Do you see the Republican Party in Congress moving away from Bush?

[LittleClarkie]

Heard a right wing pundit discussing this today, and thought it an interesting concept, considering this pundit almost never talks down the prez. He said that, starting with Meiers, it seemed the conservatives who are connected to the Republican base realized that they couldn't run for 2006 next to a president who des so much spending and has no real illegal immigration policy. And so they are moving closer to their base, even if Bush is not.

I'm not sure if I see evidence of this. I thought the anti-torture bill vote was interesting, but that didn't strike me as a "base" vote for the Republicans. It was a rebuke of the Prez, I think though.

What do you think? Do you see much daylight between the Prez and the party, or is there more evidence they intend to go down with the ship?

[napi21]

1. Well, Brownbach is snarling about Miers. Lots of their top

talking heads are pitching a fit. Since the Congress and Senate are on vacation till next week, it's hard to tell.

[Pirate Smile]

2. It sounds like he read this today:

"Bush Becoming Radioactive to 2008 Republicans

The Philadelphia Inquirer points out an interesting observation while surveying the Republicans who hope to succeed George W. Bush in the White House.

"The Republican hopefuls -- as many as a dozen men who already are jockeying for advantage -- don't want to be perceived as insiders and heirs to the Bush political establishment. On the contrary, most of them are trying to advertise their independence, to distance themselves from Bush on key issues, to appear as rebels fed up with the wicked ways of Washington."

"That's not traditional Republican behavior. The GOP tends to encourage and reward presidential candidates with establishment pedigrees who have paid their dues... But the woes plaguing Bush... are playing havoc with the traditional GOP respect for hierarchy."

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2005/10/10/bush_becoming_radioactive_to_2008_republicans.html

[TayTay]

3. Hard to say. The House did do that nasty Oil & Gas bill

last week and you just know the White House wanted that bill to pass. They haven't changed tactics at all and are enacting the 'Bush agenda' by claiming that the cost of dealing with the aftermath of Katrina mandates huge cuts.

I think individual members of Congress will TALK about moving away, but the votes will stay the same or get even more strident.

The illegal immigration stuff is red-meat for conservatives. What have the Rethugs done to actually curb this? I don't know what (probably hideous) bills are in the pipeline for them. I think they have to produce because their base is pretty angry at them right now. But if they are too harsh on illegals then the corporations that rely on illegals will be mad at them. (They will probably just punt and scream bloody blue murder about illegal immigration and then do nothing, best of both worlds.)

[firefox]

4. No

They are controlled by the same masters. The Borg Repigs would place a loyal candidate in the primaries to replace anyone that is not assimilated. The Borg Repigs are a house of cards. It either stands or it all collapses.

Wait until the Senate takes up the new Patriot Act and see who speaks out against the new atrocities against freedom.

The board of America Inc. is very much in control, until it all collapses. But yes, the Repigs in office are very concerned that their miserable failure might actually be held against them.

[Geek_Girl]

5. I think so

But I don't think it's just about Miers.

It seems more about Katrina, Rove Indictments, delay indictments, and I do believe when the rest of the Abhu Grhaib pictures come out the shit is really going to hit the fan.

[Neil Lisst]

6. You betcha! They're running away from Bush now

The guys on the right are running away because of their constituencies, and the guys and women on the left of Bush in the pub party are doing the same, for their constituencies.

Suddenly everyone realizes Bush truly is a lame duck, and it's every pub for him or herself.