← Autodidact Archive · Original Dissent · Recluse
Thread ID: 4160 | Posts: 5 | Started: 2002-12-23
2002-12-23 12:52 | User Profile
I keep hearing that the Lott affair will make it more difficult for the pubbies to oppose affirmative action. What opposition would that be? Aside from an occasional useless "I'm opposed to quotas" statement on the talking head shows I haven't seen anything, no executive orders, no legislative proposals, nothing that would indicate that they're making any effort to end it. I guess this "GOP shift" means they will no longer be allowed to even [u]pretend[/u] that they oppose AA. Works for me, maybe now some [u]real[/u] opposition will step up to the plate.
Lott furor could spark a GOP shift By Kathy Kiely and Judy Keen, USA TODAY
[url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2002-12-23-gop-shift_x.htm]http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/20...gop-shift_x.htm[/url]
WASHINGTON ââ¬â The forced resignation of Trent Lott as Senate Republican leader will pressure President Bush and Republicans in Congress to demonstrate their racial sensitivity in ways likely to affect judicial nominations, jobless benefits, tax cuts and other issues.
The two-week debate over Lott's leadership ended Friday, when the Mississippi senator stepped down as incoming Senate majority leader over remarks deemed racially insensitive. Now Republican lawmakers and strategists say it's imperative that the party "bend over backwards," as one put it, to show it is trying to reach out.
"This will go wide and deep into all areas of programming and legislation," Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., said on CBS Face the Nation.
Bush's priorities for next year already include making his $1.35 trillion tax cuts permanent, promoting more oil production, revamping Medicare and limiting medical malpractice awards.
That agenda is now expected to include elements aimed at rehabilitating the party's image on race. Wade Henderson of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights says Bush must "support policies that help unite rather than divide the country."
In Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., the heart-lung transplant surgeon expected to win Lott's job today by acclamation, Bush has an effective new partner on health care issues.
"We understand that the president is going to really stress health care in his State of the Union speech" on Jan. 28, says Robert Laszewski, a health-policy consultant. "To have Bill Frist backing him up is going to be a real plus."
Other issues likely to be affected:
Judicial nominations are ripe for rethinking. One White House official says Bush will be "particularly careful" about checking records for racially sensitive issues. Veteran Republican lobbyist Tom Korologos says "judges are going to have to pass a litmus test." Most analysts expect the first casualty to be Charles Pickering, whose nomination was opposed by minorities and blocked by Senate Democrats. "I have a hunch that Judge Pickering may be out," Hagel says.
Democrats have been pressing for tax cuts for lower- and middle-income Americans. Bush's new economic team is not ruling out the possibility of rewriting the White House tax proposal to include such cuts. Republican resistance to extending jobless benefits that end Saturday is collapsing. Democrats see an opportunity to press for the most generous possible extension. Four in 10 people receiving benefits are minorities. Democrats also are likely to seek more money for election changes designed to reduce minorities' frustration at the polls. Lott created a furor by saying Dec. 5 that "we wouldn't have had all these problems over all these years" if retiring Sen. Strom Thurmond, R-S.C., had won his 1948 presidential campaign. Thurmond ran as a segregationist.
Contributing: Contributing: Jill Lawrence and William M. Welch
2002-12-23 18:06 | User Profile
No doubt, the other shoe is really dropping. But you're right
** I guess this "GOP shift" means they will no longer be allowed to even pretend that they oppose AA. Works for me, maybe now some real opposition will step up to the plate.**
It in other words is something that really fits with the agenda they had all along - it just gives them an excuse to implement it.
Frist to the senate leaership, and "the Southern Strategy" to the back of the bus.
Southerners with memories, who remember what a stretch it was for them to move over to the GOP, aren't going to overlook this.
2002-12-23 18:49 | User Profile
Frist is repugnant, and Bush talks out both sides of his mouth to pro-lifers. I guess he thinks we're idiots. All fine, but I'm sitting out next election. It may not have any effect on the outcome, but at least my conscience is clear.
2002-12-24 01:09 | User Profile
Originally posted by medieval@Dec 23 2002, 18:49 ** Frist is repugnant, and Bush talks out both sides of his mouth to pro-lifers. I guess he thinks we're idiots. All fine, but I'm sitting out next election. It may not have any effect on the outcome, but at least my conscience is clear. **
I have gone beyond just sitting out an election I voted Democrat straight down the line in November and will continue to do so until the Republican party goes down for the count. The only Repub who would get my vote is a Tom Tancredo type of candidate which is very unlikely in the area I live in NYC. Though an open white racialist did run for councilman in my district ... Frank Bozierelli (sp). Voting Democrat is a nice way to give the middle finger to the Karl Roves of this world and if just a small percentage of pissed off right wing white guys did so the Repubs would be finished and we might get a white populist party with some influence in this country.
2002-12-24 01:57 | User Profile
Right way to go Martel. Worse is better. Things are speeding up, and the sooner the crash hits, the sooner fixes can be implemented. Easy? No. It will be very, very tough. One could almost believe this was all orchestrated from the start, but in reality, the opening was there. That goes two ways though, and our side's turn will come along. The complete destruction of the stupid party goes a long way toward helping our side out.