percent overall say Republicans are reacting "appropriately" to the IRS matter; 85 percent of Republicans and 31 percent of Democrats agree. 59 percent overall say the U.S. government could have prevented the Benghazi terrorist attacks; 75 percent of Republicans and 49 percent of Democrats agree. 59 percent say Republicans are reacting appropriately to the Benghazi situation; 88 percent of Republicans and 41 percent of Democrats agree. Incidentally, 17 ...
by Douglas Ernst — Published May 17, 2013 Comments
Piers Morgan has given the tea party and gun rights advocates a hard time since the Newtown massacre, but he appears to have had a change of heart after the Obama administration's IRS and Associated Press scandals. Speaking to famous magician and libertarian Penn Jillette, the CNN host said, "I've had some of the pro-gun lobbyists on here, saying to me, 'Well, the reason we need to be armed is because of tyranny from our own government,' and I've always laughed at them. "I said 'don't be so ridiculous, your own government won't turn itself on you,' but, actually, this is vaguely tyrannical behavior by the American government," Mr. Morgan said. "I think what the IRS did is bordering on tyrannical behavior. I think what the Department of Justice has done to the AP is bordering on tyrannical behavior."Mr. Jillette agreed, responding, "There's no doubt about that. … I think ...
by Jennifer Harper — Published May 17, 2013 Comments
Yankee Candle introduced a bacon-scented candle for men this week, to much applause and wonder from those convinced that the genre was limited to girly florals and vanilla. But wait. There could be some constructive use for such a candle in the male-dominated bastions of the nation's capital. Would the parties stop their fussing if the comforting, savory scent of bacon was in the air? Maybe. "Certainly, I'd love if our new 'MMM, Bacon!' candle can help ease the tension between Congress and the White House" Yankee Candle CEO Harlan Kent tells Watercooler."Everyone loves bacon. It's a unifying scent that brings people together, regardless of their political affiliations. How can you not be happy when bacon's involved?" Indeed. And it will also add another dimension to Capitol Hill's long time reputation as a "sausage factory."
by Jennifer Harper — Published May 17, 2013 Comments
A noisy cultural moment, and a lucrative one: China has embraced Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Witness the fact that 1,000 Chinese Harley lovers recently roared into Qian Dao Lake, Zhejiang Province, decked out in black leather, skull masks and Viking warrior helmets. Or no helmets. The Beijing-style bikers were there to celebrate the 110th birthday of the iconic, all-American brand. And they are devoted. Six official H.O.G. chapters - that's Harley Owner Groups - are scattered across China. None of this has been lost on Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker; Harley-Davidson headquarters are in Milwaukee. Under Mr. Walker's watch, Wisconsin managed to export $1.5 billion worth of local products to China last year, from the beloved Harleys to Wisconsin-grown ginseng, Oshkosh trucks and fancy, locally made bath fittings. As part of a trade mission, Mr. Walker himself journeyed to Shanghai for a flashy Harley party, and the opening of a yet another new ...
by Douglas Ernst — Published May 16, 2013 Comments
"Audit this" was the message from Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Evan Mathis, who reacted to this week's IRS scandal by appearing to relieve himself on the agency's property. Mr. Mathis posted the evidence on his Instagram account:
by Douglas Ernst — Published May 16, 2013 Comments
Schwarzenegger? Stallone? There may be something to their conservative political leanings. A new study by two psychological scientists asserts that a man's physical strength will affect whether or not he supports the welfare state, according to the Daily Mail. Starting with the hypothesis that upper-body strength — "a proxy for the ability to physically defend or acquire resources" — would sway a man's conclusions about redistribution of wealth by the government, the researchers then collected data from the U.S., Argentina and Denmark. The data revealed that wealthy men with high upper-body strength were less likely to support redistribution, while less wealthy men of the same strength were more likely to support it, the Daily Mail reports. "Our results demonstrate that physically weak males are more reluctant than physically strong males to assert their self-interest — just as if disputes over national policies were a matter of direct physical confrontation among ...
by Jennifer Harper — Published May 16, 2013 Comments
"Americans misjudge U.S. abortion views," notes a new Gallup poll. "When asked how they think most Americans feel about the abortion issue, 51 percent of U.S. adults say the public is mostly 'pro-choice' while 35 percent say 'pro-life.' This general perception that the pro-choice viewpoint prevails contrasts with the nearly even division of Americans' actual views. The same poll finds that 48 percent of Americans call themselves pro-life and 45 percent pro-choice," analyst Lydia Saad says. Wait. What? Does the liberal media have anything to do with this false impression that the nation is pro-choice? The Gallup findings do not speculate. But we have been in this position before. A similar situation emerged in a recent Pew Research Center survey revealing that the majority of Americans are currently under the impression that gun crime is higher now than it was 20 years ago. Federal data indicates gun crime fell by ...
by Jennifer Harper — Published May 15, 2013 Comments
"The Ethics in Government Act of 1978 requires high-level federal officials to publicly disclose their personal financial interests. The public filing system serves to prevent financial conflicts of interest by providing for a systematic review of the finances of government officials," says a White House blog post by none other than spokesman Jay Carney. "Those finances are set forth in annual disclosures which are reviewed and certified by ethics officials. Neither the President nor the Vice President have any conflicts of interest, and their reports have been reviewed and certified by the independent Office of Government Ethics. We are continuing this Administration's practice of posting these forms online here in the interests of transparency," Mr. Carney notes. And here's that report: Obama form And also one for Vice President Biden too: Biden form
by Douglas Ernst — Published May 15, 2013 Comments
Politico, considered in many circles as a haven for the Obama administration, raised eyebrows Tuesday with a piece titled "D.C. turns on Obama." "Establishment Democrats, never big fans of this president to begin with, are starting to speak out," the story says. "And reporters are tripping over themselves to condemn lies, bullying and shadiness in the Obama administration." The piece continues, saying that the president's "holier-than-thou rhetoric" has left him little political capital with Democrats. "And the press, after years of being accused of being soft on Obama while being berated by West Wing aides on matters big and small, now has every incentive to be as ruthless as can be," Politico reports.
by Jennifer Harper — Published May 15, 2013 Comments
The drama continues. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus ramped up the hostilities between The Associated Press and the Justice Department by calling for the resignation of Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. after news surfaced that the department had seized phone records from the wire service. "The First Amendment doesn't request the federal government to respect it. It demands it," declared Mr. Priebus, adding that if President Obama does not ask for the aforementioned resignation, "the message will be unmistakable: The president of the United States believes his administration is above the Constitution and does not respect the role of a free press." But journalists themselves are ready to rumble. The American Society of News Editors deems the Justice Department's seizure of wire service phone records both "outrageous" and "appalling," among other things. "This is a disturbing affront to a free press. It's also troubling because it is so ...
