The Daschle Two-Step

...Mr. Daschle's bid for a fourth Senate term is the second most important race in the country this year, after the one for the White House, and whether Mr. Daschle prevails may well determine how much President Bush could accomplish if he wins a second term. A Daschle defeat would show that there is a price to be paid for blocking conservative reform.

The South Dakotan has been doing a political two-step his entire career. At home, he presents himself as a cultural conservative, a uniting force in Congress, and a prairie populist who only does what is "good for South Dakota." Yet back in the Beltway, Mr. Daschle is an iron-fisted partisan who leads (or follows) his liberal caucus in attacking most of Mr. Bush's agenda.

...His GOP challenger, former Congressman John Thune, has been hitting the theme hard. "Whether it's judges, whether it's energy policy, whether it's tax relief for working families in South Dakota, you know, you can go right down the list -- medical malpractice reform to lower health-care costs. Right down the list, things are dying in the United States Senate," said Mr. Thune on Sunday....

...[Daschle] claims that "the Senate has confirmed over 95 percent of the President's judges." What he neglects to say is that most of those were district judges who the Senators traditionally co-nominate and then rubber-stamp. Of far more important appellate appointments, the Daschle Democrats have filibustered 10, refusing to allow a simple up-or-down vote on the Senate floor.

...Mr. Daschle presents himself as open to class-action tort reform. But the truth is this reform was on its way to passage with 62 votes (enough to overcome even a filibuster) this year until Mr. Daschle demanded that his caucus be allowed to load it up with unrelated amendments. It died....

SENATE GRAVEYARD

Legislation that has passed the House in the 108th Congress
but is dying in the world's greatest deliberative body.

BILL HOUSE VOTE DATE BILL PASSED IN THE HOUSE

Welfare Reform 230-192 Feb. 13, 2003
Human Cloning Prohibition Act 241-155 Feb. 27, 2003
Medical Malpractice 229-196 3-Mar-03
Bankruptcy Reform 315-113 17-Mar-03
Pension Security Act 271-157 14-May-03
Flag Burning and Desecration 300-125 3-Jun-03
Class Action Fairness Act 253-170 12-Jun-03
Death Tax Repeal 264-163 18-Jun-03
Head Start Reform 217-216 25-Jul-03
Energy Bill 246-180 Nov. 21, 2003
Marriage Penalty Repeal 323-95 28-Apr-04
Make 10% Tax Bracket Permanent 344-76 13-May-04

Source: Thomas and WSJ Research

"The Daschle Two-Step"?

TEXAS SIDESTEP

RPTR1: Governor, what do you think of the crisis in the Middle East?
GOV: I was saying, just this morning at the weekly prayer breakfast in this historic capital, that it behooves both the Jews and the Arabs to settle their differences in a Christian manner.

Fellow Texans, I am proudly standing here to humbly say,
I assure you .. and I mean it ..
Now who says I don’t speak out as plain as day;
And, fellow Texans, I’m for progress and the flag, long may it fly.
I’m a poor boy, come to greatness, so it follows that I cannot tell a lie.

RPTR2: What the hell did he say?
RPTR1: Same as usual … not a damn thing.

Oooh, I love to dance a little sidestep,
Now they see me, now they don’t, I’ve come and gone.
Oooh, I love to sweep around the wide step,
Cut a little swath and lead the people on.

Now, my good friends, it behooves me to be solemn and declare,
I’m for goodness, and for profit,
And for living clean and saying daily prayers;
And, now, my good friends, you can sleep nights, I’ll continue to stand tall.
You can trust me, for I promise, I shall keep a watchful eye upon y’all.

RPTR1: Did you get any of that?
RPTR2: I hear him talking, but he don’t come in.

Oooh, I love to dance a little sidestep,
Now they see me, now they don’t, I’ve come and gone.
And, oooh, I love to sweep around the wide step,
Cut a little swath and lead the people on.

MPT: Governor, Melvin P. Thorpe, Watchdog News. Why has the Chicken Ranch operation been so long ignored?
GOV: We should be having some acoustic problems in here.
MPT: Aren’t you afraid of possible pay-offs and bribes?
GOV: Melvin, I’m proud of you.
MPT: Enough of this pussy-footin’ governor, what do you intend to do about Miss Mona and the Chicken Ranch?

Now, Miss Mona, I don’t know her, though I’ve heard the name, oh, yes.
But, of course, I’ve no close contact,
So what she is doing, I can only guess.
And, now, Miss Mona, she’s a blemish on the face of that good town.
I am taking certain steps here,
Someone somewhere’s gonna have to close her down.

RPTR2: Do you have any idea what means?
RPTR1: Is that a “yes” or “no”?
RPTR3: It’s a possible “maybe”.

Oooh, I love to dance a little sidestep,
Now they see me, now they don’t, I’ve come and gone.
And, oooh, I love to sweep around the wide step,
Cut a little swath and lead the people on.

Daschle has filibustered dozens of judges that President Bush has nominated to the federal bench and prevented them from even receiving an up-or-down Senate vote. During the Clinton years, however, Daschle said, "I find it simply baffling that a Senator would vote against even voting on a judicial nomination." Daschle furiously opposed Bush's recess appointments of judges earlier this year, but during the Clinton years Daschle said "that's the only way [the president] can get the nominations through" because the other side was "blocking just about everyone." Daschle said of Clinton's recess appointments: "I don't blame the president for being frustrated and having lost patience. . . . The president acted, and I'm glad he did."

From Jon Lauck's National Review article this month

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