Inside the Beltway: Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, conservative stalwarts fight for Main Street

NEWS AND OPINION:

While news outlets bustle with activity over terrorism and the incoming White House agenda, a core group of conservative lawmakers continue to stay focused and fight the good fight. The two-day Heritage Action Conservative Policy Summit begins Monday in the nation’s capital, showcasing over 20 Republican lawmakers with much on their minds — including Sens. Ted Cruz, Mike Lee and Rand Paul, and Reps. Jeb Hensarling, Jim Jordan, Mark Meadows, Raul Labrador, Todd Rokita and Tom Price.

“The new Republican-controlled Congress has a chance to reshape America’s perception of Washington. Right now, hardworking Americans rightly believe Washington is a finely tuned machine functioning on behalf of well-connected special interests. Our agenda — opportunity for all, favoritism to none — flips the script and positions America’s conservative party as the party fighting for Main Street,” Michael Needham, CEO of the Heritage Foundation’s aggressive grass-roots activist organization, tells Inside the Beltway.

Budget, pro-life and defense issues, plus cybersecurity, foreign policy and public educational realities are among the many items on the agenda. There’s also insight from those who persevered and won in 2014: A panel of newly elected lawmakers includes Reps. Dave Brat, Ken Buck, Barry Loudermilk, Gary Palmer and John Ratcliffe.

’BELIEVE IN AMERICA’ (ROMNEY IN 2012)

Mitt Romney’s recent tantalizing suggestion that he might run for president generated hundreds of eager news stories in the aftermath, according to a Google News count. Journalists were fascinated, critical, incredulous and analytical, with much made of a potential rivalry between Mr. Romney and Jeb Bush, the current prime contender in the burgeoning GOP pack.

“Bush and Romney — ready to rumble” proclaimed Politico. “Mitt’s tease may be aimed at slowing funds for Bush,” noted the Boston Herald.

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Whatever his intent, it’s interesting to note that Mr. Romney never deactivated his official 2012 presidential campaign site. His continues to look presidential. His public presence and on-the-record commentary are increasing, and bolder. After the terrorist attacks in Paris, Mr. Romney tweeted, “Together with France, we have combatted the forces of barbarity; today’s villainy strengthens our resolve to vanquish them.”

Of course, Mr. Romney could be part of some fabulous GOP strategy to keep America engaged in the idea of a Republican president while the party winnows down a huge field of potential candidates. And while the nation waits, consider that there was once fleeting evidence of a Romney presidency. “Smaller, simpler, smarter. Believe in America.” That was the official motto of “Office of the President-Elect,” a transitional website launched by the Romney campaign in late October 2012. It was publicly visible for a time, but quickly disappeared hours after Mr. Romney lost the election.

AND IN SUMMATION

“I do think there is a tendency toward political correctness on the part of the administration. We know that, for example, when Major Nidal Hasan made his attack at Fort Hood, they called that workplace violence. They’re calling the War on Terror ’overseas contingency operations.’ We need to call it what it is because that’s the first step to actually dealing with it on a realistic basis.”

— Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Republican, during a Sunday appearance on “Face the Nation,” on CBS.

ADVICE TO AMERICANS FROM MR. GINGRICH

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“Will Congress have the courage to hold open hearings outlining the scale of the radical Islamist threat across the globe? Call your members.”

— Newt Gingrich in a tweet, also on Sunday.

BUT IT’S COMPLICATED

“Americans are hesitant to link the terrorist massacre in Paris this past week to the true beliefs of Islam,” reports a new Rasmussen Reports survey released Sunday, several days after the terrorist attacks in France. It found that a quarter of the respondents say the Islamist radicals represent the greater faith, with some partisan differences. “Forty percent of Republicans think the Paris killers represent true Islam, compared to just 12 percent of Democrats and 23 percent of unaffiliateds,” the survey reported.

“Sixty-five percent believe it is at least somewhat likely an attack on those critical of Islam will happen in this country in the next year,” the survey also noted. Just five percent say it won’t ever happen.

CULTURAL MOMENT

All merchandise is now 40 percent off at Ready for Hillary; the independent political action committee’s website advised prospective buyers to “stock up on classic RFH gear,” which includes a lucky cat collar, a dog hoodie, champagne glasses, fleece wearables and neon colored markers, among other things. See it all at ReadyforHillarystore.com.

Cat collars aside, however, veteran White House counselor John Podesta plans to leave his post in February, telling both Reuters and the Washington Post he’ll do “anything” to help Hillary Rodham Clinton should she launch a White House campaign.

THE APPEAL OF REPEAL

Well, almost half of Americans are with Republicans here: A new YouGov poll reveals that 46 percent of Americans support a “Republican policy to repeal Obamacare,” while an equal number support a GOP policy “blocking President Obama’s immigration executive orders.”

But alas. More telling is how many respondents think the Republicans could actually pull it off: only 17 percent say they could repeal Obamacare, while 21 percent said the same about executive amnesty.

THE BUSY MISTER KING

Rep. Steve King is making a big footprint these days. The Iowa Republican is the point man behind the Freedom Summit, a major meeting of conservatives in Des Moines on Jan. 24. Shortly after taking his oath of office, Mr. King introduced the “Defund Executive Amnesty Act,” challenging President Obama’s far reaching proposal to ease up on illegal immigrants.

But the lawmaker is not done yet. He has also introduced the “Obamacare Repeal Act,” which drew 28 co-sponsors.

“For several years now, conservatives in Congress have warned the American people of the damage this law has done to our personal health insurance. Unfortunately, our warnings have come true. ObamaCare was, is, and will always be dreadful public policy,” Mr. King says. “Every Republican who was elected to Congress during the 2014 mid-term vowed to oppose ObamaCare during their respective campaigns. Now that Republicans have control of both the House and the Senate we must take swift action to keep pressure on the White House by repealing this unconstitutional and egregious law. My bill is the answer: full 100 percent repeal of ObamaCare ’as if such Act had not been enacted.’”

POLL DU JOUR

• 38 percent of Americans say that House Speaker John A. Boehner is just as conservative as the average Republican in Congress; 42 percent of Republicans, 37 percent of independents and 37 percent of Democrats agree.

• 30 percent overall are not sure how conservative Mr. Boehner is; 20 percent of Republicans, 37 percent of independents and 28 percent of Democrats agree.

• 19 percent overall say Mr. Boehner is less conservative than the average GOP lawmaker; 31 percent of Republicans, 19 percent of independents and 12 percent of Democrats agree.

• 12 percent overall say he is more conservative; 6 percent of Republicans, 7 percent of independents and 23 percent of Democrats agree.

Source: A YouGov poll of 998 U.S. adults conducted Jan. 6-8.

• Cautious observations, memorable advice to jharper@washingtontimes.com.