Posted on 11/05/2004 6:13:29 AM PST by OESY
...President Bush has won a clear mandate for his big second-term agenda, including the giants of Social Security reform and tax overhaul. Yet his ability to do anything still rests with the Senate....
Republicans [picked] up Democratic seats in both Carolinas and Georgia, as well as Louisiana and Florida. They weathered storms in Kentucky and Oklahoma, and even held Alaska. But the big daddy came with the overthrow of Mr. Daschle. That ouster... was as much a repudiation of obstructionism as it was Mr. Daschle's own record.
[C]onsider not just the Republicans' numerical gains, but their ideological ones. With the exception of Georgia, where incoming Republican Johnny Isakson may well be less conservative than outgoing Democrat Zell Miller, most of the pick-ups will be moving the center of GOP gravity to the right. In South Carolina, free-trading Jim DeMint replaces protectionist Fritz Hollings. Rep. Richard Burr, who voted with the White House 90% of the time, takes over for North Carolina's trial-lawyer-senator, John Edwards. Florida's Mel Martinez ran as a cultural conservative, replacing the socially liberal Bob Graham. Similar swaps came with David Vitter's takeover for John Breaux and (obviously) John Thune's ouster of Mr. Daschle....
A Northeast Three -- Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins and Lincoln Chafee -- joined by John McCain, knew their party couldn't pass even budget bills without their cooperation. They used that power to hamstring their leadership's priorities, from tax reform to liability change....
The ideological shift has already come in handy in keeping certain troublemaking members in line....
Specter had done a 360 and released a contrite communiqué....
Drilling in the Arctic Wildlife Refuge failed in a filibuster by only one vote, thanks to Democrats. Similar bipartisan support exists for bankruptcy reform, an energy bill and tax reform....
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Good post.
BTTT
It'll be interesting to see if Daschle moves back to South Dakota. I bet not.
We need to elect MORE conservatives in 2006 to keep the RINOs in line.
His wife has a perfectly good DC job as top lobbyist for the airline industry, although its uncertain how he husband being laid off will affect her influence.
Specter had done a 360 and released a contrite communiqué....
Wait...my geometry tells me a 360 has him looking the same way!?
We know all about these RINOS. We do not trust anything they say.
Spectre makes one false move against Bush's court nominees, and he's consigned to the basement offices....with turncoat traitor Jeffords.
And leave that $2,000,000 home? His wife's multimillion income? Well, now that he won't be in the Senate Leadership, his wife's income will drop. No, it will plunge.
"It'll be interesting to see if Daschle moves back to South Dakota. I bet not."
Just before the election there was a flap about him giving up his South Dakota residency, because of a property tax break (in D.C.) designed to help the not so rich. Like a true greedy & cheap Dem he signed up, and listed his primary residence as D.C.
I am soooo happy he is OUT!
LOL.....what do you mean,Daschle moves BACK. He's been gone for sssssssoooooooooo long he hardly knows the place.
Wait...my geometry tells me a 360 has him looking the same way!?
Old Joke:
Two Polish airline pilots encounter a severe line of thunderstorms. The Pilot turns to the Co-Pilot and says: "Let's do a 360 and get the heck outta here".
Tom can always join Bill Clinton and John Edwards for a friendly game of golf since they too are out of jobs...what a set of 3 stooges!
Well ... kinda, yeah. He was for Bush's judges in the primary (kind of), then did a 180 in the general election and post-victory (to some extent), then another one (sort of). So 360 in total .... but his head has been spinning around for years so it's hard to keep track.
Maybe he will get a job as an aide to Specter.
I bet you're right! He'll continue his slimy ways by becoming a scumbag lobbyist.
No way will he give up the high life of Wash DC.
Finally! A new one - to me, anyhow!
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