Inside the Beltway: New book from Michael Savage: ‘Government Zero’

NEWS AND OPINION:

Step aside. Talk radio host Michael Savage has a new book arriving next month titled “Government Zero: No Borders, No Language, No Culture” — meant to reveal how “unprecedented and barbaric revolutions, coinciding with unchecked government power and zero representation, threaten our most fundamental freedoms.” There is, Mr. Savage says, zero leadership, zero strategy against the Islamic State, zero military, zero education, zero culture — and right on down the line. The author is convinced Western civilization is at serious risk, and offers, among many other things, “40 actions to save America” against what he calls a “terrifying agenda.” Mr. Savage also defines what it means to be an American in this day and age.

The forthcoming book will be published October 27 by Center Street, an imprint of Hachette Book Group.

AMERICANS CAN’T ENVISION ANYONE FOR PRESIDENT

Nobody for president? Lucky there are still 14 months to go before Election Day dawns. Alas, Americans are remarkably unsure of the current field of candidates on both sides of the fence. Faced with seven possible Republican and Democratic candidates, respondents in a new poll were hard-pressed to visualize any of them in the White House at this point.

“For each of the following, please tell me if you have a realistic vision of that person being president of the United States,” asked a Bloomberg poll, directing the question to 1,000 U.S. adults. “Just answer yes or no,” the pollsters advised.

The findings: 69 percent could not envision Donald Trump in the role; 61 percent said the same about Sen. Marco Rubio; 60 percent about Sen. Bernard Sanders; 58 percent about Carly Fiorina; 57 percent about Jeb Bush; 56 percent about Ben Carson; and 52 percent about Hillary Rodham Clinton.

’COME CLEAN OR GET OUT’

The private email system scandal persists, a regular blight on the campaign of Democratic front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton, who continues to either dance around the issue or make light of it. Not good. But like any blight, the matter needs a strong and simple detergent to make it go away.

“Hillary Clinton: Come clean or get out,” advises Ron Fournier, a veteran political columnist at National Journal. “If the Democratic Party cares to salvage a sliver of moral authority, its leaders and early state voters need to send Hillary Rodham Clinton an urgent message: Come clean or get out. Stop lying and deflecting about how and why you stashed State Department email on a secret server — or stop running.”

Mr. Fournier adds, “Oft-burned Americans understand that a policy agenda is a collection of promises. If they can’t count on Clinton to be honest, they can’t count on her to keep her word about income inequality, jobs, health care and the environment.”

IT’S RAINING DOUBTERS AND DENIERS

How should journalists write about climate alarmism? Delicately.

“To describe those who don’t accept climate science or dispute the world is warming from man-made forces, use climate change doubters or those who reject mainstream climate science. Avoid use of skeptics or deniers,” says a new addition to the almighty stylebook of The Associated Press, the authority of note for most U.S. journalists.

In recent years the AP has also revised the terms of usage for such phrases as “illegal immigrant,” “mental illness” and other terms. Some are not happy with the new climate tweak, however.

“The AP’s guidance against the use of the term ’denier’ in favor of ’doubter’ is shortsighted and misleading. By characterizing individuals who deny the reality of climate change as merely doubters, the AP is perpetuating an air of legitimacy it has already deemed inappropriate for this group,” says Brant Olson, director of ClimateTruth.org, a grass-roots activist group that warns that “climate change is already devastating our world.”

WEATHER OR NOT

Environmental experts from the Heartland Institute became so concerned over Pope Francis’ embrace of climate alarmism that the Chicago-based nonprofit sent a delegation to Rome earlier this year to inform the pontiff that actual climate data does not support claims from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that humans are causing a global warming crisis.

Pope Francis remains devoted to the cause, advising a White House audience on Wednesday, “Climate change is a problem which can no longer be left to a future generation,” and echoing the call from his latest encyclical for a sustainable world and renewable energy.

“We all share Pope Francis’ desire for responsible environmental stewardship. Unfortunately, Pope Francis appears to believe poorly supported global warming theories that have been strongly and repeatedly contradicted by real-world observations,” says James Taylor, senior fellow for environmental policy at Heartland. “His decision to spend so much time and effort venturing outside the realm of religion and into the realm of science and public policy is unlikely to advance his Christian mission.”

A MESSAGE FOR PRESIDENT XI

The Newseum, a splashy public attraction devoted to the First Amendment a mere five blocks from the White House, just got a little more splashy, and right in time for the official state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping. The site has put up a half-dozen oversize banners on the front of its building on Pennsylvania Ave., right next to the 74-foot-tall marble etching of the 45 words of the First Amendment.

The big banner graphics are written in Chinese by a Chinese calligrapher. And the slogans: “Release Human Rights Defenders in China,” “Long Live Freedom, Long Live Democracy,” “Lift Restrictions, Free the Press” and “Chinese Government Should Respect Human Rights.” Photos of imprisoned dissidents and journalists are displayed nearby.

“While the banners on the front of our building are temporary, the freedoms that permit their display are permanent, universal and are a fundamental human right,” says Jeffrey Herbst, president and CEO of the Newseum.

Mr. Xi, incidentally, arrives in the nation’s capital Thursday for a working dinner at the White House with President Obama, Secretary of State John F. Kerry and National Security Adviser Susan E. Rice. On Friday the Chinese leader receives a 21-gun salute at the White House, attends a luncheon, visits the U.S. Capitol and is the guest of honor at a black-tie state dinner before he heads north to New York City on Saturday for the 70th anniversary session of the United Nations.

POLL DU JOUR

• 80 percent of Americans want their $1 currency to be a paper bill, not a coin.

• 80 percent of conservatives, 79 percent of moderates and 82 percent of liberals agree.

• 85 percent of women and 74 percent of men also agree.

• 51 percent of Americans oppose abolishing the penny so that the nickel would be the lowest denomination coin.

• 58 percent of conservatives, 49 percent of moderates and 47 percent of liberals agree.

• 57 percent of women and 44 percent of men also agree.

Source: A Harris Poll of 2,273 U.S. adults conducted July 15-20 and released Tuesday.

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