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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Reuters) - President George W. Bush (news - web sites) said on Friday he wanted to stop the ``spending orgies'' in Washington as he searched for Senate Democrats to support his 10-year, $1.6 trillion tax cut.
Buoyed by the House of Representatives' vote on Thursday to cut income tax rates, Bush's visit was designed to pressure South Dakota's two Democratic senators, Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle and Tim Johnson, to throw their support his way.
Both joined Bush in a visit to a health clinic for the poor on Friday morning, smiling he talked about his desire to work with them on all issues, including tax cuts, but neither appeared at a rally where Bush later pushed his tax cut.
While the House vote gave the Republican president a major victory, it heralds a much tougher battle in the Senate, which is split 50-50 between Democrats and Republicans.
``The problem is, some of the folks in Washington are used to spending orgies,'' Bush told a crowd packed shoulder to shoulder in steamy aircraft hanger. ``Those days are over. We're going to bring some fiscal sanity to the budget.''
The president, who campaigned on a platform of restoring civility to Washington, thanked Daschle for joining him at the health clinic, drawing a ripple of boos from the crowd.
As he urged voters to demand that their representatives support his tax cut, a bank of spotlights trained on him blew out, sending smoke curling up toward the ceiling. ``It's a sign from above,'' Bush joked, drawing laughter.
For all the jokes and civility, however, Daschle welcomed Bush to his home state by running a television advertisement slamming the president's tax cut as risky and elitist, while hinting at the prospect of a compromise.
``President Bush and I both support a tax cut and I am confident that we can agree on a plan that benefits all Americans, not just the wealthy,'' Daschle said in the ad.
``A tax cut not based on a risky 10-year projection but one that pays off our national debt, protects Social Security and strengthens Medicare to cover prescription drugs,'' he added.
Tougher Battle In Senate
Photos
Reuters Photo Asked at the health center if bipartisanship was dead, as some Democrats charged after Thursday's largely party-line vote in the House, Bush replied: ``Doesn't look dead to me. It looks like it's alive and well here in South Dakota.
``We're going to work together. Sometimes we'll agree, and sometimes we won't agree,'' he added. ``It's amazing what happens when you get outside Washington, D.C. People want civility and we're going to give them civility.''
The House gave Bush the first major legislative victory of his presidency by voting 230 to 198 to cut income tax rates and provide $958 billion in tax relief over 10 years.
In his swing through the Dakotas, Louisiana and -- after a weekend's rest in Texas -- Florida, Bush appears to be trying to put pressure on Senate Democrats to support his plan and to make them pay a price if they don't.
In one mark of the pressure Bush can bring to bear, he urged voters to call, write or e-mail their representatives asking them to support his tax cut. ``You're just an e-mail away from making a difference in someone's attitude,'' he said.
In another, Bush appeared at the rally with South Dakota Republican Rep. John Thune (news - bio - voting record), seen as a tough potential rival to Johnson, who is up for re-election in 2002, and praised him as a ``very capable, strong, able man.''
Later on Friday, Bush moves on to Lafayette, Louisiana, which may prove more fertile ground for his tax pitch.
The president is targeting the state's two Democratic senators, Mary Landrieu, who is up for re-election in 2002, and John Breaux, a moderate with a history of crossing party lines whom Bush unsuccessfully courted to join his Cabinet.
On Friday night, Bush returns to his ranch in Crawford, Texas, where he was expected to spend a quiet weekend with his parents. He flies to Florida on Monday and returns to Washington that evening.
"``President Bush and I both support a tax cut and I am confident that we can agree on a plan that benefits all Americans, not just the wealthy,'' Daschle said in the ad."
"``A tax cut not based on a risky 10-year projection but one that pays off our national debt, protects Social Security and strengthens Medicare to cover prescription drugs,'' he added."
Anyone with any sense of logic and reading ability can decipher this.
If Daschle is offering less of a tax cut, who's to say that his tax cut "only benefits the wealthy, just a little less than Bush's."
It'd be real easy to use this clowns arguements against him.
Fiscal castration for the democRATs.
``President Bush and I both support a tax cut and I am confident that we can agree on a plan that benefits all Americans, not just the wealthy,'' Daschle said in the ad.
I am so sick of Daschle's lies. The man cannot open his mouth without lying.
I saw his so-called "benefits all Americans" tax plan - - it only benefits the taxpayers who pay little or no taxes. How does his plan benefit ALL Americans??? He is a liar and the people of SD should call for his resignation...
"President George W. Bush (news - web sites) said on Friday he wanted to stop the ``spending orgies'' in Washington." He will need to reign in Republican members in congress as well.
Hell yeah.
I was at the rally today and saw 4000 people boo him. It was awesome!!! Peta sent 4 protesters, one of them slipped on the ice and fell, then they decided it was too cold, and left. That got a big cheer from the crowd waiting to get in too.
"I was at the rally today and saw 4000 people boo him." Great!!! Any FReepers?
Not that I was aware of, but South Dakotans are not only politically conservative, they are conservative about carrying signs and that sort of thing too. But, the boos were strong and steady whenever Daschle or Johnson's name came up. When I went in, Tim Johnson was standing out in the cold alone. He looked almost forlorn. It warmed my heart to see it *L*.
``The problem is, some of the folks in Washington are used to spending orgies,'' Bush told a crowd
The truth is, our representatives have absolutely NOTHING to do, if not spend our tax dollars on a bunch of inefficient and wasteful projects! We have more than enough laws on the books so the only thing they need to do is hammer out a budget and go home! Of course, two weeks work wouldn't look good to the electorate, so they come up with all these stupid pork projects to make themselves look busy
``The problem is, some of the folks in Washington are used to spending orgies,''
So, I guess we have to decide whether to keep our surplus orgies in Washington DC, or will we return some of the orgies to the people.
"they come up with all these stupid pork projects to make themselves look busy." Yup. Now they want another $165.00 a day for expenses in Washington. I say, GO HOME!
All your orgy are belong to us.
The Full Headline:
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