Day: December 26, 2005

New Hampshire Republicans Declining the Kool-Aid

Trish

Boston Globe:

Republican senators and congressmen are trying to distance themselves from an increasingly unpopular national GOP

…the state’s all-Republican congressional delegation is becoming increasingly at odds with the national Republican Party in a state that was long a GOP bellwether, according to an analysis of votes and other actions in Congress over the past year.

Congressmen Jeb Bradley and Charles Bass voted for expanded stem cell research and opposed drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and Bradley notably declined to endorse Bush’s Social Security plan.

Senator John E. Sununu opposed Bush’s plan for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, joined a filibuster to insert civil liberties protections into the USA Patriot Act, and voted against his party leadership on several major spending bills.

Even the state’s senior senator, Judd Gregg, who is a member of the GOP leadership and generally backs the party’s priorities, voted against the transportation bill and the massive energy bill that grew out of Vice President Dick Cheney’s energy task force.

The senators and congressmen say they are acting in the tradition of the state’s libertarian brand of conservatism, even if the national GOP moves in a different direction. But Democrats and some independent observers, pointing to the fact that Senator John F. Kerry beat President Bush in New Hampshire, and that Governor John Lynch , a Democrat, is the most popular official in the state, say the Republican senators and congressmen are trying to distance themselves from an increasingly unpopular national GOP.

GAO Wants Bush Administration to Wake Up to Economic Problems

Trish

Forget those ill-fated “listening tours” from Karen Hughes. The man who sued Dick Cheney for information about his so-called energy task force is on a wake-up tour.

For the ninth straight year, the GAO said it couldn’t certify the government’s financial statements.

David Walker, 54, U.S. comptroller general and head of the Government Accounting Office, sees nothing but gray skies ahead for the American economy. And while his doomsday scenario might be too centered on entitlements, he makes some important points.

Earlier this month, he released the GAO’s annual statement on the accounting of the U.S. government. For the ninth straight year, the GAO said it couldn’t certify the government’s financial statements. For the second year, Walker emphasized the nation’s long-term financial risk.

He wrote that the nation is $46 trillion in debt, and social insurance promises and fiscal exposures were four times the current gross domestic product as baby boomers approach 2008, when they begin to become eligible for early retirement.

Walker, who has switched back and forth between the two major parties, was a Republican when Pres. Clinton accepted his nomination to the 15-year GAO post.

…as the choice of the Republican-led Senate in 1998, Walker was seen as a GOP man. Few accuse him of that now.

The position, created by Congress in 1921, is a 15-year appointment, and the comptroller general cannot be removed except by impeachment.

That fact came in handy in 2002, when Walker felt he had no choice but to sue Dick Cheney in the case later appealed to the Supreme Court. […]

GOP Investigated Pres. Clinton’s Cat But Only Plans ‘Oversight’ on Pres. Bush’s Admitted Illegal Spying

Jon Ponder

Compare and contrast:

  • 1995: Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.), then chair of the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee, investigated whether taxpayers were footing the cost of stationery and postage for the fan club dedicated to President Clinton’s cat, Socks. (They were not – and it turns out Barbara Bush’s dog Millie had a fan club too.)
  • 2005: Two weeks ago, President Bush admitted he willfully flouted a law that requires him to get warrants before wiretapping U.S. citizens. His justification for ignoring the law appears to be LÉtat, c’est moi. In reaction, Republicans in charge of the Senate Judiciary Committee announced on Friday that they are planning “oversight” hearings into the matter.

The president has admitted he broke the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) hundreds of times. Isn’t it a bit late for “oversight?”

Governor’s Failures Put Spotlight on CA Dems

Jon Ponder

Rough sledding ahead : Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is probably happy to see 2005 coming to an end. But after the trouncing his initiatives received in November’s special election, he enters 2006 in a much weakened position. The question now is, will the Democrats who control the Legislature step up to the plate:

If this stalemate plays out, leaving Arnold hamstrung and unable to get his way, it’s hard to see why he would chose to follow through on his run for re-election next year.

“The power has shifted back to the Legislature,” said Assembly Majority Leader Dario Frommer (D-Glendale). “I think the Democrats are in the driver’s seat.”

Much of the core of the Democratic Party is disinclined to give the Republican governor any political victories that might help get him reelected next year, lawmakers and lobbyists say.

Labor unions, which have substantial influence over the Democratic majorities in the Assembly and Senate, are still furious with the governor for trying to weaken their benefits and political influence. Emboldened by their success in leading the fight against Schwarzenegger’s four initiatives last month, they are expected to adopt an even more aggressive posture when lawmakers return to Sacramento on Jan. 3.

“There’s going to be a lot of pressure not to do anything with the guy,” Frommer said. “You have a Legislature that, quite frankly, is not too happy with him. And you’ve got a Democratic Party and a lot of the constituencies that are pushing hard to keep the governor on the mat in order to set the stage for whomever the Democratic nominee is next year.”

He’s not too popular in his party, either. And this does not bode well:

Most GOP lawmakers are more conservative than Schwarzenegger, but he needs their support because two-thirds of the Legislature is required to pass the state budget and to put measures on the statewide ballot.

“The reality is, nothing gets done unless Arnold Schwarzenegger can persuade at least six Republicans in the Assembly and two in the Senate to go along,” said Tim Hodson, director of the Center for California Studies at Cal State Sacramento.

Assembly Republican leader Kevin McCarthy of Bakersfield said his members “think they will have a bigger say than they have had in the past, because the bigger issues that are going to hit this year are all two-thirds votes.”

If this stalemate plays out, leaving Arnold hamstrung and unable to get his way, it’s hard to see why he would chose to follow through on his run for re-election next year. After all, being a movie star is a whole lot easier and more fun than politics – not to mention a lot more lucrative.