CHEER UP: CPAC COUNT-DOWN UNDERWAY
It is a reassuring glow on the horizon: That would be CPAC — the Conservative Political Action Conference — now exactly seven weeks off, and bustling with intense plans and a clear sense of mission. The ever growing speaker’s roster includes Donald Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz, Reps. Jim Jordan and Marsha Blackburn, Carly Fiorina, Rick Santorum and John Bolton. Some 200 speakers typically appear at the three-day event, now scheduled for March 2-5, staged once again at the sparkling Gaylord National Resort on the banks of the Potomac River a few miles south of the nation’s capital.
A record-breaking 11,000 attendees showed up at CPAC last year; more of the same is expected. Such a show of force and purpose gives both the Democrats and the mainstream media a case of jitters. The Democratic National Committee typically stage a series of press conferences in an effort to distract the public from the event while news organizations go into a particularly petulant CPAC-bashing mode.
But the two factions better buckle up. The theme of CPAC 2016 is particularly visceral this year: “Our Time is Now” — gleaned from a speech Ronald Reagan gave before CPAC in 1981, calling upon his audience to stand “shoulder to shoulder in the thickest of the fight.” Find details here: CPAC.conservative.org
CONSERVATIVES STILL DOMINATE IDEOLOGY
A few passing numbers from a mighty big sample: More Americans identify as conservative (37 percent), a finding that has not varied by a percentage point since 1992, says a new Gallup poll of 12,000 U.S. adults conducted between January and December of 2015 — and compared to the pollster historic data. Another 35 percent are moderate and 24 percent are liberals.
Sixty-eight percent of Republicans say they are conservatives, compared to 32 percent of moderates and 17 percent of Democrats. Meanwhile, 45 percent of Democrats say they are liberal, compared to 22 percent of independents and 6 percent of Republicans.
U.S. MUSLIM POPULATION TO DOUBLE
Based on a new demographic projection, Pew Research Center senior religion analyst Besheer Mohamed now estimates there are 3.3 million Muslims in the U.S. — a number expected to reach over 8 million by 2050. “Our projections suggest the U.S. Muslim population will grow faster than the Hindu population and much faster than the Jewish population in the coming decades. Indeed, even before 2040, Muslims are projected to become the second-largest religious group in the U.S., after Christians.”
Just over half of the projected growth of the American Muslim population from 2010 to 2015 is due to immigration, the analyst says, adding, “The other main cause of Islam’s recent growth is natural increase. American Muslims tend to have more children than Americans of other religious faiths. Muslims also tend to be younger than the general public, so a larger share of Muslims will soon be at the point in their lives when people begin having children.”
THAT PESKY BIRTHER THING
Press, pundits, scholars, legal analysts and campaign rivals continue to insist that the increasingly popular Sen. Ted Cruz could suffer a setback among voters once they discover the GOP hopeful was born in Canada. But it’s complicated. A Public Policy Poll survey of Iowa Republicans voters released Tuesday finds that Mr. Cruz is closing in on frontrunner Donald Trump, 28 percent to 26 percent.
“In a race where only 2 points separate Cruz and Trump the birther issue could really make a difference in the final stretch,” said Dean Debnam, president of the polling group. “Republican votes generally don’t think someone born outside the country should be president and that’s why Trump is milking it for all it’s worth.”
Could there be collateral damage? The poll found that 32 percent of the respondents think someone born in another country should be allowed to serve as president. But again, it’s complicated. The poll found that less than half the respondents even knew that Mr. Cruz was not born in the U.S. In addition, more people thought Mr. Cruz was a native-born American than President Obama, 34 percent to 28 percent respectively.
Mr. Cruz may want to just stay calm and carry on, however. The poll also found that once respondents found his birthplace was Canada, only a quarter said it would make them less likely to support him; 65 percent said it “doesn’t make a difference.”
FRINGE CANDIDATES HAVE THEIR SAY
Maybe Rick Perry and Lincoln Chaffee will show up. The “Lesser-Known Candidate Forum” will be staged next week at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics in Manchester, long the site of formal policy gatherings and official debates and discussions. The rarefied event has been around since 1972, draws considerable news coverage and was last seen in 2011 starring 16 presidential hopefuls from both Republican and Democratic persuasions, and a number of callings in between.
“Strong teeth for a strong America. My name is Vermin Supreme. I am a friendly fascist. A vote for Vermin Supreme is a vote completely thrown away,” explained the candidate of the same name, during his opening statement. Mr. Supreme, a self-described anarchist and activist who wore a rubber boot on his head at the time, also promised a free pony to all Americans.
Organizers this years have yet to reveal who’s on the program this time, though they advise the event is “a unique opportunity for citizens to hear from alternative candidates from multiple states.”
GUARDIAN OF THE PLANET
If a monster asteroid is headed toward Earth, perhaps the planet is a little more prepared. NASA announced Friday that the Planetary Defense Coordination Office is now open for business, tasked with a succinct mission: to track and characterize all asteroids and comets that veer too close to Earth — and figure out a response to “potential impact threats.”
And yes, the U.S. now has a designated Planetary Defense Officer.
“The agency is committed to perform a leadership role in national and international efforts for detection of these natural impact hazards, and to be engaged in planning if there is a need for planetary defense,” said Lindley Johnson, who now has that official title.
A WARTHOG VICTORY
With its 30 mm cannon and titanium armor, the fabulous A-10 Warthog — once destined for the boneyard — has received a reprieve. The Air Force abandoned its fancy plans to retire the durable close air support aircraft, which first entered service in 1976. The A-10 has proved just too critical in the U.S. bombing campaign against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, says Defense One analyst Marcus Weisgerber, who broke the news.
Huzzah, yippee, sound the klaxon — and spread the takeaway message: Trying to retire the A-10 is like trying to retire the B-52. Both remain can-do aircraft. And both remain must-have aircraft, at least for the moment.
“It appears the administration is finally coming to its senses and recognizing the importance of A-10s to our troops’ lives and national security,” says Rep. Martha McSally, a 26-year Air Force combat vet, A-10 instructor pilot and former commander of the 354th Fighter Squadron.
“I’ll continue to lead the fight to ensure we keep these planes flying until we know without a doubt we can replace their capabilities,” the Arizona Republican adds.
HEADLINE DU JOUR
“Hillary’s Watergate looms”
— From PJ Media founder Roger L. Simon, who explains, “Of all the welter of predictions for 2016, by far the most dramatic seems to have been given short shrift or swept under the rug — the possible indictment of Hillary Clinton while running for the presidency. Were such an event to occur, it would dominate our culture as nothing since Watergate.”
FOR THE LEXICON
“Leaders Number One”
— New man’s scent inspired by Russian President Vladimir Putin and created by perfumer Vladislav Rekunov. The new cologne is based on lemon, black currant and fir, is packaged in a black bottle featuring a silhouette of Mr. Putin and is now on sale at Moscow’s luxury GUM department store for 6,500 rubles, or $95. It is part of a new range of Putin-themed items, according to Reuters, to enhance his “cult of personalty.”
MR. BOLTON STEPS UP
He’s still very serious about “national security.” John Bolton has endorsed 16 members of Congress running for re-election; the John Bolton PAC will contribute $100,000 to them to maintain House and Senate majorities, and another $10,000 to support the New Hampshire GOP.
The lawmakers: Sens. John McCain, Mark Kirk, Joe Heck, Kelly Ayotte, Richard Burr, Rob Portman, Pat Toomey and Ron Johnson plus Reps Martha McSally, Mike Coffman, Bob Dold, Lee Zeldin, Elise Stefanik, John Katko, Will Hurd and Barbara Comstock.
Mr. Bolton says It’s all meant to ensure America elects officials “who will vote for a strong national defense and keep America safe.”
POLL DU JOUR
60 percent of U.S. investors say their “retirement experience” will be better than their parents’ was.
50 percent say their spouse is the “most positive” influence on their retirement planning; 40 percent cite their financial adviser; 25 percent say their father is the “most important influence.”
48 percent say they will stay in their current home when they retire.
34 percent say their children will have a worse quality of life in retirement than their own.
28 percent plan to downsize when they retire; 3 percent plan to increase the scope of their domestic life.
Source: A John Hancock survey of 1,018 U.S. investors with annual salaries of at least $75,000 conducted Nov. 9-21 and released Monday.
Follow Jennifer Harper on Twitter @HarperBulletin.
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