Sunday, October 17, 2010

TODAY ON THE SUNDAY TALK SHOWS

Cornyn: 'Two-cycle process' to retake Senate; Axelrod: There's a reason groups don't disclose; Graham: Obama taking over 'most of society'

FOX NEWS SUNDAY

Cornyn: 'Two-cycle process' to retake Senate National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman John Cornyn (R-Tex.) said he is not predicting a GOP takeover of the Senate in November. "It may be a two-cycle process," Cornyn said. The Texas senator said it is up to President Obama to determine whether there will be more bipartisanship in the next congressional term. "If he's willing to work with us, as Bill Clinton did after the 1994 elections to pass things like welfare reform, trade agreements and the like, we'll certainly work with him," Cornyn said. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) rejected the notion that Democrats have governed too liberally, noting that approximately 40 percent of the economic stimulus package was tax cuts. McCaskill said she is "open to compromise" on extending the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. "I will go to the mat for the middle class," the Missouri Democrat said, but she noted only three percent of taxpayers fall under the top income tax bracket. Despite host Chris Wallace's best efforts to nail her down on entitlement reform, California GOP Senate candidate Carly Fiorina refused to get more specific about what programs she would cut to find the $4 trillion needed to offset the cost of extending all of the Bush-era tax cuts. "Those tax cuts are central to growing the economy," Fiorina said. "Indeed, I would argue there are some additional tax cuts we need to make." She volunteered that Congress should eliminate waste, fraud and inefficiencies before having a conversation about cutting entitlements.

CNN: STATE OF THE UNION

Axelrod: There's a reason groups don't disclose  White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod renewed the Democratic argument against outside groups’ non-disclosure of donors, saying, “If people don’t disclose, there’s a reason.” Axelrod said that the conservative-aligned group American Crossroads will spend “probably over $100 million” by Election Day. He said that Democrats “believe deeply in disclosure,” hammering congressional Republicans for opposing disclosure legislation and pushing back against the notion that Democrats are focusing on disclosure because they don’t want to talk about the economy and other issues. Axelrod also defended the administration’s stance against extending the Bush-era tax cuts, arguing that the cuts would be “the least stimulative tax cut we could give.” Asked about the administration’s ability to work together with congressional Republicans, Axelrod said that “it takes two to tango,” adding that with the likely GOP gains in November “comes a greater sense of responsibility” for congressional Republicans. Conservative Christian leader Gary Bauer, who heads an outside group spending significantly on the midterms, said that the laws dictating donor secrecy were originally created to protect those donating to the Alabama NAACP from “intimidation and outright thuggery.” Bauer charged that many of Obama’s donations “may have come from foreign citizens, not Americans.” He also pushed back against the notion that social issues are off the table for Republicans. “These values issues actually expand the Republican Party. They don’t narrow it,” he said.

CBS: FACE THE NATION

Graham: Obama taking over 'most of society'  Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) accused President Obama of "turning his agenda over to the most liberal people in the House," and pointed out that few Democrats are campaigning on the Democratic health-care bill. "Most Democrats in swing states are running against Nancy Pelosi and against the Obama takeover of most of society," Graham said. The South Carolina Republican predicted that there will be more bipartisanship in 2011, particularly on extending the Bush-era tax cuts. He defended his friend, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who took the unusual step of harshly denouncing a Senate colleague -- Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) -- at a recent campaign rally for Carly Fiorina. "I think John is reacting to an agenda that he thinks has really been overreaching," Graham said. "It is different. The Senate is different now." Former Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean and GOP strategist Liz Cheney got into a heated discussion about President Obama's recent accusations that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is funding attack ads with money from overseas donors. "It's not fair and it's an abomination and a shame that he's attempting to chill first amendment rights," Cheney said.

NBC: MEET THE PRESS

Buck: Being gay is 'like alcoholism' Colorado Democratic Sen. Michael Bennet and his Republican rival, Ken Buck, faced off in a debate. On the topic of gay people serving in the military, Buck said that he believes sexuality is a choice, but added, “I think that birth has an influence over it, like alcoholism and other things.” Buck defended himself against charges that he’s been inconsistent on the issues, saying, “It is easy when you have a tracker, and you have 100 examples of answers, to use a tape that shows a slight deviation in the answer.” Bennet shot back that “the flip-flops in this race are unbelievable.” Bennet also defended his vote for the stimulus, saying that the stimulus “saved us from going into the second Great Depression.” White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs also appeared on the show. He predicated that Democrats will retain control of the House and Senate this November, a reversal from his projection over the summer that Democrats could lose the House. He also said that Democratic candidates have done “a remarkably good job in a tough political environment.”

ABC: THIS WEEK

O'Donnell: GOP isn't helping me New Castle County Executive Chris Coons (D) and marketing consultant Christine O’Donnell (R) were interviewed separately on the show. Coons said that he’d gone from “significantly down to significantly up” in the polls in his race against O’Donnell. Of O’Donnell, Coons said, “I think my grandmother would have said she has a lot of moxie,” adding that her greatest strength is that she’s “good on TV.” O’Donnell said that her campaign is hoping for the National Republican Senatorial Committee to “help us shine a spotlight on my opponent’s negative record,” but “it’s two-and-a-half weeks left, and they’re not.” The NRSC has donated the maximum $42,000 to O’Donnell’s campaign. O’Donnell also said that her campaign has not run any negative ads against Coons. In the show’s roundtable, Meghan McCain said that O’Donnell is “making a mockery of running for public office” and is “seen as a nutjob” among her group of friends. McCain also said that the tea party movement is “losing young voters at a rapid rate.”

CSPAN: NEWSMAKERS

Bair: No foreclosure moratorium Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Chair Sheila Bair called the foreclosure crisis "tragic," but she said she would not support a national moratorium on foreclosures. "If a family can't afford making a modified payment, then something else has to happen," Bair said. "I regret it, but that's just the way the system has to work." She said federal regulators must make sure that all appropriate processes are followed before foreclosure.” By Matt DeLong and Felicia Sonmez