GOP Slams Bush* Policies at Retreat

[kskiska]

From Moonie Times

Growing frustration over President Bush's immigration plan and lack of fiscal discipline came to a head behind closed doors at last weekend's Republican retreat in Philadelphia.

House lawmakers, stunned by the intensity of their constituents' displeasure at some of Mr. Bush's key domestic policies, gave his political strategist Karl Rove an earful behind closed doors.

"It was intense, but I was not surprised at the tone of questioning during Rove's session," said Rep. Tom Feeney, Florida Republican. "But then this was supposed to be a no-holds-barred discussion, and our constituents are upset."

"They were all over Karl on immigration and spending," said Rep. Tom Tancredo, Colorado Republican and a leading House proponent of controlling the nation's borders and curbing illegal immigration. "This is the first time I didn't even have to raise the immigration issue myself. Everyone else did."

more…
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20040205-115100-7758r.htm

[aquart]

1. Tee hee.

Getting nervous about those coattails.

Don't you all hear in your minds the smug Cheney saying, "Deficits don't matter"?????

[salin]

3. reminds me of the pre 9-11 days when folks (esp out west)

were growing very angry at bushco for ignoring the energy crisis and saying things like conservation was for wimps... that it was their own damn fault (re: environmental rulings).. essentially saying 'suck it up' and refusing to act... for months. There was a near revolt by congressional folks in the region. The tax cuts (that they could ride as 'popular') and 9-11 changed the tone. This is the first time I am reading about as much rank and file anger (and signs of potential distancing themselves from the WH) since the attacks in september 2001.

[T Bone]

5. Notice any governor candidates that

won't mention in their ads what party they belong to, and for that matter won't mention that their opponents are Democrats ? Telling.

[Fridays Child]

6. Bookmarking your comment...

...but hoping it's not prescient.
:scared:

[salin]

22. I didn't mean it as a predictor

of bad... but instead that things have finally returned (including overall impression of bush and his policies as potentially MORE of a threat to the congressfolks at home than a hope. It weakens rove and the pres. pull tremedously.)

[chillwindblowing]

15. another fine mess you got us into

coat tails or the oil slick.. LMAO:toast:

[TacticalPeek]

2. The rats sense a list.

Tipping point dead ahead.

[kclown]

20. 72% in New Hampshire Republican primary

8800 write-in votes for Dems.  * won N.H. by 7700 in 2000.

[ClintonTyree]

4. They will still...........

fall in line in November. Do you think they'd vote for a :scared: 'Democrat' :scared: No way, they'll stick with the Chimp come hell or high water.

[Virgil]

8. The old guard will call for an adjustment

The business community was going to have to call for more restraint in spending. Japan and China want the two deficits dealt with as they have bought all the dollars they can handle.

What I look for is the Pill Bill that was so expensive is going to get trimmed. They may even go into the last appropriations bill that was $820 billion. The Republican Party owns the fiscal responsibility issue and it threatens every office they hold if they lose that mantle.

It is the deficits that are hurting Bush as well as the unemployment. There is going to be an adjustment before the election. Something will be redone as the ticks are all gorged on public money and are going to drop off. There is going to be an adjustment and it is not going to be a shadow of an adjustment. They are going to get mean, because they cannot let the idea of fiscal responsibility leave the party.

[Guaranteed]

13. delete

[Mountainman]

21. It already left. Reagan also had record spending increases.

The Repubs talk a good line but they don't practice what they preach.

They call Dems tax and spend but Repubs are borrow and spend. The last time the budget was balanced Clinton was President.

At least if we are tax and spend we don't spend money we don't have and expect our kids to pay off the debt.

How many Republican families spend more money than they make. You can't do that without running up against bankruptcy. The Repubs are bankrupting the government on purpose.

[GOPBasher]

16. Certainly true.

No matter what, they'll fall in line behind their leader. It's like Republicans barely care about things they're really supposed to care about, like fiscal responsibility.

[SquireJons]

17. I'm not so sure

The fear isn't that they will vote Democrat, it's that many republicans won't vote at all, and that would be great because it would help with congressional elections a lot. Shrub is losing his base and it's getting pretty obvious. I think the 'guest workers' gambit is backfiring big-time.

[JasonDeter]

7. And I should believe anything coming out of a republicans mouth because...

They are in a political season and want to influence the public perception of them. This story is hogwash.

[Guaranteed]

14. I think you're right. It's all image.

They're doing a very good job of looting the treasury and creating the perception that something's being done about it at the same time.

[fizzana]

9. There is some truth to this.

A lot of GOP supporters are really pissed about the Immigration idea as well as the deficit. I agree that most of them will fall in line come November but if even 2% of them don't show up at the polls it will tip the election to the Democrats. They don't even have to vote Democratic, just stay away from the polls.

Conversely, if even 2% more Democrats can be persuaded to come out and vote along with a 2% stayaway on the GOP side, we will win without having to worry about Florida.

[burrowowl]

11. They don't care about the deficit

It serves to destroy Social Security, Public Education, etc. They are all for it as long as it feeds Corporate and the 2% of the stockholders who own most of the stock.
Hey, let prolos pay for it!
Their only worry is that the deficit will make their $'s worth less. Of the smart ones converted to Euros in the meantime (before it went up).
Must read: Wealth and Democracy by Kevin Phillips.

[burrowowl]

10. They are upset because

the Department of Offense (oops sorry) Defense Budget is only 50% + percent of the Federal Budget and Head Start is a whooping 1.5 million or so! Damn those poor people! Taking pocket change from 'honest hardworking corporate pigs'.

[radfringe]

12. here's the raw deal (as I see it)

bush* submits his budget filled with funding for non-entitlement programs

these line items get cut or drastically reduced

when people get upset at these cuts, bush blames congress. If Congress does ok these items, then they get the blame for the deficits NOT bush

funding for Afghanistan/Iraq and future invasions have not been included in this budget -- this leave bush free to go back to congress every couple of months to ask for more money to support our troops

if congress balks at this additional money -- then they are accused of NOT SUPPORTING the troops

[dusty64]

18. Delicious!

I hope chimpy drags all the rethugs down this November. They ALL need to be voted out on their nasty asses.

[UpInArms]

19. a related editorial from LATimes

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-omissions6feb06,1,1240818.story (free registration required)

A Fiscal Realism Is Stirring

excerpt:

The elephant in the room is those tax cuts. Rolling back just the top-bracket cuts would save $180 billion. A thorough crackdown on corporate tax evasion by a beefed-up IRS could, according to a recent General Accounting Office study, raise up to $40 billion a year — enough to finance the annual budget of the Department of Homeland Security.

While some in his own party show signs of deficit panic, Bush is calling for his tax cuts to be made permanent. Their temporariness was always a ruse to make them look smaller than they were.

Far from cutting the annual deficit from $521 million to $237 million by 2009, as Bush claims, his budget plan would add at least $2 trillion to the deficit over the next 10 years.

<snip>

Responsible lawmakers are starting to push back, with an eye on their constituents. Middle-class taxpayers see how little the tax cuts brought them and how few of the promised new jobs materialized. Reality is taking hold.

[yellowcanine]

23. Tom Feeney - asswipe who led the legislative coup in Florida in 2000.

"It was intense, but I was not surprised at the tone of questioning during Rove's session," said Rep. Tom Feeney, Florida Republican.

This guy imposed the will of the legislature over the votes of the people of Florida in the 2000 presidential election. Why do we care what he is surprised or not surprised about?