Fading into the background
Posted on 03/28/2005 7:44:35 PM PST by RWR8189
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Fading into the background |
The vote involved the fundamental question of how Congress balances tax cuts against spending. During the Senate's annual budget debate, which sets guidelines for the year's spending bills, some senators pushed a measure to require that any new tax cuts be paid for with an equivalent, offsetting spending cut. Alternately, any spending hike would need to be balanced with a commensurate tax increase. This is known as "pay as you go" budgeting. Democrats love it because it puts the Republicans' cherished tax cuts directly in conflict with unpopular spending cuts.
But several Republicans were backing this measure, too. These Republicans believe that the GOP's obsession with tax-cutting in the face of huge deficits has perverted classic fiscal conservatism. To them, pay-as-you-go is a means of restoring sanity to the budget. They are the Senate's plucky band of Republican moderates: Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine, and John McCain of Arizona.
In recent years these moderates have become heroes to Democrats—paragons of conscience and bravery—and pariahs to conservatives—heretic "Daschle Republicans." As the GOP has moved to the right, the moderates have struggled valiantly to stand firm in the center
(Excerpt) Read more at politics.slate.msn.com ...
http://www.clubforgrowth.org/why.php
For 30 years economic conservatives and libertarians labored mightily to wrestle control of Congress away from a Democratic Party that has been mostly captured by the left at the national level. Most of us believed that electing a Republican Congress would bring about the kinds of major policy reforms—tax cuts, fundamental tax reform and simplification, school choice, less wasteful government, and so on—that are so critical to advancing prosperity.
We now know that was a naive hope.
Too many Congressional Republicans have veered away from the limited government agenda that got them elected to the majority in Congress. They enacted budget deals with Bill Clinton that betrayed our limited government beliefs. They have approved pork-barrel highway bills worse than what the Democrats used to give us. They have dropped the ball on making tax cuts permanent, tax reform, and personal investment of Social Security.
The lesson we should derive from this disappointing performance is this: until we as citizens convert one or both of the major political parties over to our pro-growth policy ideas, it is unlikely that we are going to be able to advance our agenda successfully in Congress.
The Club for Growth is designed to help our members better target their campaign contributions—to help elect candidates who are reliable on the issues that we care about.
They are not, and have never been, in the center.
My Senators, Gregg and Sununu, are in the center. These 4 are leftists.
I was just going to say what you did--they are most definitely not in the center---
I watch the voting in the Senate pretty close, and I haven't seen many social progam spending that Chafee, Snowe, and Collins, don't like---
As for McCain, he gets on the floor a couple of times a session and rants and raves about the "pork" in the spending bills, votes against a large percentage of the GOP bills and amendments, critsizes the President almost everytime he goes on TV---he is a disgraceful man, IMHO
Are you still paying for the Seabrook deal Judd and Steve made with Connecticut Power? One reason I left NH is because my electric bill was running $350.00/month and that was 5 years ago.
<< In recent years these "moderates" have become .... Democrats .... >>
To all intents and purposes.
God knows what the Chappaqua Godmother has on them all in those raw FBI files she stole -- but surely someone can lay hands on hers and the bent ones -- and nullify her destructive, evil even, effect?
With 48% of the nation voting Democrat, these senators are pretty solidly in the center. And the fiscal policy of this administration is a disgrace.
we have a Republican majority, not a conservative majority. Those expecting rapid overhaul of government are going to be disappointed. In the Senate, we would need to generate 5-10 more Republicans before we have around 50 real conservatives. Hell, we probably need to rid the Senate of about 30 fat cat Washington elists who once acted conservative.
Bottom line, is either party are going to get some moderates elected in states that they couldn't win with more left/right candidates. With that, we need a super majority to accomplish broad changes.
The Libertarian and Constitution parties must iron out their differences and unite to create a new, powerful, conservative party in time for the 2006 mid-term elections.
I agree - and it will not be soon enough to suit me.
Yes, maybe the Libertarian and Constitution Parties can combine and work together to move their collective showing of 0.44% of the popular vote in 2004 to a full 1% next time!
So what kind of a fiscal policy would be less of a "disgrace"? Do tell...
And not in generalities either. Please be specific...
Can't Dubya stroll into the Ford building anytime he pleases?
<< Can't Dubya stroll into the Ford building anytime he pleases? >>
I believe so -- and that he is a moral man and likely will not.
Pity.
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