NEWS ANALYSIS: GOP has many reasons to give thanks Party stole Democrats' thunder

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 11/28/03 | Marc Sandalow

[I_Love_My_Husband]

Washington -- The Democrats' straightforward attack on Republicans as more conservative than compassionate suddenly got a lot more complicated.

Developments on a range of complex policy matters -- from Medicare to marriage -- have confused rather than clarified distinctions between the two parties, and by most accounts made the Democrats' uphill fight to unseat President Bush and reclaim a majority in Congress an even steeper challenge.

[I_Love_My_Husband]

However, when it comes to same-sex marriage, the top six Democratic presidential candidates all oppose it, just like Bush.

This reporter is lying. The top six includes Howard Dean, whom, IIRC supports gay marriage.

[concerned about politics]

it will help the Republicans.''

Sounds good to me.

I don't see how a Democrat can win.''

Me either.

"There is a big downside for those who make it a big issue,'' said Hattaway, who has worked on the topic with the Human Rights Campaign, the nation's largest gay and lesbian lobbying group.

Wrong. This is a 2-1 issue many folks with children care deeply about. Republicans need to keep this issue alive.

A hear an (R) landslide comming. Yep. A biggie.

[Cicero]

Actually, most of the Nine Dwarves have refused to commit themselves at all on gay marriage, one way or the other. They know if they come out against it it will offend their base, and if they come out for it it will offend most voters. So they resort to duckspeak on the subject.

[Mike Darancette]

The RATS will complain and posture about W going to Iraq but the debate question will be "As president would you go in secret to Iraq on Thanksgiving to see your troops"?

If the RAT wants any chance at all to be president he'd better say YES.

[Defender2]

This Ping is for You!!!!:-) Hope you all are having a good Thanksgiving Weekend!!!!:-)

[gcruse]

Stealing their thunder = enacting their agenda.

And this is somehow to be desired?

[I_Love_My_Husband]

Good point.

[Dane]

Good point

Yes it is a good point in an ideal world.

In the real world which is better, a medicare prescription plan with the seeds of privatization, or a Kennedy/Hillary boondoggle?

[RJCogburn]

In the real world which is better, a medicare prescription plan with the seeds of privatization, or a Kennedy/Hillary boondoggle?

Good job framing the question as a choice between those two and no others.

Do you work for Zogby in your other life?

[goldstategop]

And what's wrong with demonstrating conservatives can be compassionate? We're the ones who believe in empowering people to make their own CHOICES, while the Democrats want to herd them into a one size fits all government program.

[RJCogburn]

Stealing their thunder = enacting their agenda.

Yep.

A good commercial might be one of those morph jobs...where GWB morphs into Ted Kennedy, morphs into Daschle, morphs into....

[gcruse]

the seeds of privatization

Wrong imagery.  Try 'vanishing traces of privatization.'
You know as well as I that once government takes over
something, there is no flowering of privatization.

[Dane]

And what's wrong with demonstrating conservatives can be compassionate? We're the ones who believe in empowering people to make their own CHOICES, while the Democrats want to herd them into a one size fits all government program.

Exactly. We are the ones who believe in empowering people to make their own choices with their money and this bill has those incentives in it and that is why Oldsmobile Ted is apopletic.

The reason I think some of the "truest of the truest conservatives" on FR are mad at Bush is because we are on the road of greater choice in medical care and they won't have an issue, Medicare, to rail against day in and day out.

[Dane]

Wrong imagery. Try 'vanishing traces of privatization.'
You know as well as I that once government takes over
something, there is no flowering of privatization.

I will grant you that it is a small step, but a step in the right direction. I now ask you which is better, a step in the right direction(Pubbie bill) or the Teddy/Hillary bill which even you would admit would be two steps backward.

[RJCogburn]

The reason I think some of the "truest of the truest conservatives" on FR are mad at Bush is because we are on the road of greater choice in medical care and they won't have an issue, Medicare, to rail against day in and day out.

Unhappily, GWB and his apologists just keep giving us more and more to rail about....day in and day out.

I wouldn't mind RINO Bush slowing down and giving me a railing day off.

[RJCogburn]

See my #10.

I think it turns out Dane, when not looking under my bed for doobies, is a Zogby pollster.

[e_engineer]

The reason I think some of the "truest of the truest conservatives" on FR are mad at Bush is because we are on the road of greater choice in medical care and they won't have an issue, Medicare, to rail against day in and day out.

Actually, it's the $400 billion dollars/year and perpetuation of the unconstitutional welfare state.

[gcruse]

I suspect I'll be benefitting sooner than either of you guys from this program. Still, it saddens me to watch State government receding in the rear view mirror in favor of All Fed All the Time. The confederation of sovereign states is dead as the Tenth Amendment.

Oh, and Dane, a choice between complete takeover of 14% of the economy (HillaCare) and a bill whose details are not known to me won't be forthcoming. The notable factor to me is that the health care bill will cost only approximately twice what the agriwelfare bill amounted to. Either the agriwelfare bill was truly gargantuan, or the health bill is small potatoes. Either way, we're talking almost a trillion dollars, combined.

[Dane]

Interesting RJ, that you totally ignore the political realities of whether the Pubbie bill or the Ted/Hillary bill is better.

Hey that's ok, RJ, JMO, you like to ignore modern American political reality(that a vast majority of Americans want prescriptons included in Medicare) and substitute your ideal of how that reality should be.

No one is stopping you.