Posted on 09/20/2005 9:29:48 AM PDT by Gipper08
With all the pitfalls President Bush has navigated in five tumultuous years, the one worry he has rarely confronted is rebellion in his own ranks. But House Republicans, his rock, are increasingly restive about the effect that the president’s expansive plans for rebuilding the Gulf Coast could have on the nation’s already massive budget deficits.
Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), the prematurely white-haired leader of the House conservative caucus, set the stage for a tense week for the two ends of Pennsylvania Avenue when he declared Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” that to offset the cost of Katrina relief, “We've got to talk about big ticket items.” He said the nation “simply cannot break the bank of the federal budget that is currently running about an $8 trillion national debt, about $26,000 per family.” While House Republican leaders do not necessarily disagree with Pence, they have been publicly supportive of the White House. Pence’s official biography says he is “a Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order,” and the interplay of those last two priorities will be in sharp relief this week. House Republican aides said Sunday that leaders would look for ways to satisfy the conservatives of the Republican Study Committee, which Pence chairs.
“Leadership will have to be receptive,” said an aide to a House GOP leader. This aide said that the “conservatives were extremely hesitant about the initial jackpot, and they are even more worried about another” installment of Katrina spending. So what to do? Pence picked up the suggestion by several conservative commentators of forswearing the 6,000 pork projects in the highway bill passed this summer. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has suggested individual lawmakers offer to give up their own projects, known as earmarks. Pence also said he thinks the house “ought to take a really hard look at delaying implementation of the new prescription drug entitlement” for Medicare recipients.
One of the House leadership aides was extremely skeptical of the idea. “How do you stop a freight train?” But another top aide said it would be discussed, showing just how direly the fiscal situation is regarded in the Republican conference.
Also this week, as John Roberts heads toward confirmation as chief justice, the president plans to launch consultations with senators over his second pick for the high court, this one for the seat of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor. Republican officials familiar with White House plans said Bush plans to move swiftly and that he will name a conservative – “more in the mold of Roberts than O’Connor,” as one official put it. The Senate Judiciary Committee plans a confirmation vote on Roberts this week. The nomination is to go to the Senate floor. Aides from both parties predicted the judge would get 70 to 80 votes, since many Democrats have calculated they will be in a stronger position to oppose a more conservative future nominee if they do not mount a futile drive against Roberts.
Bush returns to Mississippi and Louisiana on Tuesday, and on Thursday travels to the Ronald Reagan Building to deliver what his staff is billing as a new speech about the war on terror. Oh, and remember Social Security? Many Republicans on Capitol Hill believe that Katrina diminished the already slim chances that a significant bill will pass this year. But on Wednesday, he will invite still cameras into the Roosevelt Room to show him meeting with the President’s Commission to Strengthen Social Security. Ironically, that divisive issue will give the president momentary respite in a week of friendly fire.
It is time to roll back the medicare bill!
Go Mike Go!
It is time to roll back the medicare bill!
------
Even many seniors would agree. They saw how onerous the spending is...but I seriously doubt that it will happen -- way too much politics involved with putting that in place and then retracting it...
If the federal government would JUST cut the pork, waste and fraud out of their spending, we could afford alot of things...
Some of our representatives actually returned to their districts to take with supporters and voters (not ours btw) and were told we are tired of the spending and the lack of achievement.
Many of us have already stopped paying for their next election due to this and, we have told them so. They have now returned to Washington and do as they are told or, lose their seat to someone else that will do their job.
Of course we know that won't happen though. Pandering is the only trick Bush has in his bag.
Geez, Pessimist, your name says it all.
The medicare bill, social security increases beyond the inflation rate, foreign aid, NEA, PBS, etc. etc.
Give ME the budget pen - I'll cut the defecit overnight and clear the National Debt in 10 years.
Hmmm ... for some reason a big bridge in Alaska always comes to mind.
I'm with the good Congressman from Indiana!
I saw on C-span 1 that supposedly the House is supposed to be discussing "Hurricane help" today....
SO...I would suppose today might be a good day for Pence and his gang to stand up and be counted..I hope they are on.
"And for those that are suggesting the Medicare "Viagra for Grandpa" drug plan, cut that and there will be a lot of old angry voters screaming daily to their congress critters. No one will touch that with a ten foot pole until after the whole darn mess collapses."
I have to agree with you. There aren't enough there in DC to stop the Prescription Plan from going through.
Tom Delay on the HOUSE floor NOW, talking about how to pay for the Hurricane Help!!!
OOOPS that was a one minute speech...
BUT...I have to tell you all that I switced to MSNBC for a split second...during the Coast to Coast show with Monica Crowley (who I DO like)...
They were taking a poll on their website...asking people to vote whether to pay for the Hurricane Katrina repairs by raising taxes OR cutting spending....
71%%%%--- said RAISE TAXES!!!! I kid you not...
of course, less than 30% said to cut spending.
And who do you think is going to the MSNBC website? The same people who go to the polls and religiously vote a straight Democrat ticket. The same fat cats who get some sort of Govt handout as a bureaucrat or part of the education Establishment or the trust fund babies who know their tax lawyers will find a way to keep them from paying any taxes. On line polls are a joke, MSNBC polls even more so. If you watch them they always turn out way lopsided to the most extremist leftist position. I personally suspect that MSNBC fixes their on line polls. There is no explanation why they turn out so lopsidedly to the political left.
"There is no explanation why they turn out so lopsidedly to the political left."
Other than that the few viewers they have are Dims.
Go here, this is a Katrina video tearjerker, very well done!
http://pages.sbcglobal.net/bommer/Praise%20you%20in%20this%20storm.wmv
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.