Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Democrats United in Plans To Block Top Bush Initiatives
washingtonpost.com ^ | Monday, January 10, 2005 | Dan Balz

Posted on 01/09/2005 7:57:44 PM PST by crushelits

As President Bush prepares for his second term, Democrats in Washington and around the country are organizing for a year of confrontation and resistance, saying they are determined to block Bush's major initiatives and thereby deny him the mandate he has claimed from his reelection victory last November.

The Democrats' mood and posture represent a contrast to that of four years ago, after Bush's disputed victory over Al Gore. Then, despite anger and bitterness over how the 2000 election ended, Democrats were tentative and initially open to Bush's calls for bipartisan cooperation. Today, despite Bush's clear win over Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), Democrats across the ideological spectrum say they are united in their desire to fight.

In part that mood reflects the reality that Democrats are even more of a minority party than they were when Bush was sworn in four years ago, their ranks smaller in both the House and Senate and their ability to influence the legislative agenda sharply diminished.

But the unity of purpose also underscores a hardening of attitudes among Democrats -- from elected officials and strategists to grass-roots activists and party constituencies -- that Bush's domestic agenda presents opportunities to divide the GOP, break apart Bush's winning coalition and recapture some of the voters who supported Bush last fall.

Democrats said they see opportunities on Social Security, where Bush wants to partially privatize the system by allowing younger workers to divert payroll taxes to personal accounts; judicial appointments, where both sides are gearing up for a clash over a possible Supreme Court vacancy; and revising the tax code. Bush may find his best chance to win Democratic votes for his call to limit medical malpractice lawsuits.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Front Page News
KEYWORDS: block; bush; democrats; initiatives; plans; term2; top; united
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041 next last

1 posted on 01/09/2005 7:57:45 PM PST by crushelits
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: crushelits

And this attitude, my friends, is why they will continue to lose. When you put the pursuit of power in front of the good of the nation, it shows. :)


2 posted on 01/09/2005 7:59:49 PM PST by BoBToMatoE
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: crushelits
Frist should have gone with the nuclear option. I hope it isn't too late to do so now.

The RATs will never work with us. The media will never love us. We have nothing to lose.

3 posted on 01/09/2005 8:00:34 PM PST by comebacknewt
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BoBToMatoE
Vote the RATs out, down to minority, so they become insignificant, immaterial, zero, nada, zilch!
4 posted on 01/09/2005 8:01:18 PM PST by Leo Carpathian (Slava Ukraiini! Heroiam Slava!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: crushelits

loathsome party, they


5 posted on 01/09/2005 8:01:24 PM PST by guitarist
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BoBToMatoE
"Then, despite anger and bitterness over how the 2000 election ended, Democrats were tentative and initially open to Bush's calls for bipartisan cooperation."

Huh? Has the Washington Post moved to some other, alternate universe???

6 posted on 01/09/2005 8:02:21 PM PST by Sooth2222
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: crushelits

'they are determined to block Bush's major initiatives and thereby deny him the mandate he has claimed from his reelection victory last November.'

THAT will endear them to the Americans who voted for Bush...

what are they thinking? what version of the word 'rejected' don't they understand?


7 posted on 01/09/2005 8:02:28 PM PST by bitt
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: crushelits

" Then, despite anger and bitterness over how the 2000 election ended, Democrats were tentative and initially open to Bush's calls for bipartisan cooperation."

Where was I? I missed this one.


8 posted on 01/09/2005 8:03:05 PM PST by Theresawithanh (2005! My resolution: FReep even MORE this year!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: crushelits
Then, despite anger and bitterness over how the 2000 election ended, Democrats were tentative and initially open to Bush's calls for bipartisan cooperation.

This is unsupported speculation. I saw no evidence of this, in fact I saw just the opposite.

9 posted on 01/09/2005 8:03:33 PM PST by rhombus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: crushelits

This says that "unlike in 2000, when they wanted to heed the call for bipartisanship"---what a joke!!!

The still don't get it, do they?

Okay, great, spend the next year obstructing every positive thing that Bush requests and see how the elections look in 2006. After that it won't matter if you dems obstruct or not, because the GOP will have such a bit majority, you dems won't have a chance to bog him down.

I wonder if Karl Rove has secretly hired someone to give the dems this advice?


10 posted on 01/09/2005 8:03:38 PM PST by Txsleuth (Proud to be a Texan)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: crushelits

This is same position they have been in for the last 4 years. Keep it up!!!


11 posted on 01/09/2005 8:03:52 PM PST by KoRn
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Sooth2222

Huh? Has the Washington Post moved to some other, alternate universe???

---

What do you mean moved to? They LIVE in an alternate left wing universe. lol.


12 posted on 01/09/2005 8:05:51 PM PST by BoBToMatoE
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Theresawithanh
" Then, despite anger and bitterness over how the 2000 election ended, Democrats were tentative and initially open to Bush's calls for bipartisan cooperation."

And then, in the next millisecond, the two Democrats who actually briefly had these thoughts changed their minds.

13 posted on 01/09/2005 8:06:13 PM PST by michaelt
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: crushelits
"Democrats United in Plans To Block Top Bush Initiatives"

BWAAAAAHAAAAA! Oh I know I shouldn't laugh at them but ... BWAAAAAHAAAAAAAHAAAAAA!

14 posted on 01/09/2005 8:07:24 PM PST by silent_jonny (Happy New Year!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: crushelits

As Rush said, we are witnessing the complete meltdown of the Democrat Party. They are nothing more than insane rabid dogs now. All we need to do is herd them into the pens for humane disposal.


15 posted on 01/09/2005 8:13:06 PM PST by Mad_Tom_Rackham
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: crushelits

I sense that these people no longer want what little "wiggle room" was left when jockeying for a position. It's like throwing down the gauntlet, so to say. At what point do we say
"You asked for it, You got it"?


16 posted on 01/09/2005 8:13:25 PM PST by printhead
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: crushelits

Evidently last month's big Democratic plea, "Why can't we all just get along together in the middle?," didn't last very long. The new term hasn't begun yet.


17 posted on 01/09/2005 8:13:51 PM PST by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: BoBToMatoE

Thanks, and this is the legacy of a once-great political force
now reduced to whining, whimpering, weaseling and stamping their feet.

No leaders, no leadership; just lead to weight down the
republic.

A disgraced standardbearer, a chairmanship begging for ANYONE
with cajones to no avail. Begging for more corruption to
lead the party.

Look at them! Pathetic, weak, noxious germs in the body politic.

It's all they have left. Living worms eating the
flesh from their own bones and looking for ways to
devour the rest of us.


18 posted on 01/09/2005 8:14:16 PM PST by plangent
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Sooth2222

within a month of 9-11 Daschole and Gephart were back to bashing Bush like they did prior.....


19 posted on 01/09/2005 8:14:51 PM PST by Vn_survivor_67-68
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: crushelits

ROTFLOL!! That must mean a guarantee of at least 60 repubs in the Senate in 2006!!

Go fer it dems!!


20 posted on 01/09/2005 8:18:25 PM PST by CyberAnt (Where are the dem supporters? - try the trash cans in back of the abortion clinics.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson