Tuesday, June 01, 2004
The Republican Revolution is Dead
GOP Takes Off Gloves in Bout of Budget Infighting
The Republican Revolution that swept the Republican's into control of the House and Senate back in 1994 is dead. Crucial to that electoral victory was Newt Gringrich's Contract with America in which lawmakers signed a pledge that they would:
Yes, I like tax cuts, who doesn't. But it doesn't take a leader to cut taxes and keep spending or in the case of the current leadership, cut taxes and grow spending at a record pace. Yes, we are at war...blah, blah, blah, but the roughly $119 billion we've spent on Iraq isn't part of the $500 billion deficit calculation. Sadly, those that are advocating for restoring the offset provision in the budget-process which was Republican 'Gospel" just a few years ago are having their loyalty called into question. It's fair to say that the republican Revolution started in 1994 is over, there's a new revolution, a disfunctional Big-Government Conservativism, that's emerging and it's counter to many of the principles that got the GOP the majority in the first place. Is this a sign of a growing rift between socially conservative republicans and those closer to the middle...time will tell....
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2026&e=17&u=/latimests/goptakesoffglovesinboutofbudgetinfighting
The Republican Revolution that swept the Republican's into control of the House and Senate back in 1994 is dead. Crucial to that electoral victory was Newt Gringrich's Contract with America in which lawmakers signed a pledge that they would:
On the first day of the 104th Congress, the new Republican majority will immediately pass the following major reforms, aimed at restoring the faith and trust of the American people in their government:
FIRST, require all laws that apply to the rest of the country also apply equally to the Congress;
SECOND, select a major, independent auditing firm to conduct a comprehensive audit of Congress for waste, fraud or abuse;
THIRD, cut the number of House committees, and cut committee staff by one-third;
FOURTH, limit the terms of all committee chairs;
FIFTH, ban the casting of proxy votes in committee;
SIXTH, require committee meetings to be open to the public;
SEVENTH, require a three-fifths majority vote to pass a tax increase;
EIGHTH, guarantee an honest accounting of our Federal Budget by implementing zero base-line budgeting.
Yes, I like tax cuts, who doesn't. But it doesn't take a leader to cut taxes and keep spending or in the case of the current leadership, cut taxes and grow spending at a record pace. Yes, we are at war...blah, blah, blah, but the roughly $119 billion we've spent on Iraq isn't part of the $500 billion deficit calculation. Sadly, those that are advocating for restoring the offset provision in the budget-process which was Republican 'Gospel" just a few years ago are having their loyalty called into question. It's fair to say that the republican Revolution started in 1994 is over, there's a new revolution, a disfunctional Big-Government Conservativism, that's emerging and it's counter to many of the principles that got the GOP the majority in the first place. Is this a sign of a growing rift between socially conservative republicans and those closer to the middle...time will tell....
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2026&e=17&u=/latimests/goptakesoffglovesinboutofbudgetinfighting
