Posted on 01/29/2005 10:09:32 PM PST by SmithL
When President Bush stands before Congress on Wednesday night to deliver his State of the Union address, it is a safe bet that he will not announce that one of his goals is the long-term enfeeblement of the Democratic Party.
But a recurring theme of many items on Bush's second-term domestic agenda is that if enacted, they would weaken political and financial pillars that have propped up Democrats for years, political strategists from both parties say.
Legislation putting caps on civil damage awards, for instance, would choke income to trial lawyers, among the most generous contributors to the Democratic Party.
GOP strategists, likewise, hope that the proposed changes to Social Security can transform a program that has long been identified with the Democrats, creating a generation of new investors who see their interests allied with the Republicans.
Less visible policies also have sharp political overtones. The administration's transformation of civil service rules at federal agencies, for instance, would limit the power and membership of public employee unions -- an important Democratic financial artery.
If the Bush agenda is enacted, "there will be a continued growth in the percentage of Americans who consider themselves Republican, both in terms of self-identified party ID and in terms of their [economic] interests," said Grover Norquist, the president of Americans for Tax Reform and an operative who speaks regularly with White House senior adviser Karl Rove.
Many Democrats and independent analysts see a methodical strategy at work. They believe the White House has expressly tailored its domestic agenda to maximize hazards for Democrats and tilt the political playing field in the GOP's favor long after this president is out of the White House.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Too bad many GOP voters are on the verge of breaking away over the immigration and spending issues.
Otherwise this BS theory makes sense.
I fear that 2006 could be for the RATS what 94 was for the GOP...
Given that Clinton was only interested in helping himself, the Democrats must view it as shocking that a Republican President is actually trying to help his party.
Breaking away to where?
I'm also bothered by open borders and overspending, but I am not contemplating leaving the GOP and letting the DemonCraps deep six this country.
The Washington Post is only NOW figuring this out? LOL
You've been spending too much time on FR. The Buchanan/Tancredo crowd is still well less than 1% and the people in the polls who say they're agin illegal immigration will also say they support President Bush's proposal to fix the situation.
The only risk is to those fast zipper little congressmen who can't think beyond pandering to racists. But they can be replaced.
So far the legacy (long term) is deficits larger than Carter's budgets.
Too bad for you the only people who are "threatening to leave the GOP" are a bunch of self proclaimed "true conservatives" that probably haven't voted Republican except when Buchanan was running (and getting soundly crushed like the loser that he is).
Tom Daschle would be deeply saddened...but everyone now ignores the opinion of this EX-Senator. ;-)
To you great chagrin, President Bush will remembered as one of our greatest President ever. He will remembered as the President who lead us to victory in the war on terror.
just wait until this year's budget battles start and everybody's pet entitlement doesn't get its standard 9% bump,,, then the real moaning will begin.
In 2006 the GOP win more seats in the Senate and the House, like what we did in 2002 and 2004, of course to your great chagrin.
That is an excellent point. Where are the immigration crusaders? Who is the national figure who stakes his claim on the issue of immigration. The last one was Buchanan who got his hat handed to him. When the issue of the day was deficit reform Perot almost took it to the White House and look how fast the Republicans and rats lined up right behind him. Tancredo is out there standing in 7 inch Gene Simmons platform boots scream at the top of his lungs and waving his arms frantically and nobody has heard of him.
Some Freeper isolationist was barking a figure of 80% of America want illegals removed from America and yet there is no figurehead for this political powerhouse issue.
If that was the case than neither Bush nor Kerry would have won the election and someone running one immigration as their only issue would be in the White House. At the very least there would have been enough write in votes for Tancredo where it would have shown up in the overall results and he would have been pushing it from November 3rd on.
That must be bad. It is exactly what the Democrats have done for years.
More likely, Bush's strategy is to do what he thinks is good for the nation, not the party. But I shouldn't expect the Left to wander into that thought process.
Denny Crane: "I want two things. First God and then Fox News."
GWB's main strength, other than that he stands for something, is that he is without hatefulness, same as Pres. Reagan and Lincoln (and FDR). That's what will allow for a legacy, if someone of like character follows him.
Indeed. Its a wonderful intersection where we get to see the implosion of the Left.
Denny Crane: "I want two things. First God and then Fox News."
Open border nutcases, once again proving how clueless you really are. Blackbird.
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