Amanpour Can’t Pin Down Rand Paul
Now that the election is over, it’s time for the candidates-turned-senators-elect to start getting specific about how they’re going to deliver on their campaign promises, right? Not so fast. On This Week, Christiane Amanpour tried to get Kentucky Senator-elect Rand Paul to name some of the specific budget cuts he has in mind. “You can't just keep saying ‘all across the board,’” she said. “Well, no, I can, because I'm going to look at every program, every program,” Rand replied.
To Earmark or Not to Earmark?
Sen. Mitch McConnell proved equally tricky to pin down. On Face the Nation, Bob Schieffer asked the senator whether he would be “for or against a moratorium on earmarks.” McConnell dodged the question, calling it “complicated” but said he would “be willing to consider it.”
Will the Tea Party Be Frozen Out of the GOP?
On Fox News Sunday, host Chris Wallace asked Rep. Eric Cantor whether the GOP will act as an “old boys’ network” and freeze out newer Tea Party members like Michele Bachmann. Cantor said no, not at all—he’s simply endorsing Jeb Hensarling for conference chair over Bachmann because “we’ve had a history of working together.” “Yeah, but that’s the old boys’ network!” Wallace interjected.
Jim DeMint: Thank the Tea Party for GOP Victory
Of course, not all Republicans are thinking about giving the Tea Party members the cold shoulder. On Meet the Press, Sen. Jim DeMint, a staunch Tea Party supporter, called host David Gregory’s question as to whether the Tea Party candidates hindered the GOP taking the Senate “silly,” saying, “The Tea Party are responsible for just about every Republican who was elected around the country.”
NJ Gov: Delaware Senate Race a “Missed Opportunity”
New Jersey’s Governor Chris Christie, on the other hand, was not about to thank the Tea Party for helping rocket the GOP to majority control on Tuesday—at least in terms of the Delaware senate race, which he called a “missed opportunity” on Meet the Press: “I think Delaware was a missed opportunity to have a really good United States senator, Mike Castle, and that's why I endorsed him in the primary.”
Salon Ed: Don’t Judge Olbermann Just Yet
Over on Reliable Sources, The Daily Beast’s Howard Kurtz asked Salon editor-in-chief and frequent MSNBC contributor Joan Walsh to weigh in on the Keith Olbermann imbroglio. “I’m not sure we have all the facts yet,” Walsh said. “We’re dealing in gossip right now.”
Pawlenty Slams Obamacare
Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty may be on his way out of office, but he still has some fighting words left for the Dems. On State of the Union, he said that “Obamacare is one of the worst pieces of legislation passed in the modern history of the country. I’m doing everything I can in Minnesota to stop, avoid, or delay its implementation in my state.” Tell us how you really feel, Tim.