NEWS AND OPINION:
THE WEINER MOVIE
It was inevitable. There’s talk that Rep. Anthony D. Weiner’s constantly mutating photo scandal could provide ample fodder for a big fat Hollywood movie. Instant casting is already afoot. Movieline correspondent Christopher Rosen suggests that the embattled New York Democrat be played onscreen by Adrien Brody, with Rosario Dawson cast to play his wife, Huma Abedin.
BigHollywood.com founder Andrew Breitbart — who initially revealed the Weinergate images in what now seems like another century — could be played by Val Kilmer, Will Ferrell or David Morse, according to Mr. Rosen, who now appears to have a case of Weiner fatigue.
“It’s the political scandal of the moment — until the next political scandal of the moment,” Mr. Rosen observes.
NEW OLD GLORY
Did he feel this way during the lead-up to the 2008 election, when even wearing an American flag pin was a big deal? Well, uh, maybe. Time and circumstance march on, however. From President Obama’s official proclamation recognizing Flag Day on Tuesday:
“When the American flag soars, so too does our nation and the ideals it stands for. … I urge all Americans to observe Flag Day and National Flag Week by displaying the flag. I also call upon the people of the United States to observe with pride and all due ceremony those days from Flag Day through Independence Day, also set aside by the Congress, as a time to honor America, to celebrate our heritage in public gatherings and activities, and to publicly recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America.”
PAPAPALOOZA
Father’s Day arrives in a mere 120 hours. Some pollsters maintain that there’s no papa parity. Mothers, they claim, get more attention on Mother’s Day than fathers on Father’s Day. So don’t forget, now. And consider too that traditional fatherhood flourishes in America despite dad-demeaning popular culture that might suggest otherwise.
From the Census Bureau, the numbers speak. Among the nation’s 70.1 million fathers: 53 percent of children younger than 6 have breakfast with dad everyday, 71 percent dine with dad daily. The nation’s fathers read to children ages 3 to 5 an average of six times a week. And most importantly, 66 percent of children younger than 6 were praised three or more times a day by their fathers, the federal agency says.
THE PALIN MOVIE
“The Undefeated” is being positioned as a major rallying point for conservative bloggers and activists. The feature film chronicling Sarah Palin’s political career, is scheduled for special screenings in the next two months before grass-roots crowds that include Americans for Prosperity Foundation’s upcoming RightOnline Conference in Minneapolis and the RedState Gathering in Charleston, S.C., organized by RedState.com editor Erick Erickson.
Conservative female activists also get a look at the “Mama Grizzly” film at the Smart Girl Summit in St. Louis, with some definitive political overtones. Organizer Stacy Mott is convinced, she says, that the film will rally attendees “as we push toward electoral victory in 2012.”
Stephen K. Bannon, the independent filmmaker behind the movie, has his own calling. “There is a battle for the soul of the conservative movement and the Republican Party, and it is most important to bring this film to these influential activist audiences,” he says.
Meanwhile, “The Undefeated” will premiere before the general public in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina in late June and early July; the film is slated for a nationwide theatrical release beginning July 15 at AMC Theatres.
BUMPER PATROL
“HOPE ain’t hiring, it’s time for CHANGE.”
— Bumper sticker spotted in Richmond
THE PALIN FACTOR
“Republican support for Mitt Romney as their party’s 2012 presidential nominee has increased significantly to 24 percent, compared with 17 percent in late May. As a result, Romney has widened his advantage over Sarah Palin in the latest update on rank-and-file Republicans’ nomination preferences,” says Gallup Poll analyst Jeffrey M. Jones.
The former Alaska governor garners 16 percent of the support, followed by Herman Cain at 9 percent and Rep. Ron Paul, Texas Republican, at 7 percent. But that’s if Mrs. Palin actually decides to run for president. The equation changes if she opts out of the White House derby and decides to go for, say, Arizona senator.
“Should Palin not run, Romney would become a stronger front-runner. He holds a 17-percentage-point advantage over the nearest competitor, Herman Cain, when Palin’s votes are excluded and reallocated to her supporters’ second choice. Under that scenario, six candidates essentially tie for second place with between 6 percent and 10 percent of the vote,” Mr. Jones notes.
POLL DU JOUR
• 85 percent of Americans say the debate in Congress about raising the debt ceiling is “mostly about political gain.”
• 8 percent say it is a policy disagreement.
• 69 percent say the debt ceiling should not be raised.
• 81 percent of Republicans, 54 percent of Democrats, 72 percent of independents and 83 percent of tea party supporters agree.
• 24 percent overall say the debt ceiling should be raised.
• 16 percent of Republicans, 35 percent of Democrats, 21 percent of independents and 16 percent of tea party supporters agree.
• 72 percent overall say it’s likely the stock market will take a downturn if the debt ceiling is not raised.
• 68 percent think the debt ceiling “will probably be raised,” 23 percent disagree.
Source: A CBS News poll of 1,024 U.S. adults conducted June 3 to 7.
• Murmurs and asides, big fat pronouncements to jharper@washingtontimes.com.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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