NEWS AND OPINION:
The amazing C-SPAN has tallied up which lawmakers had the most to say while on the job at the U.S. Capitol this year.
“Who has spoken the greatest number of days on the floor of Congress? As of December 8th, here are the top ten U.S. House members who have spoken the most in 2023,” the network said in a straightforward written report, which names the lawmaker plus the number of days that each stepped forward to speak on the floor this year. Here are the results:
- Rep. Glenn Thompson, Pennsylvania Republican: 85 days.
- Rep. Buddy Carter, Georgia Republican: 83 days.
- Rep. Doug LaMalfa, California Republican: 77 days.
- Rep. Donald Payne, New Jersey Democrat: 73 days.
- Rep. Joe Wilson, South Carolina Republican: 67 days.
- Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, Texas Democrat: 65 days.
- Rep. Don Davis, North Carolina Democrat: 65 days.
- Rep. Glenn Grothman, Wisconsin Republican: 56 days.
- Rep. Marcy Kaptur, Ohio Democrat: 54 days.
- Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Iowa Republican: 51 days.
NOT GIVING UP
American Values 2024 — AV24 for short — is the super PAC supporting Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s independent presidential candidacy. The campaign reveals it will pursue ballot access in Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Nevada, New York and Texas.
“These ten states represent approximately half of the required signatures nationwide. AV24 is embarking on an independent ballot access campaign and stands ready to address all requisite tasks that it may undertake independently and within the bounds of the law, which further solidifies the organization’s commitment to ensure Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s path to the White House. This list may change upon additional legal review,” the super PAC in a written statement shared with Inside the Beltway.
The super PAC says it is “committed to restoring the soul of democracy to the United States. Our long-term mission is to build a movement of supporters seeking truth, separate from corporation interests, while supporting candidates for a brighter future.”
“We have chosen to pursue these critical states, some of them battlegrounds, due to the complexity of the state election codes and the volume of signatures necessary to achieve ballot access. A successful ballot access initiative ensures Robert F. Kennedy Jr as an option for president of the United States,” said Deirdre Goldfarb, the PAC’s special counsel for ballot access.
“The Super PAC is also preparing for inevitable attacks from both sides of the aisle. Democrats and Republicans are panicked about Bobby’s surging popularity among black voters, Hispanic voters, all voters under 45, and anyone concerned with ending DC corruption. Kennedy’s numbers have shocked the uniparty elites to their core,” said Tony Lyons, co-founder of the aforementioned PAC, and president of Skyhorse Publishing — an independent book publisher with 23 imprints and distributed by Simon & Schuster.
NERVOUS VOTERS
A new poll from Emerson College asked voters to weigh in the 2024 presidential election. It also inquired about their current anxiety level, all things considered.
“Respondents were asked over the last two weeks, how often they have not been able to stop or control worrying. A majority (52%) of voters overall have not experienced worrying at all, while 48% have experienced it at least several times in the past two weeks,” the poll analysis said.
“A quarter have experienced worrying several times in the past two weeks, 11% have experienced it more than half the days of the past two weeks, and 12% experience worrying nearly every day,” it said,” the analysis continued.
Things are not so bad. After all, the poll found that just over half — 52% — responded that they were not worried at all.
There are some age-related differences, however.
“Voters under 25 are most likely to experience feeling nervous, anxious, or on edge at least several days a week at 81%, lowering to 80% of those between 25-29, 79% of voters in their 30s, 73% of voters in their 40s, 33% of voters in their 50s, 42% of voters in their 60s, and 44% of voters 70 or older,” the poll analysis explained.
The Emerson College Polling national survey of 1,000 registered U.S. voters was conducted Dec. 4-6 and released Monday.
EAGER SHOPPERS
Holiday retail sales are showing “strong gains,” according to the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor released Monday by the National Retail Federation.
“Consumers are embracing the holiday season and promotions being offered by retailers. Value conscious shoppers are out looking for deals as they purchase gifts for family and friends, and this data indicates that they’re finding them,” said Matthew Shay, president and CEO of the retail group, in a written statement.
Total retail sales, excluding automobiles and gasoline, were up by 4.24% compared with last year and could soar as high as $966.6 billion.
Holiday shoppers expect to spend an average of $875, according to the federation’s latest consumer survey.
“Nearly all U.S. adults (92%) say they plan to celebrate events such as Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa this year, on par with last year,” the poll said.
“When shopping for gifts, 62% say sales and promotions are even more important to them this year than last year. About one-third (36%) say they are cutting back in other areas to cover the cost of holiday items, 30% are purchasing gifts for fewer people and another 27% are buying less for themselves,” it said.
The survey of 8,103 U.S. adults was conducted Oct. 2-9 and released Oct. 19.
POLL DU JOUR
• 8% of U.S. adults feel “very close” to people in their community.
• 46% feel “somewhat close” to people in their community.
• 34% feel “not that close” to people in their community.
• 11% feel “not close at all” to the people in their community.
SOURCE: A Pew Research American Trends Panel poll of 3,576 U.S. adults conducted March 20-26 and released Dec. 6.
• Follow Jennifer Harper on X @HarperBulletin, on Facebook @HarperUniverse.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.