Daschle Corners His Own Party

Thanks to Democratic Senate Leader Tom Daschle (D.-S.D.), November may bring an almost unprecedented moment to modern American politics: total Republican control of both elective branches of the federal government.

Since the early 1930s, when the ill-fated Herbert Hoover sat in the White House, Republicans have controlled the House, Senate and presidency simultaneously only twice. Both times it was briefly and precariously.

The 83rd Congress, elected with President Eisenhower in 1952, started with a 221-to-215 Republican majority in the House (with 1 Independent). The Senate started with a 48-to-47 Republican majority (with 1 Independent). But during the two-years of the 83rd, nine senators died. The Democrats temporarily enjoyed a two-seat majority, but, by prior agreement, the GOP retained the leadership. It was to little avail: In the 1954 elections, the Democrats won back the majority.

From President Bush’s inauguration on January 20 of last year, until June 5, when Sen. James Jeffords of Vermont officially defected to the Democrats, the Republicans again controlled the presidency and both houses of Congress. In that short, sweet period, Congress enacted one significant piece of conservative legislation: the Bush tax cut.

Taking over the Senate leadership, Daschle promised a "spirit of bipartisanship" and warned that "polarized positions are an indulgence . . . the Senate cannot afford and our nation will not tolerate."

Except for a short respite following September 11, Daschle has been relentlessly partisan and polarizing. He has blocked every initiative supported by both the White House and the House Republican majority. The only major legislation he has let pass was a campaign finance reform law opposed by most House and Senate Republicans.

Prepare for the blowback. Daschle’s dog-in-the-manager strategy has returned to Republicans the same two clubs they used to beat up Democrats and take the majority in the 1994 mid-term elections: a nationalized agenda of issues that motivates both the GOP base and some swing voters, and a national liberal bogey man to pin up as poster boy of the enemy forces.

In 1994, the Contract for America served as the agenda; Bill Clinton played the poster boy. In 2002, Daschle will play poster boy; and the agenda will be a short list of hot items Daschle has obstructed in the Senate while pandering to the left wing.

Bush clearly understands the opportunity Daschle has handed him. Air Force One briefly touched down in Daschle’s home state of South Dakota last Wednesday. Before his plane took off again, Bush had raised a state record $350,000 for Rep. John Thune (R.-S.D.). In November, Thune will defeat Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson (D-S.D.). All else being equal, that alone will return the Senate to Republican control.

Back in Washington, Bush has maneuvered the GOP into position to carry on a sharp fall debate with the Democrats on issues on which popular opinion tilts in the Republican direction.

At Bush’s urging, the House voted two weeks ago to make last year’s tax cut permanent, reversing a provision that would terminate the cuts in 2011. Daschle vows he will not allow the Senate to vote on the measure. That sets up a straightforward referendum: Pick the Republican and cut taxes, pick the Democrat and increase taxes.

Daschle led Senate Democrats last week in a vote to prevent oil drilling in a tiny portion of the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge. Major labor unions favor drilling. So does anyone who ponders the oil shortages, price spikes and unemployment that will follow if conflict in the Middle East inspires a new Arab oil embargo.

Greenpeace and the Sierra Club may have cheered Daschle’s blockade of Alaska, but Middle America didn’t. It sets up another straightforward referendum: Pick the Republican and create jobs at home while keeping gas prices low, pick the Democrat and create jobs in Iraq while driving gas prices higher. Daschle’s intransigence also helps the GOP attack the Democrats on their most vulnerable issue: national security.

Daschle is still stalling the Brownback-Landrieu bill to ban all human cloning. The bill passed the House by more than 100 votes. The Senate Democratic co-sponsor, Mary Landrieu of heavily Catholic and evangelical Christian Louisiana, endorsed the bill so fast in her home-state press that its Republican sponsors didn’t even get a chance to talk to her beforehand. Landrieu is a liberal, but she is no fool. Daschle is both. When Bush "wholeheartedly" endorsed Brownback-Landrieu, the pro-clone Daschle responded: "I think the American people are on our side on this issue." But some Senate Democrats aren’t even sure they are on Daschle’s side.

Another straightforward referendum: Pick the Republican and stop human cloning, pick the Democrat and get the Boys From Brazil.

And Daschle has stopped confirmation proceedings for almost all Bush nominees to the appellate courts. On May 9, Harvard-educated Honduran immigrant Miguel Estrada will celebrate one full year of waiting for a hearing—because Daschle fears he may not be a liberal activist in the mold of Ruth Bader Ginsburg or Stephen Breyer.

Another straight-forward referendum: Pick the Republican and get judges who won’t make law from the bench, pick the Democrat and get judges who think child pornography is free speech but the Ten Commandments are not.

Conservatives should cheer up. If they work hard this fall, next spring they will enjoy a political leverage they have not seen since the days of Calvin Coolidge.

you know vast right wing you have nothing to lose by making your assumptions being here in pa i can tell you a different story I can tell you things look pretty rosey on increasing the margins in congress, it will likely be 14 reps and 5 dems headed to congress after the redistricting map is finished again. Don't be such a doomsayer get out this summer get some sun, all this negativity is bad, you'll never get anywhere with such negative thoughts, unless you look and act like Michael Moore.

And with Trent Lott leading the charge how can we lose?

Heh, heh, heh, heh, it is an extremely lamentable and, undeniable prospect for failure. And don't forget Karl (Let's Nuke the Conservative Agenda while pretending to be Conservative)Rove in the SWhipe House. What a team. The Rats still own all the broadcast video media. We will always be swimming upstream, especially with a President who WON'T FIGHT FOR US. We're on our own, and in fact, we have to FIGHT HIM and his croneys. Witness Mineta and Ridge attempting to sabotage airline cockpit defense, and also the 2nd Amendment... We already lost the NJ Governorship, which was ripe for the picking, and that can be laid squarely at GWB/Rove's doorstep for sabotaging a conservative GOP candidate. They tried it in California, but fortunately the local party blew it out of the water.

And here in Minnesota, Colemans's campaign against Wellstone was just torpedoed by GWB's sudden enthusiasm for covering mental illness and piling on more mandatory costs on all of our health insurance so that HE would look noble...and liberal. With OUR money. Thank you Mr. 'Conservative'. How compassionate of you to take our money from us without our getting a say. How nice of you to be making a nice safe environment for RATS to run and win elections in.

There IS something we can do. Elect enough conservatives to negate the votes of the Democrats and RINOs. How many RINO's we got? About 5? If we can get at least 50 true conservatives in the Senate, we got them licked (that'd require a 6 seat net gain in the Senate this year, assuming those 6 gains are real conservatives and my guess of 5 RINOs is correct). Cheney will be there for the tie-breaking vote, so even if the RINO's voted Democrat every time conservative legislation would still be getting pushed through.

Not that I'll think it'll happen this year. The Republican party hasn't shown much of any fighting spirit in the last couple years. What I wouldn't give for another Contract With America type push this year like in '94. The damnable thing is we COULD win, if most Republican candidates had a pair of brass ones and a spine. To bad most of them don't.

** VIRGIN Poster Here, so please be gentle! **

While this sounds well and good, I'm concerned about the congressional leadership having the gonads to do the right things--passing legislation that is conservative and fiscally responsible. Will the Republicans dump Lott, or will they fritter away an excellent opportunity to roll back Democrat largesse?

I also wary of the media, as they could provide the underdog, Daschle, with a mouthpiece to complain about "those evil Republicans in charge." I distinctly remember hearing his whine during the six months in 2001 that the Republicans held control of the Senate on every newschannel. Imagine how vocal he could be after January 2003! Yuk!

Great Job of posting and welcome to FReeperville.

I think that the Pubbies have had quite enough of Chester Lott. Don Nichols stands to challange Lott for majority leader (if we win in Nov.) Besides, 9/11 changed many things, the media is just now catching on. The Slime twins (NY, and LA LA LAND) are suffering "big time" & the Washington Compost isn't far behind. The major networks are shuffling personnel to try to get 4 people to watch the evening news, and Commie News Net. is gasping and spewing. Things have changed, and the socialists are seeing it. I should imagine that most of the DemocRAT leadership is on Imodium AD by now, or they spend an inordinate amount of time in the bathroom.

That being said, we can't give up or let down our pressure. This is a fight to the end...to the death! If we don't win it then we'll all be living in the mountains, fighting every day for our freedom.

Glad to have you on board!

Timy

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.