Posted on 11/18/2001 7:34:13 AM PST by Tumbleweed_Connection
Irritation with President Bush's failure to use his bully pulpit in the battles over stimulus and airport security bills erupted Tuesday at the weekly meeting of Republican whips.
They expressed mystification as to why a president with stratospheric approval ratings will not help the GOP troops in publicly pressing his own position on the two bills. The more moderate whips complained that Bush created problems for them with their constituencies by not attacking federalization of airport security.
A footnote: Budget Director Mitchell Daniels has become the latest Bush Cabinet member to become the target of Republican lawmakers. GOP members of the House Appropriations Committee claim he is arrogant and misleads the president.
Help for the GOP
Former New Jersey Gov. Thomas Kean, who has flirted with returning to politics for 14 years but has never taken the leap, tells friends he is serious this time and wants to challenge Democratic Sen. Robert Torricelli for re-election next year.
Kean's candidacy would lift Republican hopes for recapturing the Senate and cheer New Jersey Republicans, demoralized after their overwhelming off-year election defeats on Nov. 6. Kean, president of Drew University since leaving the governorship in 1986, is one of the state's most popular politicians and would be favored over Torricelli.
New Jersey Republicans have been skeptical about Kean since he backed away from running against Torricelli six years ago for the Senate seat left vacant by Bill Bradley's retirement. However, the only impediment this time might be opposition by Kean's wife.
John Ashcroft's revenge
Democratic Sen. Jean Carnahan, appointed to the Senate after her late husband won more votes in Missouri than Sen. John Ashcroft, is encountering a specter in her bid next year for a full term: John Ashcroft.
Ashcroft's approval rating in Missouri as attorney general in the forefront of the war against terrorism has soared to 77 percent. It is a major asset for former Republican Rep. James Talent's campaign for the Senate.
Carnahan now finds her vote, as a newly sworn senator, against Ashcroft's confirmation as attorney general to be a political negative. It followed Ashcroft's decision not to contest the election of Gov. Mel Carnahan after his fatal plane crash.
Democratic infighting
The call by New York Democratic State Chairman Judith Hope for one of the two Democratic candidates for governor to drop out of the 2002 race, though publicly criticized, was supported by influential Democrats. They privately say that former Housing Secretary Andrew Cuomo should quit even though he has a double-digit lead in the polls over State Controller Carl McCall.
These Democrats fear that Cuomo might share the fate of Mark Green, the party's defeated nominee for mayor of New York City. Green lost the Hispanic-American vote after a bitter Democratic primary fight, and Cuomo could alienate African-American voters in defeating McCall, who is black.
Since polls show Republican Gov. George Pataki running well ahead of either Democrat, party strategists want Cuomo at age 43 to wait for another election.
Republican infighting
Three Republican House members defied a threat from the conservative Club for Growth on Nov. 1 and backed the Democratic bill to federalize airport security. Reps. Jo Ann Emerson of Missouri, Greg Ganske of Iowa and Jim Ramstad of Minnesota voted to require federal employees for airport luggage screening.
''We would consider funding a primary challenger against any Republican who votes against the House airport security plan and for the Democratic alternative,'' said Stephen Moore, Club for Growth president, in an Oct. 31 letter to 10 moderate House Republicans. The organization contributed to ''pro-taxpayer'' candidates in GOP primary elections last year.
The Dums are gonna fight like he!! to take Florida (don't forget all their dirty tricks in 2000). Likewise, standard liberal Leftism is really fading fast. If they don't make gains in 2000, they may be finally finished as a coherent anti-American force.
We gotta work hard to defeat them.
The President is behaving no differently than he did as Governor of Texas. The late Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock, a moderate to liberal Democrat, absolutely loved the guy, in terms of both issues and personal chemistry. "Tort reform" is the only conservative policy I recall Gov. Bush going to the mat on. Almost everybody here is for 2nd Amendment RKBA, so that takes no guts.
The Bush family's roots are in the Northeast. Thus, even though he and his father and grandfather were always Republicans, they have always been to the left of most of the Democrats here in Texas. The Bush political philosophy has not yet "gone native" in spite of two generations of residing here.
You are right, of course, it will take hard work. But I have reached my limit. Why should I bust my hump to help anyone who :
a. will not help themselves
b. turn their backs on the voters as soon as the votes are certified.
It's not worth it. For all I did for the GOP last year (on the state and Congressional level, I now find that "sneak & peek" is not subject to the sunset provision.
The Democrats always seem to place the political role in primacy, under the theory that you have to beat your opponent or you won't have to worry about uniting a nation anyway. This is why they both concentrate on and are so good at bludgeoning and mudslinging for election purposes. They are "better" politicians than most Republicans. Some Republicans, like both Bushes, once having won an election view the national role as primary -- often this is called "staying above the fray" and seems to denote a view that the down-and-dirty of raw politics is unsavory and beneath the President.
Not all Republicans are this way: Reagan blended both roles very well, though he wasn't tremendously successful at electioneering for his party in Congress. Newt was an example of a Republican that played the game more like the Democrats do -- and was unimaginably successful, until the Rats put a bullseye on him out of their own terror.
For better or worse, W views things the way he views them. If he is successful, particularly in the economy and war, then like Reagan he will win big the second time around on his own merits. However, he may not translate that into victories for his party in Congress.
As long as Reno is their choice for governor, the Republicans will enjoy a windfall. The Dem leadership is begging it not to run.
I really like George W. Bush. I voted for him, contributed to him and the GOP, attended his Inaugeral and have supported his actions even when I don't agree.
That said, I recall one fellow close to him at an Inaugeral gala that said he is susceptible to overly compromising like his father, that he gives too much away. So far though he's done exceedingly well but I am getting nervous.
It's the polls.
The polls are lending a false sense of security. They restrain GWB from acting in a conservative manner. He's playing the "President of all the people" role. I'm getting nervous because I think he should trade about 25% of the poll approvals (which are not normally his anyways) to push through alot of conservative action items.
I'm praying he has his political staff planning a campaign that steers us back to conservative issues.
The president wants to increase the size of Government...
The GOP troops want to increase the size of Government...
What's there to disagree about???
But, the Dums understand that it IS war. We gotta fight it like one, too.
He must do more than that. As their leader, it's time to show these people what they stand for and define objectives with intended vetos.
He isn't in the 90 percent range because of bad decisions.
Gee, if the President doesn't feel the need to be partisan is there any reason the rest of the party should be?
Did it ever occur to anyone that Bush likes the Democrat over Republican agenda?....It sometimes apears that way.
Well I'm glad to hear somebody else shares my view of that stupid USAPATRIOT Act which is so loosely written nearly any American Citizen could be defined as a terrorist. It's illegal law which clearly violates the Constitituion. Wait till the Democrats use it against the republicans next time they're in power.
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