NEWS AND OPINION:
Christians United for Israel is now midway through its 10th annual summit in the nation’s capital — a major two-day event that has drawn 5,000 attendees and a wide spectrum of speakers that includes Sens. Lindsey Graham, Tim Scott, John Cornyn, and Tom Cotton; Mike Huckabee, John Kasich and Rick Santorum, with video messages from Jeb Bush, Sen. Ted Cruz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Also on the roster: U.S. Ambassador to Israel Ron Dermer, Elie Weisel, Dennis Prager and evangelical icons Charles Stanley and John Hagee.
The two million-member interest group is also upping its political presence in Washington, revealing it has established the new CUFI Action Fund, a 501(c)(4) organization which now touts longtime values maven Gary Bauer in the leadership chair. He’s already hit the ground running, weighing in a persistent diplomatic cliffhanger.
“The U.S.-Iranian deal represents the biggest capitulation in the history of Western diplomacy. The Obama administration negotiated as if Iran was a great nation and it was making accommodation for us. As a result, the deal will guarantee that Iran gets a nuclear weapon and the president has just pulled the rug out from underneath every American ally we have in the Middle East,” Mr. Bauer says. “This will be a dark day in our history. Our only hope is that a bipartisan majority in Congress will exercise its responsibility and stop this deal. Christians United for Israel Action Fund is dedicated to making that happen.”
A FEW KIND WORDS FOR MR. WALKER
The mainstream media and the Democratic Party launched their predictable attacks against Gov. Scott Walker long before he formally announced his intent to run for the White House late Monday afternoon. Such things are part of the presidential landscape and to be expected. There are those who offered a positive take, however. A brief selection:
“He’s the one guy in the race with a conservative track record, the one guy in the race that has shown how to defeat the media and Democrat coordinated attacks on conservatives. He’s shown how to hang in and be tough, and so he’s the one guy that has something other than promises to make,” Rush Limbaugh told his audience Monday.
“Walker signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge when he first ran for governor. He has kept that pledge. He has cut taxes repeatedly and significantly. He has seen every challenge as an opportunity to reform government to cost less rather than as an excuse to dig deeper into the pockets of taxpayers,” notes Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform.
“Governor Walker is one of thirteen declared and likely candidates to support the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act,” says Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the pro-life Susan B. Anthony List. “Welcome to the race, Governor Walker, and thank you for standing up for the unborn and women not only in Wisconsin, but across America.”
AND IN SUMMATION
“Hillary Clinton gave a big economics speech on Monday, and the snap reaction among Wall Street investors, economists and ardent financial reformers who thrill to the soak-the-rich rhetoric of Bernie Sanders was a collective: ‘Meh. What’s next?’ “
— Ben White, chief economics correspondent for Politico.
QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS, QUESTIONS
“As we anticipate a congressional review of the Obama administration’s possible nuclear agreement with Iran, we’ll be looking to see how the administration has done on Congress’ red lines. Did we get anywhere, anytime inspections? Full Iranian transparency regarding its past nuclear activities? No large-scale, immediate sanctions relief; but guaranteed, workable sanctions snap-backs? Meaningful restraints on Iran’s nuclear program that last decades?” asks Rep. Ed Royce, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, which will go over the whole thing Tuesday morning.
This hearing will be the first in a series the committee will hold should the administration strike what might be one of the most significant agreements in decades. As I have said, no deal is far better than a bad deal,” the California Republican adds.
A FAIRER, HAPPIER AMERICA
The title says all: “The Conservative Heart: How to build a fairer, happier, and more prosperous America” by American Enterprise Institute president Arthur C. Brooks arrives Tuesday, with a clear mission much acclaim. George Will, Rep. Paul Ryan and Sen. Mike Lee are among those praising the new book. It’s establishing some new turf for conservatives — and some pushback against the persistent progressive monopoly as “champions” of the needy and vulnerable. “For too long, conservatives have been a movement of the head and not the heart,” the author notes.
“Conservatives possess the best solutions to the problems of poverty and declining mobility. Yet because they don’t speak in a way that reflects their concern and compassion, many Americans don’t trust them,” Mr. Brooks says, offering some reinvented social justice, succinct policy and identifying the four “institutions of meaning” — family, faith, community, and meaningful work.
“It is time for a new kind of conservatism — a conservatism that fights poverty, promotes equal opportunity, and extols spiritual enlightenment. It is an inclusive, optimistic movement with a positive agenda to help people lead happier and more fulfilling lives,” says Mr. Brooks.
The work is published by Broadside Books; find much information here: ArthurBrooks.com
WHAT THE TV ANCHORS MAKE
The multi-million salaries of big name anchors is not the norm, according to an annual survey of current salaries released by the Radio Television Digital News Association, an industry group. The salary ranges, however, are broad. The average salary for a news anchor is $83,300, though this can range from a minimum of $14,000 to a maximum of $875,000, depending on market size and other circumstances.
Sports anchors weigh in with an average $56,500 annually, with a range of $18,000-$275,000. Weathercasters make $69,800, with a range of $12,000-$595,000.
“Certainly not a great year for TV news salaries, but it’s better than last year,” says Hofstra University professor emeritus Bob Papper, who did the research. “On the anchor desk, news anchors and weathercasters went up, but sports anchors dropped.”
POLL DU JOUR
• 60 percent of Americans say children should not be able to get books containing explicit language at public libraries; 73 percent of Republicans, 53 percent of independents and 60 percent of Democrats agree.
• 48 percent overall say children should not be able to get violent books at libraries; 61 percent of Republicans, 39 percent of independents and 47 percent of Democrats agree.
• 44 percent overall say children should not be able to get books on “sorcery or witchcraft” at libraries; 57 percent of Republicans, 34 percent of independents and 43 percent of Democrats agree.
• 43 percent overall say children should not be able to get library books which include references to sex; 57 percent of Republicans, 36 percent of independents and 38 percent of Democrats agree.
• 41 percent overall say children should not be able to get library books which refer to drugs or alcohol; 37 percent of Republicans, 32 percent of independents and 32 percent of Democrats agree.
• 19 percent overall say children should not be able to get books about creationism at public libraries; 20 percent of Republicans, 15 percent of independents and 22 percent of Democrats agree.
Source: A Harris Poll of 2,244 U.S. adults conducted March 11-16 and released July 8.
• Clever advisories, stray press releases to jharper@washingtontimes.com.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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