Beltway Buzz with Robert Costa and Andrew Stiles
Episode 3: Pressure From Flacks
March 1, 2013 at 3:32pm
All the inside news from the Hill from two guys who cover it from top to bottom every day. This week, National Review's Robert Costa and Andrew Stiles look at sequestration, the Bob Woodward blow-up, Chris Christie, Violence Against Women Act, and reverse engineer the Hagel nomination and confirmation process.
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Comments:
Sep '11
Re: Pressure From Flacks
Your words on Christie made me wonder, has there been a national Democratic candidate who bragged about being able to compromise with Republicans? Ideological rigidity seems much more pronounced in the Democrat Party than the Republican.
Re: Pressure From Flacks
Yes, they have that luxury -- they won.
Sep '11
Re: Pressure From Flacks
I see your point, but by that reasoning the Democrats, in order to pursue a winning strategy, should have leaned right after the 2010 midterm elections. Their presidential convention was an absolute doubling down on the most leftward elements of their party.
What doesn't make sense (to me) is to insist that the ideological rigidity of Democrats is moving the culture leftward and also simultaneously that he slightest ideological firmness (let's not call it rigidity) of the Republicans is moving the culture leftward.
Oct '10
Re: Pressure From Flacks
The direct link doesn't seem to be working (or at least, it only plays the first 20 seconds or so).
Anyway, Democrats brag about compromising with Republicans all the time; they just don't do it. Obama himself offered all sorts of compromises to John Boehner in 2011, none of which were politically possible; Pelosi and Reid screamed bloody murder at his "cave". The fact that chained CPI is difficult for congressional Democrats to accept is informative; that's the least painful of all entitlement reforms.
Re: Pressure From Flacks
Use the player, or try control-clicking on the direct link and saving the file to your desktop.
Oct '10
Re: Pressure From Flacks
It worked after a few minutes; I think the file must have still been uploading, or something.
Edited on March 2, 2013 at 4:58pmApr '12
Re: Pressure From Flacks
Level headed analysis. Podcasts introduce me to terrific people so now I will look for their writing. Why is it that podcasts get me to like their writing?
Interesting and understated view on Christie. I take a shellacking on the member feed when I point out that different regions need different leaders and policies and ways to get elected and Christie is elected. CPAC reminds me if aging hollywood stars denying the reality stars emerging in today's media. Excluding Christie refkects very poorly in them and I doubt theur ability to regenerate the party until they see this new reality.
Oct '10
Re: Pressure From Flacks
Indaba: Level headed analysis. Podcasts introduce me to terrific people so now I will look for their writing. Why is it that podcasts get me to like their writing?
Interesting and understated view on Christie. I take a shellacking on the member feed when I point out that different regions need different leaders and policies and ways to get elected and Christie is elected. CPAC reminds me if aging hollywood stars denying the reality stars emerging in today's media. Excluding Christie refkects very poorly in them and I doubt theur ability to regenerate the party until they see this new reality. · 28 minutes ago
I like Christie myself. I think CPAC's leaders are just acting a bit emotional after a truly devastating loss in November. I can kindof understand it, though I agree it does reflect poorly on them.
Sep '11
Re: Pressure From Flacks
Indaba:
I take a shellacking on the member feed when I point out that different regions need different leaders and policies and ways to get elected and Christie is elected.
I get your point about different regions needing different leaders. No one is suggesting (to my knowledge) that Christie doesn't serve NJ well. I think the resistance is toward identifying Christie's republicanism (including an embrace of democrats and disdain for conservatives) with conservatism. I don't even think Christie identifies as a conservative and it seems odd to feel pressure to invite him to a conference with national priorities. The biggest question is, why should conservatism define itself according to the inclinations of the people least persuaded by conservatism? If the November's election teaches us anything, doesn't it teach us that Obama won in 2008 by running to the left of Hilary Clinton and won in 2012 by doubling down on the most extreme elements of his party? Why are we concluding that 2012 taught that we conservatives need a more casual commitment to our principles?
Apr '12
Re: Pressure From Flacks
Joseph Eagar
Indaba: Level headed analysis. Podcasts introduce me to terrific people so now I will look for their writing. Why is it that podcasts get me to like their writing?
Interesting and understated view on Christie. I take a shellacking on the member feed when I point out that different regions need different leaders and policies and ways to get elected and Christie is elected. CPAC reminds me if aging hollywood stars denying the reality stars emerging in today's media. Excluding Christie refkects very poorly in them and I doubt theur ability to regenerate the party until they see this new reality. · 28 minutes ago
I like Christie myself. I think CPAC's leaders are just acting a bit emotional after a truly devastating loss in November. I can kindof understand it, though I agree it does reflect poorly on them. · 9 hours ago
Yes, I can really understand that. Christie hugging Obama at such a critical time was off sides too.
Apr '12
Re: Pressure From Flacks
Christie is a Conservative. If he spent 5 minutes with Democrats, they would be crying.
There are many shades of Conservative. Christie deserves an invitation.
Mar '12
Re: Pressure From Flacks
Indaba
... Christie hugging Obama at such a critical time was off sides too.
Christie should have been invited if only because the same media which totally ignores the post Sandy debacles will play CPAC for all it's worth.
While I read Costa and Stiles, it seems their comments reflect DC-NY metroplex dismissal of the Christie criticism.
Pull up Christie's comments again. Krauthammer called it a "lap dance", NYT at the time said he "heaped praise". Pundits wondered if a prior federal holdup of funds caused Christie to go overboard. There's praise, then there's stockholm syndrome.
He serves the state. But coupled with blasting Republicans for delaying the relief bill rather than shaming those who put in the pork, he scores cheap points playing to blue state stereotypes of the GOP brand. It may serve him well, but reinforces North East cultural prejudices about other_GOPers.