First to lysie: I love that picture! I watched it live yesterday and warmed my heart right on up. Thanks for posting it. :-)
Miss Marple: May I join your ranks of "telemarketers"? Yes, I know..."everyone has to have a job, but is it ABSOLUTELY necesary that I am their prime target? ARGH. I had someone call me at 8:15am! Are they NUTS????
Now. I understand this "debacle" with Trent Lott is not going to go away anytime soon...or at least it does not appear to me that it will, if you spend even a 1/2 hour watching the Nightly New. The last I heard was that the Senators (although most on vacation) will have decision by he end of this week "informally" about the future of Senator Lott, and that the January 6th date is "formality". I also heard that Trent Lott said that if he is FORCED to resign as Majority Leader, then he will leave the Senate. I daresay that GWB will NOT allow that to happen, becase like I said the other day, we can't afford to have a 50/50 split in the Senate with VP Cheney always having to break the tying vote. I believe that he will step down, but not out. He knows very well what will happen if he does that and I honestly believe that George W. has something else in store for him. First of all IF he resigns completely from the Senate, the governer a (D) of MS will more than likely choose ANOTHER democrat to replace him, once again given Tom Dacshle the majority back. NO NO NO!!!! We cannot have that happen!
So In closing I would like to make out a little chart where it is plain to see how one party gets away with some things WORSE then this, yet come out unscathed:
WHAT DEMOCRATS CAN GET AWAY WITH: Stealing Cheating Playing with Interns Lying in their depositions Having torrid affairs Jessie Jackson (They deserve him) Lies Lies Lies Redifining the definition of the what the word "IS" is. Fraud Bribery (Need me to go on?)
WHAT THE REPUBLICANS GET AWAT WITH
1. Letting themselves be punching bags for the RATS.
Say something stupid, you're OUT. The RATS idea of "it's his personal life" only applied to x42.
Saying you're sorry 10+ times will never be enough, unless of course, you are Slick Willie.
Basically, nothing.
So in closing I will say, that I DO believe there is someone better to lead the Senate Majority, I do not think that this man even came CLOSE to x42, Senator Byrd's comments, Jessie Jackson's Holier Than Though attitude. I would like to see him step down, if not only to get someone in there who would have backbone, but so they (the RATS) lose another item to use against us in 2004.
Ok. Hope you all have a good day...I put my back out the other day lifting a suitcae and the pains meds are starting to kick in...Deej
I agree with your rant, but would like to point out that it would take the loss of two GOP Senate seats for the munchkin from South Dakota to be in charge again. A 50-50 split leaves the Senate in GOP hands.
That said, I still believe the main issue is funding - I don't really think the Criminal Party believes it has a shot at control. The last time there was a 50-50 split - two-years ago - the Senate divided funding equally between the two parties. The normal split for the time when there is a non-even split is 67-33. The Criminal Party does not want this, they want 50-50 because, in their terms, they are "very close" to parity.
Enter a gift from Trent Lott. They have seized on this as a way to either: (1) leverage the Senate funding issue to their advantage (most likely), or (2) get Lott out of the Senate (best case - for them, but unlikely).
To advance the most likely scenario, they would very much like to have Lott remain as Majority Leader. Heck, he has been rather generous to them over the years:
** His refusal to hold a real trial on the Impeachment charges brought against UOx42.
** His refusal to allow the House Managers to present live witness testimony before the Senate in the Impeachment trial.
** His agreement to give the Criminal Party equal funding and parity in Committee assignments at the beginning of the 107th Congress.
** His refusal to challenge the seating of Mrs. Carnahan as the junior Senator from Missouri on Constitutional grounds.
** His agreement with the Criminal Party to allow them control of the Chamber until the new Congress - despite the fact the balance of power shifted once the new Senator from Missouri had his election certified.
** A general willingness to be accomdative on issues of importance to the Criminal Party, rather than an a visceral advocate of Republican ideals and goals (say what you want about Daschle, he at least provided that for the Criminal Party).
Keeping Lott as Majority Leader with this whole race-baiting thing hanging over his head would be a gift to the Criminal Party. He would be forced to give them parity on funds, and they would be able to leverage his position on a number of left-wing issues.
It is more than a little coincidence this flair up occurred while the two camps are hashing out the issue of how the Senate budget should be divied up. But I feel very comfortable in saying that if it wasn't Lott, someone else would have been targeted with some other issue.
The Criminal Party has gone to war over the funding issue because without the extra money that parity would grant them, their ability to challenge the President would be crippled.
The Republicans need to understand this and respond accordingly. The first step is to make sure this gambit does not succeed. To do that would require the GOP to take a few more nails by having the word leak out on Friday that Lott will remain as Majority Leader, and then sometime around January 5 have Lott announce he will realize the need to put the future of the Party first and step aside.
This will be too late for the Criminal Party to react. The news will be about two items: (1) Lott, again (but the public will likely be tired of that), and (2) how the GOP has started to reform itself (whether the media wants to use those words or spin something else, it'll come out).
IMO, I think this will rebound to the benefit of the GOP. Mostly because I believe the Criminal Party has taken this hand they have been dealt, and overplayed.