G.O.P. Must Control Congress, Bush Tells Donors

New York Times ^ | 6/19/02 | ELISABETH BUMILLER

[kattracks]

ASHINGTON, June 19 — President Bush told more than 6,000 people at a multimillion-dollar Republican gala tonight that it was essential for the party to retain control of the House and to win back the Senate.

"We're here for the same reason," Mr. Bush said at the fund-raiser, which brought in more than $30 million for Republican House and Senate candidates in the fall elections. "We want Denny Hastert to remain the speaker of the House and Trent Lott to become the majority leader of the Senate."

Some of the biggest contributors at the dinner at the Washington Convention Center were major pharmaceutical companies that are now lobbying Congress to pass a prescription drug plan that helps their industry. The corporate chairman of the event was Bob Ingram, the chief operating officer of GlaxoSmithKline, which donated $250,000 to the event.

Democrats criticized the event as a multimillion-dollar display of influence peddling that flauted a campaign finance reform bill that Mr. Bush begrudgingly signed into law in March. The bill makes large, unlimited donations to the national parties illegal after the elections this November.

Republicans said that the Democrats were also raising large amounts of money and that the evening was proper and legal.

"This is in accordance with the law," said Ari Fleischer, the White House press secretary.

As for the propriety of accepting large amounts of money from an industry that has an important bill before Congress, Mr. Fleischer said, "The president believes that it's important to give prescription drugs to seniors, and it's important to work with Congress to get it done."

Other corporate donors included Blue CrossBlue Shield, Delta Air Lines, Eli Lilly & Company, the Microsoft Corporation, Pfizer Inc., and the Walt Disney Company.

[Walkingfeather]

I am sure he is just being polite about mentioning Trent Lott. I am sure he is ready to say.... Hit the showers.

[toenail]

"The president believes that it's important to give prescription drugs to seniors, and it's important to work with Congress to get it done."

Steal money from younger workers and give it to pharmaceutical companies to buy the bluehair freeloader vote. Heckuva conservative we got there....

[Mike the lurker]

Ok Spoosy, I'll Bite,
How much of your Gold do I have to Buy to be safe?
And by the way, If gold is such a good thing to have,
and Dollars are so worthless,
WHY DO YOU WANT TO TAKE THE DOLLAR, & GIVE UP THE GOLD?

[Old Fud]

"The president believes that it's important to give prescription drugs to seniors, and it's important to work with Congress to get it done."

The President behaves as though he's never given money a second thought in his life. I'd bet the ranch that he has not.

But he mouths what his advisors feed him, so I can't hang the daily barrage of effin "compassion" entirely on him. He's the GOP's perfect instrument: an empty vessel. And before the incoming:

"Free Republic is an online gathering place for independent, grass-roots conservatism on the web. We're working to roll back decades of governmental largesse, to root out political fraud and corruption, and to champion causes which further conservatism in America."

How's he doin' on this largesse stuff? Goin' after criminal pols? Advancing conservatism?

He ain't.

[Constitutional_Republican]

Sadly, I have to agree with you

[Keith in Iowa]

Trent Lott made Republican Senate Leadership an oxymoron. There's no way he deserves to be majority leadership should the Republicans win.

[Hank Rearden]

I hope those bootlicking suckups on the "Day in the life" photo threads enjoy it while it lasts.

He's a one-term socialist wimp. George W(imp) Bush gets squat from me the next time around. I'm sick to death of his big-government crap.

[toenail]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/702979/posts

[america-rules]

I read you post and it reminds me of a caller to O'Reilly today on the radio.

The guy calls and says he's tired of paying for illegals to get health care.

Old Bill asks him how much he makes and he says $27,000 per year and Bill asks him how much he pays in taxes.

He says he pays 35% to the federal Gov't to pay for these illegals to get health care. Bill says that if he didn't have to pay this much he could afford his own health care and the guy agrees 100% and Bill doesn't pick up on it !

What didn't Bill pick up!

If the guy makes $27,000 per year he pays zero ($00.00) in fed taxes !

[america-rules]

"He's a one-term socialist wimp"

Pat lost so get over it !

[section9]

Yeah, he's just being polite, that's for damned sure.

Bush knows that Lott's leadership was a disaster. We did nothing but lose Senate seats during his tenure.

My bets are on Rick Santorum.

Be Seeing You,

Chris

[Mike the lurker]

Why do I need to show respect to you?
I checked your profile page, & the links on it.
It is clear, that you are here to make money.
Gold Bugs, & their interesting take on economics are harmless,
except when they try to Doom & Gloom people out of their money!

[Mike the lurker]

Ok as to the profile page, I looked at it after your first post, & that's what I saw.
I checked again, and I was wrong about the links, (they're gone). I'll go back & re-read The first article you posted, which is how I got the impression that you were a gold bug.
If I find I was mistaken, I will, of course respond to you on this thread, with my apologies.
I am sorry I took such a harsh tone with you.

[glc1173@aol.com]

Why should we - the grassroots social-conservative activists - waste our time and money?

What has Jorge Bush done for us - the people who elected him? All he's done is repeatedly tax us more to give more bailouts to an urban area that voted against him (NYC), given $1.65 million tax-free at our expense to each family whose loved one who died 9/11/01 was lucky enough to die in Manhattan instead of in a traffic wreck in an area that voted for Bush, promised yesterday to tax us for hundreds of millions more to spend in Africa on AIDS there, promised more foreign aid to the Third World after 9/11.