NEWS AND OPINION:
Buzz grows loud for the renegade Republican presidential forum, which unfolds with much ado Monday night on a college stage in New Hampshire, organized by a coalition of news organizations from the Granite State, Iowa and South Carolina.
The event — which could get raucous — will be aired live on C-SPAN, plus a powerful patchwork of regional broadcasters. Fourteen of the 17 GOP candidates will crowd the podium for two hours; the only no-shows are Donald Trump, who needs no publicity help, Mike Huckabee and Jim Gilmore. The event has stolen some thunder from the first officially sanctioned GOP debate hosted by Fox News, now a mere 72 hours off and limited to 10 participants. The coalition is not impressed, however, and has chided the No. 1 cable news network for its “narrow criteria” in determining who makes the cut.
“Fox says only the ’top’ 10 candidates, as judged solely by national polling, will be allowed on its stage. That may be understandable later, but the first votes are half a year away and there are a lot more than 10 viable candidates. The early primary process gives all candidates a chance to be heard. If networks and national polls are to decide this now, the early state process is in jeopardy and only big money and big names will compete,” the New Hampshire Union Leader, Charleston Post and Courier, and Cedar Rapids Gazette declared in a joint statement.
C-SPAN, always the bastion of civility, is remaining neutral. “This event is significant because it will afford the public its first opportunity to hear the Republican presidential candidates answer questions in one setting,” says Steve Scully, executive producer for C-SPAN’s political coverage.
And that’s true. But wait. The ever-nimble Fox News has a consolation prize for also-rans who don’t qualify for Thursday night’s big to-do, offering a substitute bout a few hours earlier for the seven who get left by the wayside. The network also reports Rick Perry and John Kasich are currently vying for the 10th and final slot in the main event.
Mr. Perry in particular is on patrol, advising Fox News Sunday moderator Chris Wallace he’s eager to take on front-runner Mr. Trump and everyone else. “I’m not backing down. I’m going to push back, and push back hard,” Mr. Perry said.
TRUMP: ’I THINK I’M A NICE PERSON’
“How would you advise a candidate to debate you onstage?” Chuck Todd asked Donald Trump, during the Republican hopeful’s visit with NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday.
“Well, I think I’m a nice person. I really do,” Mr. Trump told the moderator. “And I think that’s why my numbers always go up as [voters] get to know me better. I think that frankly, I’d like to discuss the issues. I’m not looking to take anybody out or be nasty to anybody. And as you know, Chuck, you know, when I made, you know, harsh statements about various people, that was always in response to their criticism of me. You know, Rick Perry, I always thought he was a nice guy. But he started hitting me hard. So I hit him harder.”
“So if they don’t attack you, you’re not going to attack them?” Mr. Todd asked.
“I think it’s highly unlikely. I really do,” came the reply.
“But if they attack you,” Mr. Todd said, and paused.
“I’ve always counterpunched. You have to counterpunch. But I’m not looking to start anything. That’s for sure,” the candidate said.
And just as a curious aside, in another interview with NBC, Mr. Trump’s close rival Jeb Bush appears ready to rumble when debate day dawns.
“I’ll be showing up with my big-boy pants on,” Mr. Bush told anchor Lester Holt.
TRUMP, PART TWO
“With less than a week to go before the first Republican debate, Rasmussen Reports’ first national presidential survey of likely GOP voters this year shows Donald Trump with his biggest lead yet. Now it’s up to the billionaire developer to show voters that he deserves it,” the pollster says, putting Mr. Trump in the lead with 26 percent of the support, followed by Gov. Scott Walker with 14 percent and Jeb Bush with 10 percent.
THAT SINKING FEELING
Here’s another thing for Congress to worry about during their August break. Washington is apparently wallowing in muck, and not just the political variety. Geologists now claim that land around the nation’s capital “is sinking rapidly” and that the city could drop by 6 or more inches in the future.
The area is sinking faster than any location on the East Coast, they say, warning that the phenomenon could threaten “the region’s monuments, roads, wildlife refuges and military installations.” The research team included geologists from the University of Vermont, the U.S. Geological Survey and three other institutions.
“It’s ironic that the nation’s capital — the place least responsive to the dangers of climate change — is sitting in one of the worst spots it could be in terms of this land subsidence. Will the Congress just sit there with their feet getting ever wetter?” asks Paul Bierman, one of the Vermont geologists and the senior author of the paper.
There was some “drill, baby, drill” of the geological kind involved. The team reached their conclusion following extensive drilling — 70 boreholes up to 100 feet deep — in the coastal plain of Maryland. After examining sediment and using data from high-resolution maps, the geologists reached the consensus that the sea level in the Chesapeake Bay region is rising at twice the global average rate, and faster than elsewhere on the East Coast.
“Right now is the time to start making preparations. Six extra inches of water really matters in this part of the world,” says lead author Ben DeJong, also from the Vermont campus. The results were presented this week in GSA Today, an academic journal published by the Geological Society of America.
IMPLICATIONS OF AN ECO-MINDED HILLARY
Hillary Rodham Clinton was quick to voice support for President Obama’s strident new plans for an ecologically conscious clean energy plan, calling the multiple programs “a significant step forward in meeting the urgent threat of climate change” and vowing to continue them should she win the White House.
Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus is not buying any of it.
“President Obama’s heavy-handed EPA regulations won’t impact the climate, but they will have devastating consequences for our economy. The last three months saw the slowest wage growth in 33 years, and now President Obama and Hillary Clinton want to make it even harder for struggling Americans to make ends meet. With her support for yet another job-killing Obama policy, it’s becoming clearer by the day that Hillary Clinton doesn’t have answers to get our economy growing again,” says Mr. Priebus.
POLL DU JOUR
• 68 percent of Germans support the Iran nuclear agreement; 61 percent of British and 59 percent of French respondents also support it.
• 18 percent of Germans are unsure how they feel about the agreement; 26 percent of British and 22 percent of French respondents also oppose it.
• 14 percent of Germans oppose the agreement; 13 percent of British and 18 percent of French respondents also oppose it.
• 38 percent of Americans say they oppose the terms of the agreement; 71 percent of Republicans, 37 percent of independents and 11 percent of Democrats agree.
• 36 percent of American overall say they support the terms of the agreement; 17 percent of Republicans, 30 percent of independents and 62 percent of Democrats agree.
• 26 percent overall say they are unsure how they feel; 12 percent of Republicans, 33 percent of independents and 26 percent of Democrats agree.
Source: A YouGov poll of 1,000 U.S. adults, 1,012 German adults, 1,708 British adults and 1,077 French adults conducted July 23-29.
• Cranky proclamations, polite applause to jharper@washingtontimes.com.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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