Beltway Weekly, August 17, 2015 edition

CLIMATE ALARMISM WORTH A TRILLION

The plaintive calls about global warming, the stern warnings about rising seas and flooded coastlines — this is what the public hears about. Then there’s this pesky, inconvenient truth they don’t hear. “Interest in climate change is becoming an increasingly powerful economic driver, so much so that some see it as an industry in itself whose growth is driven in large part by policy making,” notes Don Jergler, an analyst for Insurance Journal.

“The $1.5 trillion global ’climate change industry’ grew at between 17 and 24 percent annually from 2005-2008, slowing to between 4 and 6 percent following the recession with the exception of 2011’s inexplicable 15 percent growth, according to Climate Change Business Journal,” he writes, adding that the industry has nine segments and 38, including renewables, green building and hybrid vehicles.

“That also includes the climate change consulting market, which a recent report by the journal estimates at $1.9 billion worldwide and $890 million in the U.S.,” Mr. Jergler says.

GEORGE WASHINGTON CAMPAIGNS

He has more stops on his schedule than the presidential hopefuls. General George Washington has arrived in Iowa, sent by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation to remind voters of their civic duty, and civility. The costuming and manner of veteran actor Ron Carnegie are most authentic as he tours the Hawkeye State, with New Hampshire to follow — accompanied by his horse Blueskin, though there’s a back-up campaign bus as well.

Mr. Carnegie says his tour “aims to remind all Americans of their sacred responsibility to take part in the electoral process, and to reawaken them to the important legacy of American political and societal discourse that he and the other Founding Fathers began hundreds of years ago, and that continues to evolve and shape our country today.”

This is a very connected, media-minded George Washington. Mr. Carnegie will visit other key states throughout 2016, bolstered by broadcast ads and an extensive social media campaign. Yes, George is on Twitter @01POTUS, and online at ItStartsHere2016.org.

CARLY EMERGES

“Carly’s up, Trump is down,” is the headline on a new Rasmussen Reports poll of likely Republican primary voters.

“The post-debate picture has a new contender in the top 10 of Republican presidential contenders, while the leader of the pack has taken a fall,” says the poll, released Wednesday. It reveals finds that Carly Fiorina - “stuck in the bottom tier of debaters last Thursday” — now garners support from 9 percent of likely Republican primary voters, which puts her on par with Sen. Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush and Gov. Scott Walker.

And while he still leads the pack, Donald Trump’s level of support has dropped from 26 percent before the debate to 17 percent now.

The conclusion? “Fiorina’s now on the A-list,” Rasmussen Reports says.

A REAGAN REMINDER

“A leader of clarity and resolve, not given to idle words, it was President Reagan who took command of events, rebuilt America’s strength, and moved the world toward peace. Strategically and morally, he conceded nothing to America’s enemies. He believed that the Cold War could be won, not just endlessly managed, and in the end he put an age of conflict behind us. They don’t always give out peace prizes for that, but peace is what Ronald Reagan left behind, and that is the legacy of a good and great man.

— Jeb Bush, in a recent speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library on Tuesday evening.

TEXTBOOK CLINTON

A dream come true? Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton wants the nation’s youth to go to college at a reasonable price, though her idea to reform the student loan program comes with a $350 billion price tag.

“The rising cost of education is a serious challenge for hardworking families all across the country, but Clinton’s plan is ripped from the pages of an out-of-date textbook. It relies on hopeful rhetoric and wishful thinking,” says Michael Needham, CEO of Heritage Action, the grass-roots arm of The Heritage Foundation.

“Declaring something ’debt-free’ doesn’t make it so, and it won’t prepare future generations for our ever-changing economy. Real reform is possible, but it requires a willingness to combat the higher education accreditation cartel and the acceptance of nontraditional programs,” Mr. Needham says, advising voters to consult the Higher Education Reform and Opportunity introduced in March by Republican Sen. Mike Lee and Rep. Ron DeSantis. The legislation would empower states to develop their own systems to accredit colleges, individual courses within colleges, apprenticeship programs and curricula.

COLBERT’S BIG WISH

“I just want to say that every little boy grows up believing they could be president of the United States, and I’m just so happy that little boy is Donald Trump. Please stay healthy until I’m on the air. Don’t do anything dangerous. Every night, I light a candle and pray that he stays in the race — and that nobody puts that candle near his hair.”

— Incoming CBS “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert, on the current Republican front-runner, to the Television Critics Association. Mr. Colbert debuts on Sept. 8.

HOW DEMOCRATS FEEL ABOUT JOE

They like him, and his favorability ratings have gone up, but Democrats are split about whether Vice President Joseph R. Biden, 72, should actually run for president. Three-fourths have a positive feeling about Mr. Biden in a new Gallup poll; another 19 percent say they would “definitely support” while 61 percent would “consider” voting for him. More importantly: 45 percent say they want Mr. Biden to run, 47 percent do not. He also bests Sen. Elizabeth Warren: Thirty-six percent of the respondents want her to run, 49 percent do not.

“Should Biden emerge as a viable nominee, it would likely be an expensive and bruising battle with Hillary Clinton,” says Gallup analyst Lydia Saad. “Rather than seeking an alternative to Clinton, Democrats may simply believe other candidates, Biden included, deserve a chance — and like to keep their own options open.”

FOXIFIED

In the wake of the first Republican presidential debate, Fox News is enjoying its best ratings since its coverage of the Iraq War in 2003. Fox News has had its third-highest-rated week for prime time in its history, says Nielsen Media ratings. And the Republican debate with its 24 million viewers? It was the “highest-rated cable news program ever on any network” and “the highest-rated telecast for the entire week in both broadcast and in cable.”

NEWS FROM ELSEWHERE

“Firearm collectors and enthusiasts were struck by a bombshell recently when Rock Island Auction Company revealed the catalog for its September Premiere Auction, which includes an M1 Garand once owned by President John F. Kennedy,” notes Daniel Hu, a reporter for OutdoorHub. “Touted as one of the most historically significant M1 Garand rifles to ever be put up for auction, the gun was acquired by Kennedy during his time as a senator through the Director of Civilian Marksmanship.”

And from the auction house, which advises that bids could hit $100,000: “Since this rifle was issued to Senator Kennedy in 1959, well before he was elected to the Office of the President of the United States, this rifle could very well have accompanied him directly into the White House.”

THE GOP ARSENAL

This got a very laudatory review from Forbes magazine, which calls it “game changing.” Step aside, folks, here comes the new and improved Republican National Committee, which has completely revamped its all-important campaign data center.

The newly launched Data Center 2016 interfaces with over 300 terabytes of pertinent GOP data. Keep in mind that one terabyte contains a trillion bits of information. The center also provides on-demand access to over 20 years of voter contact data for campaigns and organizers. We’re talking 305 million phone numbers and 32 million email addresses, among many other things.

A NASA MOMENT

” That’s one small bite for a man, one giant leaf for mankind.”

— A recent dispatch from NASA, announcing that International Space Station astronauts Scott Kelly, Kjell Lindgren and Kimiya Yui had harvested and dined upon a crop of red romaine lettuce grown on the spacecraft, in orbit 220 miles above Earth. The seeds were planted July 8 on “root pillows” beneath red, blue and green LED lights. NASA itself describes it all as “the first step to Mars.” The lettuce was cleaned with a citric-acid sanitizing wipe and served with a dressing of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

POLL DU JOUR

• 49 percent of Americans favor removing the Confederate flag from public buildings; 38 percent of Republicans, 52 percent of independents and 69 percent of independents agree.

• 43 percent oppose the idea; 50 percent of Republicans, 43 percent of independents and 28 percent of independents agree.

• 44 percent say race relations are “getting worse” in the U.S.; 61 percent of Republicans, 47 percent of independents and 34 percent of independents agree.

• 37 percent say they are “staying the same”; 25 percent of Republicans, 37 percent of independents and 41 percent of independents agree.

• 18 percent say race relations are “getting better”; 10 percent of Republicans, 15 percent of independents and 23 percent of independents agree.

Source: A McClatchy/Marist Poll of 1,249 U.S. adults conducted July 22-28 and released Thursday.

• Follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin