Inside the Beltway: Restless Republicans want more conservative candidates

NEWS AND OPINION:

“Democrats tend to be happy with the ideology of their current candidates, but Republicans want GOP candidates to become more conservative,” reports Peter Moore, an analyst for YouGov polls, which has the handy numbers to prove it.

The pollster finds that 46 percent of Republicans want their candidates to be more conservative, compared with 26 percent of Democrats who crave more liberal candidates.

“Traditionally the two major American political parties, the Democratic and Republican parties, have contained within them a wide range of political opinions and ideologies,” Mr. Moore explains. “Over the past few decades, however, the two parties have become increasingly ideologically united. The slow death of Southern, conservative Democrats has made the Democratic Party increasingly liberal while the disappearance of many liberal coastal Republicans has resulted in the GOP becoming more and more conservative. As the parties have become more ideologically cohesive, the choice offered to voters has become more dramatic and distinct.”

Almost half of Americans overall — 46 percent — say the GOP will become even more conservative — compared with a quarter who anticipate the Democrats will become more liberal.

Which party is “more extreme?” A third cited Republicans, a third cited Democrats — though 19 percent said both, and 16 percent were not sure.

BOEHNER GIVES BIBI A WINSTON

“The address is an opportunity for you to hear from the leader one of our closest allies about the grave threats we face from radical Islam and Iran.” That is how House Speaker John A. Boehner officially describes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech before a joint gathering of Congress on Tuesday.

But there’s more to it than a speech. There’s the welcome gift, for example. Mr. Boehner will personally present Mr. Netanyahu with a bust of Winston Churchill. Well, sure — a commemorative is in order. This is, after all, the prime minister’s third time before both House and Senate; he also appeared in 1996 and 2011. Churchill is the only other dignitary to be a triple-hitter.

Now comes part two: Mr. Netanyahu must make his way to the podium. Easier said than done. According to protocol dating back to the 19th century, Mr. Boehner must bang his trusty gavel, then introduce dignitaries and members of the Cabinet. If any are present, of course. Then Mr. Netanyahu steps forward, escorted by the House and Senate sergeants at arms. And among the many guests in the audience: Newt Gingrich and Elie Wiesel, a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize and the Congressional Gold Medal, and Hollywood conservative Pat Boone.

“Given the ties between America and Israel, it’s no surprise that interest in attending the speech is high. We’ve had 10 times the number of requests for tickets than there are seats available in the gallery. In fact, demand is so overwhelming that both the House and Senate have set up separate viewing locations, which are also ticketed events,” Mr. Boehner advises.

THE WHITE HOUSE GUIDE FOR BIBI

“I haven’t looked at the president’s schedule. I doubt that he will spend his whole time watching the speech,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest noted at the daily press briefing Monday.

“You know, never has so much been written about a speech that hasn’t been given. And I’m not going to speak today about the content of that speech, but I do want to say a few words about the purpose of that speech,” the aforementioned Mr. Netanyahu told a 16,000-member audience at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference on Monday. “First, let me clarify what is not the purpose of that speech. My speech is not intended to show any disrespect to President Obama or the esteemed office that he holds. I have great respect for both.”

There are comparative public approval ratings for Mr. Obama and Mr. Netanyahu, and they are statistically a tie. Gallup places the president at 47 percent favorability, the prime minister at 45 percent.

CAN ’TRILLIONAIRE” BE FAR BEHIND?

Sooner or later, a trillionaire will emerge on the planet — someone who is worth a certain figure with a dozen zeroes following it, like this: $1,000,000,000,000. The world may appear to be in chaos, but the wealthy charge on, “despite plunging oil prices and a weakened euro,” reports Forbes magazine, which has identified a record 1,826 billionaires. Combined, they have a net worth of $7.05 trillion, which would pay less than half of the current federal debt. But no matter.

The list includes 290 newcomers, 71 of whom hail from China. The young, restless and commercially canny are also among the ranks. A record 46 among the ranks are younger than 40.

As the sages say, it is what it is. Here are a few young billionaires — and what entrepreneurial enterprise got them there: Travis Kalanik ($5.3 billion, founder of Uber); Russ Weiner ($2.1 billion; developed Rockstar Energy drinks); Brian Chesky, ($2 billion founded Airbnb); Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy (worth $1.5 billion each; founded Snapchat); and Markus “Notch” Persson ($1.3 billion; developed Minecraft, a video game).

“Bill Gates is once again the richest person on the planet, a title he’s held for 16 of the past 21 years. His fortune grew $3.2 billion since last year to $79.2 billion,” Forbes notes. Incidentally, that looks like this: $79,200,000,000.

SCIENCE CORNER

“From crickets to test tube meat: The coming revolution in alternative proteins,” declares the Institute of Food Technologists, a nonprofit.

“Cricket flour energy bars? ’Steaks’ constructed from strips of lab-grown animal muscle fibers? Skeptics may pounce on the obvious ick factor, but consumer appetites have the capacity to evolve, say protein researchers — especially when the sustainability stakes are so high.”

DREAMING OF AN ETHICAL CONGRESS

Two lawmakers want their peers to get trustworthy. Reps. Scott Rigell of Virginia and David N. Cicilline of Rhode Island — a Republican and a Democrat, respectively — have reintroduced the Ensuring Trust and Honorability in Congressional Standards (ETHICS) Act, a bipartisan bill designed to help restore the public’s confidence in Congress by requiring every member of the House of Representatives to undergo annual ethics training.

“A top priority of mine is to change the institution of Congress and, importantly, help restore the public’s faith and trust in Congress. Members of Congress must be held accountable to the same ethical training standards required of their staff,” says Mr. Rigell.

Members of the Senate and all Senate and House staffers are required to take ongoing ethics training. The ETHICS Act, which was first introduced in the 113th Congress, ensures that House members meet that same obligation, the pair note.

POLL DU JOUR

• 48 percent of Americans say U.S. support of Israel is “about right”; 36 percent of Republicans, 49 percent of independents and 55 percent of Democrats agree.

• 29 percent of Republican “white evangelical Protestants” also agree.

• 29 percent overall say the U.S. is “not supportive enough”; 54 percent of Republicans, 27 percent of independents and 15 percent of Democrats agree.

• 66 percent of Republican “white evangelical Protestants” also agree.

• 18 percent say the U.S. is “too supportive”; 7 percent of Republicans, 20 percent of independents and 26 percent of Democrats agree.

• 4 percent of Republican “white evangelical Protestants” also agree.

Source: A Pew Research Center poll of 1,507 U.S. adults conducted Feb. 18-20 and released Friday.

• Philosophical musings, complaints to jharper@washingtontimes.com.