NEWS AND OPINION:
Heard of the Pelosi Cocktail? You have to order the drink to find out what’s in it, of course — and that thought makes a perfect lead-in to this burning question. Will the much ballyhooed “autopsy” of what went wrong for the Democratic Party during the 2014 midterms be released when Democrats gather for their winter meeting on Thursday? That was the plan. Three months ago, Democratic National Committee chairman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz promised that a Democratic Victory Task Force would study “what we’ve done that works, identify and prioritize challenges and ultimately improve our party’s performance in future elections.” The task force included a governor, an event planner, a fundraiser, executives, officials and other gurus. But there has been little mention of the post-mortem since then, and Ms. Wasserman Schultz is now considering a run for the U.S. Senate seat in Florida.
The three-day meeting, meanwhile, takes place at a bustling hotel two blocks from the White House; the official schedule includes 16 council and caucus sessions, two breakfasts, two lunches, a bunch of general meetings and a speech by President Obama. The Republican National Committee, meanwhile, is looking on — and grinning. The organization has its own ideas about the event, deemed “a strategy for Hillary Clinton’s coronation,” and now suggest a few waggish parody agenda items that would be just right for the grand gathering of Democrats. And here’s just a few of them, verbatim:
Call to order, announcements, collect money to pay for a Hillary Clinton speech; Netanya-WHO?!: Turning Our Back On Israel; Primary Debate Committee: CANCELLED; Fundraising 101: **Speaker Needed!**; TBD: Democrat’s ISIS strategy; Guest Lecture: Brian Williams Discusses Hillary Clinton’s visit to Bosnia
And not to be left out, the official happy hour cocktails for Democrats, as suggested by the GOP: “The MSNBC (Anything mixed with Kool-Aid), The ObamaCare (prices change daily; extra taxes included); The Pelosi (You have to order the drink to find out what’s in it); The Warren (Features a gin[ned up] base).”
MR. BOLTON BOLSTERS NATIONAL SECURITY
Snow? What snow? John Bolton heads to New Hampshire for a meeting with Scott Brown and a breakfast hour appearance at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics on Friday, where he headlines a “Politics and Eggs” event — long a stop for presidential hopefuls of many persuasion. Sen. Marco Rubio, for example, will make an appearance at the press-friendly discussion on Tuesday. But Mr. Bolton has something more permanent in mind as he makes his journey North. He has also launched the Foundation for American Security and Freedom, a nonprofit organization poised to restore the U.S. presence on the global stage and preserve the nation’s way of life.
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“America needs more robust and effective involvement in international affairs to keep our allies close and further our national security interests,” Mr. Bolton says. “This new foundation will provide the necessary platform, resources, and leadership to demonstrate to the world that we will recognize American exceptionalism not only in rhetoric, but also in deeds.”
The former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations is a busy man, though, manning two political action committees which raised $7.5 million meant for Republican candidates committed to robust security policy.
SCREEN GEMS
Do we care whether political ideology influences prime time viewing? Oh, sure. Why not? A new Harris poll reveals that the absolute favorite TV show among conservatives is NCIS, followed by The Walking Dead and The Big Bang Theory. Among liberals, The Big Bang Theory is in first place, followed by The Walking Dead and NCIS. Respondents were simply asked to name their favorite shows, the answers were not prompted and there was no multiple choice list.
And among all Americans, NCIS was ranked No. 1, followed by The Big Bang Theory, The Walking Dead, Scandal, Game of Thrones, The Good Wife, The Blacklist, Modern Family, Blue Bloods and Criminal Minds. The poll of 2,232 U.S. adults was conducted Jan. 14-20 and released Feb. 10.
MUCH ADO — TURNS OUT TO BE NOTHING
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Earlier this week, Jon Huntsman was the topic of much speculation after CNN anchor John King strongly suggested that Republican power players in Utah had recruited the onetime presidential hopeful to run against Sen. Mike Lee as a moderate, “national establishment” candidate. The notion apparently has come and gone.
“I don’t rule out another run, but not against Mike. We don’t always agree (who does) but he’s very capable,” Mr. Huntsman said in a terse text message to the Deseret News, which also plumbed the opinion of pollster Frank Luntz, who deemed the idea folly.
“When you get someone with the power and the influence and the sway of Mike Lee, you don’t abandon them,” Mr. Luntz told the news organization, noting that the lawmaker heads up the Senate steering committee that acts as a conservative caucus and wields influence over Utah’s all-GOP congressional delegation.
“Utah’s got the most powerful delegation in Washington. It’s incredible that this is a small state with an oversized delegation. And the idea that you would want to actively undercut any of them would be so foolish,” Mr. Luntz concluded.
A PAUL WEYRICH MOMENT
CPAC 2015 is barreling down the track, and almost here. The annual spring rite for conservatives begins in six days; the vibrations about the bodacious event are rattling the rails. Leading into CPAC: the Weyrich Awards — which include a reception and dinner at the splendid Four Seasons Hotel in the nations capital — will recognize those “who’ve made significant contributions to advancing liberty, inspired by the late and legendary conservative leader Paul Weyrich,” say organizers.
Among the 30 folks under consideration for the honor: Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly, investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson, Sens. Mike Lee and Jeff Sessions, Pennsylvania State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, Maine Gov. Paul LePage and Father Frank Pavone, director of Priests for Life. And among grass-roots organizations also up for an award: Young America’s Foundation and the March for Life.
“The Weyrich Awards honor the real impact-makers in our nation and in the conservative movement — those who have passion for the U.S. Constitution, the Framers’ concept of limited government, economic freedom and the rule of law,” explains Colin Hanna, chairman of Coalitions for America, which has organized the event.
POLL DU JOUR
• 70 percent of Americans say NBC newsman Lester Holt will be “as good or better” than anchor Brian Williams, who he has temporarily replaced.
• 48 percent say Mr. Williams can regain his credibility “as a journalist and news anchor.”
• 42 percent say Mr. William was “intentional” when he told audiences about his Iraq war experiences.
• 40 percent say NBC’s decision to suspend Mr. Williams for six months was “just right.”
• 30 percent said the network’s decision was “too strong.”
• 28 percent say Mr. Williams’ version of his experiences was “an honest mistake.
Source: A Magid Associates media survey of 1,004 U.S. adults conducted Feb. 13, plus additional data from Breitbart News and CNN.
• Quizzical comments and chatter to jharper@washingtontimes.com.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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