Bush Faces New Skepticism From Republicans on Hill

[NVMojo]

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va., Jan. 27 -- When President Bush (news - web sites) flies to this Allegheny mountain resort Friday to meet congressional Republicans, he will encounter a party far less malleable and willing to follow his lead than it has been for the past four years.

Bush is accustomed to getting his way with Congress and finished his first term without suffering a major defeat. But mid-level and rank-and-file Republicans have begun to assert themselves on issues including intelligence reform, immigration and a major restructuring of Social Security (news - web sites), the centerpiece of his second-term agenda.

Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Thomas (R-Calif.), who has offered a variety of Social Security ideas that differ from the president's, assured Bush at a meeting Wednesday in the White House residence that he is still fighting on his side.

"I've just opened up a new front," Thomas added, according to a participant.

more...

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1802&e=1&u=/washpost/20050128/ts_washpost/a42895_2005jan27

[Dr Batsen D Belfry]

1. I think Congress is finally realizing

1) They write the laws, not the WH
2) If they keep following the clown car that is the Bush* Admin, most of their committees will dissappear, and with more power in the hands of a few, home district pork and their jobs disappear.

Never screw with the livelyhood of a member of Congress. Most don't have term limits.

DBDB

[gumby]

2. It's not "skepticism."

This article is about the Repub Congressional Critters applying pressure to advance their own wingnut priorities. The "moderates" have no say.

The Pubs may actually slow down the destruction of Social Security to protect their own butts until after the 2006 elections. They all want to eliminate SS, it's just political positioning.

[NVMojo]

4. chilling thought on the Pubs SS 06 strategy ....

and love the "Bush clown Bus" thing...

[Azathoth]

3. And so it begins

The next four years are going to see most of the GOP very carefully distancing themselves from the white house. They will still take their orders from Dubya (or rather President Cheney), but they will begin to publicly quarrel and dissent. The GOP is looking towards the future, and they don't want baggage from a guy who had a 43% approval rating on the day of his inauguration weighing down their candidates in 2006 and 2008.

[No Exit]

5. Still waiting for that split, and articles like this give me hope.

The republican party has gotten bigger, and meanwhile I think the democratic party has slimmed down and gotten leaner and meaner. I'm waiting for the leaner, meaner democrat party to take down the big, lumbering repukelican party like a lion takes down a zebra.

There are ample Bush-despisers on both sides of the spectrum. Now all we need to do is see them united. It would be so nice to see such a group then strike Bush's name from the history books, and perhaps make a law that the name Bush was never to be spoken again on American soil...

[Nothing Without Hope]

6. I was also given hope by Rep. Ron Paul's (R-Tex) speech

It's linked to and discussed in this DU thread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x1535391

Excerpt:
But what if the overall policy is a colossal mistake, a major error in judgment? Not just bad judgment regarding when and where to impose ourselves, but the entire premise that we have a moral right to meddle in the affairs of others? Think of the untold harm done by years of fighting-- hundreds of thousands of American casualties, hundreds of thousands of foreign civilian casualties, and unbelievable human and economic costs. What if it was all needlessly borne by the American people? If we do conclude that grave foreign policy errors have been made, a very serious question must be asked: What would it take to change our policy to one more compatible with a true republic’s goal of peace, commerce, and friendship with all nations?

[No Exit]

7. Yes, I saw that too, and the replies

to the posting were people saying things like, "Are you sure this guy is a republican??" They might well wonder! From what I've seen, Ron Paul is liked on both sides of the spectrum (the same as Bush is hated.) I've seen nothing but praise for him, and I hope he lives up to it. And... he must be very lonely in Texas! (Oh, well, he can always go to dinner with that Ronnie Earle guy!)

[Nothing Without Hope]

8. I doubt he's lonely. Texans admire courageous, independent thinkers

I'm a native Texan myself so I can assert this with some authority. He's not seen as taking his independent stands to curry favor, since in fact it is not the majority position in the Texas legislature or the blivet** administration. He's seen as someone who says what he believes and is a strong man, a fighter. All of this is admired in Texas, especially if it is done with the characteristic humor and style.

By the way, we should all give at least verbal support to The Lone Star Iconoclast, the free-thinking progressive newspaper published right in Crawford, Texas practically on the blivet**'s doorstep. This in-your-face attitude is typical of Texans, who are at their best doing it with their own style and brand of humor. Humorous irreverence in the face of stodgy authority is a cherished virtue there. (The LSI needs more practical support too, they're going through some lean times - their web site is http://www.iconoclast-texas.com/default.htm.)

Since it's somewhat relevant, here's what I wrote in my comment just now on the Ron Paul thread:

Even with the appalling examples of DeLay and the blivet**, It's worth remembering that Texas has a proud history of courageous independent thinkers. Two of the Representatives who stood with Conyers on Jan 6 were Dem Reps from Texas, the same number as from the much more famously blue state of Massachusetts. Molly Ivins would have given up on Texas long ago if the dirty poltics of some were the whole story.

But then, I don't consider the blivet** to be a genuine Texan, with his dime store cowboy get-ups and ranchless ranch and personal history. As they say in Texas, he's all hat and no cattle. (By the way, if you're not familiar with the wonderful satirical web site AllHatNoCattle.net, be sure to check it out.)

As for DeLay, I prefer to think that he has been around so many cockroaches in his professional life as an exterminator that he has taken on their character traits, such as they are. In fact, I think even the cockroaches probably rejected him. Maybe that's why he turned to politics.

[No Exit]

9. Sorry about Texas... I am in the south myself, and

I am well aware that Bush could better be described as The Kennebunkport Cowboy. (Oh, great, now the Mainers will be grimacing at me...)

As you (essentially) said, it's not Texas per se--it's DeLay and Bush. Texas just had the misfortune to have played host to those two. Fortunately, Texas also has Ron Paul and Ronnie Earle.

And yes, DeLay does indeed look like the kind of guy cockroaches would reject!

[Canuckistanian]

10. The nail that sticks up

Will soon get hammered down.

[kalibex]

11. Hammers never ever break? n/t

[Canuckistanian]

12. Why do you think they call Delay "The Hammer"?

You have to use a stake through the heart to stop that SOB.