Waltz book dispenses wisdom based on his service as a Green Beret

NEWS AND OPINION:

A new book of note is arriving Tuesday from a notable lawmaker. Rep. Mike Waltz, Florida Republican, is a man with a personal story to share.

That book is “Hard Truths: Think and Lead like a Green Beret,” and it is being published by St. Martin’s Press.

The author is, according to his congressional biography, “a Colonel (Ret.) in the National Guard, a combat-decorated Green Beret, former White House and Pentagon policy advisor, a small business owner, an author, and a proud father. He is the first Green Beret to be elected to Congress.”

There’s more.

“After being commissioned as an Army lieutenant, Mike graduated Ranger School and was selected for the elite Green Berets, serving worldwide as a Special Forces officer with multiple combat tours in Afghanistan, the Middle East and Africa. For his actions in combat, Mike was awarded four Bronze Stars, including two for valor,” the biography said.

“His commitment in Washington, DC is the same now as it was in combat: to serve with everything he has, without regard for his own self and with a sense of duty. Mike is determined to be part of the new generation of leadership in Congress: servant leaders who lead by example with their values and deliver results,” Mr. Waltz’s aforementioned biography said.

“After twenty-seven years in the Army, nearly all of them in the elite Special Forces where he fought America’s enemies around the world, he has developed a perspective distinct from most — probably all — of his colleagues in politics today,” the publisher said in added advance notes for the book.

Find his story at MikeWaltz.com.

CHAMPIONS OF FREE SPEECH

Some lawmakers are more attuned to the First Amendment than others — and they are being recognized this week by a major watchdog organization that tracks liberal bias in the mainstream media.

“For our first annual Free Speech Awards, the Media Research Center (MRC) is honoring 35 champions of the First Amendment, including five members of the U.S. Senate today, 10 members of the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday, 10 additional public officials on Wednesday and 10 outstanding advocates of free speech in non-governmental organizations on Thursday,” the center said in a written statement.

The first wave of these champions was revealed Monday — and all of them are Republicans. They are Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Mike Lee of Utah, Roger Marshall of Kansas, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Eric Schmitt of Missouri.

“While Big Tech companies and leftists across the spectrum of politics and society have spoken out against free speech, these five senators have distinguished themselves in the fight to preserve it,” the center’s statement added.

“Today marks the beginning of the MRC Free Speech Awards with the 2024 Top 5 Senators to defend free speech. While the Senate is far from being under conservative leadership, their efforts have stopped massive government censorship,” said Brent Bozell, Media Research Center founder and president, in a written statement shared with Inside the Beltway.

“Senators Mike Lee and Rand Paul led the charge against provisions in the Kids Online Safety Act that would have increased government censorship and decreased parental rights. Ted Cruz fought to reform Section 230 to prevent Big Tech platforms from censoring average Americans,” he said.

“Eric Schmitt launched the case against the federal government for censoring Americans and continues the fight in the Senate. Senator Roger Marshal continues to hold Google and other Big Tech platforms accountable. We at the MRC applaud these virtuous efforts,” Mr. Bozell said.

Find his organization at mrc.org.

TRUMP’S TEACHABLE MOMENT

Donald J. Trump for President 2024 — that’s the formal name for Mr. Trump’s campaign to return to the White House — continues to follow the U.S. economy. It appears to be getting rickety, and the campaign has the numbers.

The nation has been “hammered under 3.5 years of Kamalanomics,” the campaign said in an analysis of this phenomenon released Monday. Here’s just a few points, verbatim from the analysis:

“Inflation has averaged 5.2% — almost three times the average inflation rate under President Trump.”

“Real average weekly earnings are down 3.4%. Under President Trump, real average weekly earnings increased 8.2%.”

“Gas prices have averaged $3.49/gallon. Under President Trump, gas prices averaged $2.48/gallon. In Kamala Harris’ first three years in office, Americans saw a 1.3% increase ($1,050) in median household income. In President Trump’s first three years, Americans saw a 10.5% boost ($7,690) in median household income — seven times larger.”

“During that three-year time period, the personal savings rate fell from 19.3% in 2021 to 2.9% in 2024 — an 85% decrease. In President Trump’s first three years, the personal savings rate rose from 5.3% in 2017 to 19.3% in 2021 — a 264% increase.”

“In addition, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate increased by 120% between 2021 and 2024. Under President Trump, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate decreased by 32% between 2017 and 2021.”

“In addition, credit card delinquency skyrocketed by 54% between 2020 and 2024. Under President Trump, credit card delinquency fell by 11% between 2016 and 2020.”

The campaign statement said that Mr. Trump “has the vision and plan to reignite a new American Golden Age. Kamala Harris can’t even say what she’d do differently than Joe Biden. The reason she can’t? We’ve already been living under her economic policies, and it’s been a disaster.”

POLL DU JOUR

• 45% of U.S. voters say they would vote for Vice President Kamala Harris if the presidential election were held today.

• 44% would vote for former President Donald Trump.

• 1% would vote for Libertarian Party candidate Chase Oliver.

• 1% would vote for independent candidate Cornel West.

• 1% would vote for Green Party candidate Jill Stein.

• 5% are undecided on whom to vote for.

• 3% refused to answer the question.

SOURCE: A Suffolk University poll of 1,000 likely U.S. voters conducted by telephone Oct. 14-18.

• Follow Jennifer Harper on X @HarperBulletin, on Facebook @HarperUniverse.