CHERYL: YOU BET.
MARIA: KENTUCKY SENATOR MITCH
McCONNELL REELECTED AS
REPUBLICAN LEADER ON WEDNESDAY,
FENDING OFF A CHALLENGE FROM
FLORIDA SENATOR RICK SCOTT, THE
FINAL VOTE COMING IN AT 37 VOTES
FOR McCONNELL, 10 VOTES FOR
SCOTT, ONE SENATOR DECLINING TO
VOTE.
McCONNELL SPOKE AFTER HIS
VICTORY.
>> I’M NOT GOING ANYWHERE.
I DON’T OWN THIS JOB.
ANYBODY WHO WANTS TO RUN FOR IT
CAN FEEL FREE TO DO SO.
AND SO I’M NOT IN ANY WAY
OFFENDED BY HAVING AN OPPONENT
OR HAVING A FEW VOTE IN
OPPOSITION.
MARIA: JOINING ME NOW IS THE
WASHINGTON EXAMINER EDITOR IN
CHIEF, HUGO GIRDON.
GREAT TO SEE YOU.
YOUR REACTION?
>> I DON’T KNOW THAT IT’S QUITE
TRUE THAT MITCH McCONNELL
WOULD NOT BE OFFENDED.
I SUSPECT THIS DEEPENS THE
DIVISION BETWEEN HIM AND RICK
SCOTT WHICH HAS BEEN GOING ON
FOR SOME TIME.
IT WAS ACTUALLY SOMETHING OF A
SURPRISE THAT RICK SCOTT MADE
THIS CHALLENGE BECAUSE OF COURSE
RICK SCOTT WAS THE MAN
RESPONSIBLE PRIMARILY FOR
RUNNING THE REPUBLICAN
SENATORIAL CAMPAIGN WHICH WAS
NOT A SUCCESS.
AND ONE HAS TO LOOK TO THE
CONSEQUENCES AND THE
RAMIFICATIONS AND REASONS FOR
THAT.
RICK SCOTT IS A SUPPORTER OF
DONALD TRUMP AND IT WILL NO DOUBT PLEASE DONALD TRUMP THAT
DOUBT PLEASE DONALD TRUMP THAT
ONE OF HIS HIS SUPPORTER NEEDLIN
McCONNELL.
I DON’T THINK THIS SETS THING UP
WELL FOR THE FUTURE.
McCONNELL POURED A LOT OF
MONEY TRYING TO HELP THE WHAT
POOR CANDIDATES WIN.
IT WAS A BIT OF A SURPRISING
CHALLENGE BUT YOU CAN SEE THE
REASONS FOR IT.
MARIA: WE’LL SEE WHO GETS NAMED
FOR COMMITTEE HEADS AND WHETHER
OR NOT THE 10 PEOPLE WHO VOTED
AGAINST MITCH McCONNELL WILL
SEE RETRIBUTION FROM MITCH
McCONNELL.
HE’S IN CHARGE OF PUTTING PEOPLE
IN CHARGE OF COMMITTEES SO WE’LL
WATCH THAT.
IN THE HOUSE, KEVIN MCCARTHY WON
HIS BID TO BECOME HOUSE SPEAKER
BUT HE NEEDS MORE THAN 30
REPUBLICAN VOTES TO TAKE TAKE
THE GAVEL OFFICIALLY NEXT YEAR.
FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER PAUL RYAN
WEIGHED IN, SAYING I THINK HE’S
GOING TO WIN, I THINK KEVIN IS
THE RIGHT MAN FOR THE JOB, I
THINK EVERYBODY KNOWS IT.
HOW DO THINGS CHANGE SHOULD
KEVIN MCCARTHY BE THE NEXT
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE?
>> WELL, ONE OF THE MOST
IMPORTANT THINGS IS THAT WITH
THE REPUBLICANS IN CHARGE IN THE
HOUSE, IT WILL PUT A BLOCK ON
PRESIDENT BIDEN’S SPENDING
AGENDA AND SOME OF THE MOST
EXTREME POLICIES -- OBVIOUSLY
WE’VE HAD TWO YEARS OF THOUGH
BUT AT LEAST THE MAJORITY OF
REPUBLICANS WILL BE ABLE TO
BLOCK THE WORST EXCESSES THAT
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION WANTS
TO PUT THROUGH IN THE NEXT TWO
YEARS.
KEVIN MCCARTHY WILL HAVE A VERY
DIFFICULT TIME.
JUST AS CHUCK SCHUMER FOUND IN
THE SENATE, IT’S EXTREMELY
DIFFICULT TO RUN A NARROW
MAJORITY AND THERE WILL BE A LOT
OF PEOPLE, THERE ALREADY ARE A
LOT OF PEOPLE RAISING THEIR
VOICES IN THE HOUSE AND WANTING
TO TRY AND PUT HANDCUFFS ON
QUESTIONKEVIN MCCARTHY.
I AGREE WITH YOUR PREVIOUS
GUEST, THE CONGRESSMAN FROM
MONDAYMONTANA THAT REGULAR ORDER
VERY GOOD THING BUT IT WOULD BE
A DISAS OFFICER FOR THE
REPUBLICANS IF THEY ALLOWED THE
NEXT TWO YEARS TO BECOME A SLUG
FEST BETWEEN THEM.
WHAT THEY NEED TO BE DOING IN
THE HOUSE IS SHOWING THE VOTERS
THAT THEY COULD USE THEIR
MAJORITY TO SET OUT AN AGENDA
FOR RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT AND
PRESENT THEMSELVES AS AN
ALTERNATIVE BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT
THIS LAST ELECTION SHOWED, THAT
THE CANDIDATES WOULD WERE
FIGHTING THE REPUBLICANS AND WHO
WERE ON THE TRUMP TRAIN WERE THE
ONES WHO GOT BEATEN.
THE ONE WHOSE DID REALLY WELL
WERE THE GOVERNORS LIKE DE
SANTIS AND DEWINE AND OTHERS WHO
SHOWED THEY WERE GOVERNING IN
THE INTEREST OF THE PEOPLE.
MCCARTHY NEEDS TO MAKE SURE HE
USES THE MAJORITY TO PUT FORWARD
POLICIES ON ENERGY, INFLATION
AND THAT SORT OF THING WHICH
CONVINCE VOTERS THAT THE
REPUBLICANS SHOULD BE THE NEXT
MATER OF GOVERNMENT -- PARTY OF
GOVERNMENT.
>> IN ONE OF YOUR ARTICLES YOU
WROTE THE LEFT CONTINUES TO
WRECK THE ECONOMY AND THE
CULTURE.
YOU JUST MENTIONED A COUPLE OF
THINGS THAT KEVIN HAS TALKED
ABOUT.
FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE, WHAT
WOULD YOU ENCOURAGE HIM TO DO?
YOU TALKED ABOUT THE
INFLATION ISSUE, AND ENERGY AND
SO FORTH.
BUT HE’S LAID OUT A PRETTY
AGGRESSIVE AGENDA.
WHAT ARE THE TOP THREE OR FOUR
THINGS YOU WOULD CERTAINLY
SUPPORT HIM IN TAKING ON?
>> WELL, CERTAINLY I THINK I
MENTIONED ENERGY AND INFLATION.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT -- YOU’RE
RIGHT, I YOU MENTIONED IN -- I
MENTIONED IN THE ARTICLE IS
CULTURE AS WELL AS THE ECONOMY.
I THINK IT’S VERY IMPORTANT, ONE
OF THE THINGS THAT N RON DE
SANTIS SAID IN HIS VICTORY
SPEECH WAS HE HAD SUPPORTED LAW
AND ORDER AND HE RESISTED WOKE
COUPLECULTURE.
THERE’S A LIMITED AMOUNT THAT
MCCARTHY AND THE REPUBLICANS CAN
DO WITH JUST CONTROL OF THE
HOUSE BUT THEY NEED TO SHOW THAT
THEY ARE AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE
WOKE AGENDA.
THEY NEED TO SHOW THAT THEY
SUPPORT PARENTAL RIGHTS AND
EDUCATION, THAT THEY DO NOT WANT
TO -- THEY DON’T GO ALONG WITH
THE RUNNING DOWN OF AMERICA
WHICH THE LEFT IS TRYING TO DO
ON MATTERS OF RACE AND RACISM.
SO THEY HAVE TO SHOW THEMSELVES
IN EVERY WAY BOTH RHETORICALLY
IN THEIR COMMUNICATIONS AND
THEIR LEGISLATION, DEALING WITH
THINGS THAT REPRESENT ORDINARY
PEOPLE’S VIEWS.
MARIA: ONE OF LEE ZELDIN’S LONG
TIME ADVISORS SAYS HE’S TAKING
CALLS TO RUN FOR THE RNC
CHAIRMAN’S JOB FOLLOWING THE
STRONG PERFORMANCE IN THE FOR
NORS’ RACE.
ZELDIN TWEETED THIS, NOT ONLY
SHOULD THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
COMPETE IN ALL 50 STATES BUT WE
NEED TO GO TO ALL COMMUNITIES,
NO MATTER HOW BLUE THEY ARE,
BUILD RELATIONSHIPS AND ADVANCE
OUR AGENDAS ON EDUCATION, HOUSE
YOUING, PUBLIC SPACE AND MORE.
LEE ZELDIN WANTS TO BE THE HEAD
OF THE CONFERENCE.
YOUR THOUGHTS?
>> I THINK HE’D BE A GREAT
CHOICE.
LOOK, I THINK HE DID EXTREMELY
WELL IN NEW YORK EVEN THOUGH HE
LOST BY 10 POINTS TO KATHY
HOCHUL.
HE HELPED FLIP SEVERAL
REPUBLICAN SEATS, SORRY SEATS TO
REPUBLICANS.
S POSSIBLY THE MARGIN OF VICTORY
THAT MCCARTHY IS GOING TO HAVE
IN THE HOUSE.
AND HE FOCUSED CAN ON THE BASIC
ISSUES LIKE LAW AND ORDER AND ON
THE ECONOMY.
HE DID PRETTY WELL.
I THINK HE WOULD BE A GOOD -- HE
WOULD BE A VERY GOOD LEADER AND
I THINK THERE ARE REAL QUESTIONS