Posted on 05/24/2005 7:34:45 AM PDT by pissant
John M. Engler, the former Republican governor of Michigan who now heads the National Association of Manufacturers, vowed before the November elections to use his trade association's might to back President Bush's judicial nominees. But as the Senate showdown approaches, the business group is delivering a different message: Judges are not its fight.
NAM's decision to sit out the brawl may be indicative of a broader trend. From Wall Street to Main Street, the small-government, pro-business mainstay of the Republican Party appears to be growing disaffected with a party it sees as focused on social issues at its expense.
"I'm inclined to support the Republican Party, but the question becomes, how much other stuff do I have to put up with to maintain that identification?" asked Andrew A. Samwick, a Dartmouth College economics professor who until recently was chief economist of Bush's Council of Economic Advisers.
"I don't know a single business group involved in the judicial nominees," said R. Bruce Josten, an executive vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "Nada, none, zip."
A group of senators announced last night that they had reached a compromise designed to avert a showdown over the judicial nominees.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Washington ComPost wishful thinking.
I guess they don't care if the GOP keeps winning elections either.
I agree with you. However, despise the spin I think I know what these guys are talking about. I see it in my office. Most of my co-workers are Republicans and quite conservative. While they're pro-life and social conservatives, they think the GOP has latched onto that part so hard that they've abandoned the small government fiscal conservatism that brought them to the GOP in the first place.
Just my 2 cents.
Ya....bankruptcy reform, tort reform..both BIG TIME social issues.
very likely
We'll see in 2006!
Small gov't policies would be refreshing, no doubt about it!
There's a word for these businessmen: RINOS.
Hmmmm, Kennedy and Reid on the floor of the Senate saying that they don't want to vote on Judges because the American People want them to get on with the "business of the country." WaPo comes out with this story basically saying that a group who backed President Bush doesn't care about Judges because it wants congress to get on with other business. Coincidence, I think NOT.
Add SS reform, artic oil extraction, environmental reform, and tax relief and I can't see how any business could support the GOP (sarcasm off)
This is definetly wishful thinking. I am one of those who votes Republican based on Economic and National Security issues, and disagrees on some social issues. So I can say with confidence that I'm not going to stop voting Republican because of any social issues that have come up. They just want to see the Republican vote split.
The WaPost is only marginally better than the NY Times in its attempt to be evenhanded. And that ain't sayin much!
Because businessmen are concerned chiefly with business, and the courts activism is directed mainly in the social arena.
But, how long will the courts be satisfied with only social issues? What happens when the courts begin raising taxes on businesses to fund social agendas?
For those who think the judiciary cannot "tax", that only the Congress has that power, look back at how much congressional power the judiciary has usurped over the years and think again.
I wonder why the Washpost never wrote a similar article about how the Democrats are losing their working class base.
You can't count on business--they'll shift parties the moment they think it suits their interest.
Thanks for sticking around. But I'll tell you this. The fastest way for the GOP to disintegrate would be to come out in favor of abortion and gay marriage. 50% of the party would abandon it in a heartbeat!
LOL
well said! Plus the notion that there is a definitive line between businessmen & social conservatism is absurd!
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