NEWS AND OPINION:
“This weekend, Atlas Shrugged: Who is John Galt?, the third and final part of the trilogy, will be released in 300 movie theaters across America. I wish it were 3,000 theaters, and that we had tens of millions of dollars for advertising, but that would be wishful thinking,” says John Aglialoro, the independent producer who took the trio of critically acclaimed movies, all based on Ayn Rand’s monumental 1957 novel, onto the big screen.
“The Left hopes no one goes to the theater this weekend. They don’t want their own collectivist mentality compared with Rand’s belief in the individual. They do not want her integrity of thought to reach the sunlight. The result of their philosophy is the message of the third and final story, and it shows quite clearly that force ’for the good of all’ is a hell on earth for mankind,” Mr. Aglialoro observes.
Some very familiar faces who will appear in cameo roles in the project: Glenn Beck, Mark Levin, Ron Paul and Grover Norquist. The film indeed opens Friday; find the theaters, at AtlasShruggedMovie.com
GOP TRUMPS DEMOCRATS AS THE NATION’S PROTECTORS
“The Republican Party has expanded its historical edge over the Democratic Party in Americans’ minds as being better able to protect the U.S. from international terrorism and military threats,” reports Gallup director Frank Newport. “At this point, 55 percent of Americans choose the GOP on this dimension, while 32 percent choose the Democratic Party. This is the widest Republican advantage in Gallup’s history of asking this question since 2002.”
But wait, there’s more.
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“In addition to the GOP advantage on matters of security, Americans also give the Republican Party an edge as the party better able to keep the country prosperous, with 49 percent choosing the Republicans and 40 percent the Democrats,” Mr. Newport notes, adding, “While these measures are by no means perfect predictors of how well a party will do in a midterm election year, the Republican Party’s strength this year does not bode well for Democratic chances to outperform already low expectations.”
HILLARY ON THE MOVE
Hillary Rodham Clinton, President Obama, same stage? It could happen, and will happen.
First we must note that Mrs. Clinton already has a busy weekend. Despite a few flagging poll numbers this week, she makes a much ballyhooed visit to Iowa on Sunday with former President Bill Clinton, both bound for the Hawkeye State’s biggest “steak fry,” this organized by retiring Sen. Tom Harkin, for the 37th year in a row. The event is so large that it must be staged on a hot-air balloon field in Indianola, and is billed as a “meat and greet.” Mr. Clinton is vegan, but no matter.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party fundraising prowess is in full flower. Already crowding the in-boxes of loyal Democrats comes this cordial emailed message: “We’re flying one lucky supporter and their guest to Washington, D.C., for one of our biggest events of the year — and President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and Secretary Hillary Clinton will all be there too! Chip in now and you’ll be automatically entered for your chance to win.”
Yes, well. It’s ultimately worth about $3,000 to the winner who will attend the proverbial big deal — a two-day “issues conference” next week at a hotel in the nation’s capitol, on behalf of the Democratic Women’s Leadership Forum. Also appearing: Jill Biden, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Democratic National Committee Chairman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Center for American Progress president Neera Tanden, Gloria Steinem, Planned Parenthood Action Fund President Cecile Richards — among many, many, many more.
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MCCAINERY
“Then I was the brave maverick, now I’m the grumpy old man.”
— Sen. John McCain, comparing the George W. Bush era to the Barack Obama era, to CNN.
BEATLES FOREVER
And now for our temporary diversion of the day. If Americans had to choose, a new Harris Poll finds that the Beatles are now the most favorite pop-music act in the land, followed by Elvis Presley and Beyonce.
For once there is not a major partisan divide. Both Democrats and Republicans also cite the Beatles as their favorite — though Willie Nelson runs an excruciatingly close second for the GOPers, while Bruno Mars is the No. 2 choice for Dems.
Speaking of rock icons, scientists have named an extinct swamp-dwelling creature that lived 19 million years ago after Rolling Stones icon Mick Jagger, in honor of a trait both man and beast share — “their supersized lips.” Yes, this is exactly what the researchers said.
“We gave it the scientific name Jaggermeryx naida, which translates to ’Jagger’s water nymph,’” says Wake Forest University anthropologist Ellen Miller, who says the, uh, Jaggerbeast was the size of a small deer and looked like a long-legged pig. The mystery bones were found amid the sand dunes and eroded rock of a remote site in the Egyptian desert, “alongside fossilized catfish, turtles, waterbirds and crocodile poop,” her team reports.
PARSING BIG GOVERNMENT
Some learned minds will address a constant source of vexation for conservatives and libertarians alike: the intrusion of big government on daily life. Coming Friday at the Law and Economics Center at George Mason University School of Law in Virginia: “Administration unbound? Delegation, deference, and discretion,” a daylong public conference on the expansion of federal power and all that it implies.
Among the featured speakers: Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg, senior judge on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals; C. Boyden Gray, former White House Counsel to former President George H.W. Bush; Chuck Cooper, former assistant attorney general under President Reagan; Neomi Rao, GMU law professor and former associate White House counsel to former President George W. Bush; and Philip Hamburger author of the book “Is Administrative Law Unlawful?”
“Administrative law — not a benign, natural outgrowth of contemporary government, but rather, a pernicious — and profoundly unlawful — return to dangerous pre-constitutional absolutism,” answers Mr. Hamburger.
WEEKEND REAL ESTATE
For sale: “Tall Oaks,” 19-room brick mansion built in 1907 on six acres in Bernardsville, New Jersey, the former home of big band leader Tommy Dorsey “at the peak of his career.” Six bedrooms, five full baths, four half baths, library, original “telephone room,” historic crown molding, carved baseboards, pocket doors; original Dorsey “Blue Room” contains his billiards table and piano. State of the art kitchen, Heart pine floors, porte cochere, extensive landscaping, five-car garage, carriage house, mature trees, terraces with view of New York City skyline.
Priced at $3.6 million through TurpinRealtors.com, property listing No. 3146536.
POLL DU JOUR
• 87 percent of Russians disapprove of President Obama’s policies toward Russia.
• 86 percent disapprove of Mr. Obama’s international policies.
• 83 percent approve of Russia’s international policies.
• 81 percent say “U.S. global leadership” is “undesirable.”
• 72 percent have an unfavorable opinion of the U.S.
• 64 percent have an unfavorable opinion of Ukraine.
• 53 percent say Russia should “maintain its influence over Ukraine” even at risk of conflict with the European Union.
Source: The German Marshall Fund of the U.S. “Transatlantic Trends” poll of 1,500 Russians conducted June 2-25 and released Wednesday. Fourteen other nations were included in the wide ranging survey; find it all at TransAtlanticTrends.org
• Annoyance, jubilation to jharper@washingtontimes.com.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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