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 GOP really needs to find someone to run against him during the primaries.
"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."
Maybe the decision by the liberal leaning judge to leave the polls open in St Louis for an additional 45 minutes ensuring an Ashcroft loss has come around to bite them in the butt. In other words, what comes around goes around.
It wouldn't have made a difference. The Republicans ran an anti-gun Republican against a pro-gun and fiscally conservative Democrat in a state where taxes and gun rights are high.
I don't know but 77% is pretty good. I can't believe hers are as high.
Are you sure of your facts? Are you absolutely sure that Warner was telling the truth? Or was he just telling people what they wanted to hear?
If i am not mistaken, the NRA gave Early an "A-" and endorsed him near the end of the campaign.
Did we not elect THEM to LEAD? Are they Republican in name only?
The Senate Campaign Committeee got my donation back with no money and a note telling them I was keeping it to pay for the golden handshakes that the new 30,000 baggage screeners will someday get and for the dry cleaning bill for the golden showers I have once again been subjected to.
PS: John McCain once again gets dishonorable mention for being the republican most likely to stick a knife in the back of conservatives.
I don't know but the voting public of VA believed him.
I missed it, thank God. He is complaining because he can't do his job & instead relies on the WH to bail him out? He wants the WH to be the bad guy, so he can be a gentleman. He is a spineless lump of flacid tissue.
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