Posted on 02/02/2005 3:11:09 PM PST by RWR8189
WASHINGTON — As the nation's trial lawyers again funneled tens of millions of dollars to Democrats and their causes in the last election, Republicans were crafting a strategy to choke off that money for future campaigns.
President Bush's agenda for the next four years, much of which he will highlight in his State of the Union address tonight, includes many proposals that would not only change public policy but, the GOP hopes, achieve an ambitious political goal: Stripping money and voters from the Democratic Party and cementing Republican dominance for years after he leaves office.
One of the clearest examples is an effort to limit jury awards in lawsuits against doctors and businesses. The caps might not only discourage "frivolous" lawsuits, as Bush argues, but also deprive trial lawyers of income from damage awards that they could then give to Democrats.
"If we could succeed in getting some form of tort reform passed — medical malpractice reform or any of part of that — it would go a long ways toward … taking away the muscle, the financial muscle that they have," said Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), who ousted Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle last fall despite a heavy flood of trial lawyer money backing the Democrat.
On issue after issue, the White House is staking out positions that achieve a policy goal while expanding the GOP's appeal to new voters or undermining the Democrats' ability to compete. Interviews with Bush advisors, a recent memo drafted by a senior White House strategist and a speech last month by the Republican Party's new chairman show that the political advantages are very much part of the calculation.
Bush's plan to alter Social Security, for example, would allow younger workers to divert some of their payroll taxes into privately owned retirement accounts. GOP
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
As if these voters were their birthright...
As Joe Stalin said, and Washington state's recent governor's election PROVES: "It is not who votes, but who counts the votes that matters."
No one is taking their voting rights away.
Shame on the Republicans. Wanting to win is undemocratic.
Actually, LA Times, that is our money. Who do you think ultimately pays for the cost of high malpractice insurance?
The rest of us.
Who do you think businesses who are sued pass the costs on to?
The Demoncrats are nothing but parasites and bacteria.
I hope the antiseptic hurts.
Thune ain't shy, is he?..hehehehehe
Doug, do you know what with the legislatiuon to make the tax cuts permanent, and to end the death tax...?
What a biased article...as if our tort system is working perfectly...the cost of the tort system far outweighs any benefit to victims...it's simply an excuse to make the trial bar the most powerful lobby in the US. I hope we kill the profit motive that our legal system gives to the trial bar.
Great screen name.
Sorry, I don't know. But I think our President and the GOP are feeling emboldened.
What do you have with 3 lawyers at the bottom of the ocean??
A START
If the Democrats want to win, they better send some of their leaders to sales school. An old shoe salesman like Teddy Kennedy or KKK Byrd cannot make the sale. A fainting Hillary is not a winning picture. A shrill sounding Dean is like chaulk on a board. Reid stumbling like a dummy doesn't sell. Boxer's witch-like appearances will not convince anyone with common sense. The Democrats are sliding down hill and have few new faces to sell old out-dated techniques. The old fat Democrats are going to block any new ideas from coming through. Hate and obstruction are their only cards. They need someone new who isn't a left-wing has been.
I think it was more like this....a very good point.
"He who votes decides nothing; he who
counts the votes decides everything."
Nope, that's just the press trying to generate some animosity against the Republican Party by trying to paint these actions as "undemocratic" and "unethical". Oddly, the attempt to cut off the "excess" of money from a minority of donors is viewed as undemocratic...
The Dems are in a panic because they've finally realized...no, accepted, that Bush isn't just "lucky". He's been slowly dismantling them while they have contented themselves with the idea he's a simpleton. A cowboy.
They conveniently neglect his degree. They overlook his experience running campaigns.
BTW, no one is "owed" voters. Left or right. Bush cannot "steal" people that typically vote Dem. He can only lay out an agenda he believes will benefit them, and if so willed they'll agree to join him in support.
"The Demoncrats are nothing but parasites and bacteria. I hope the antiseptic hurts."
Love the imagery! Next time I'm tending to a kid with a scraped knee and Bactine, I'll think of that, LOL! :)
Republicans in Congress will never be emboldened to do anything meaningful. The main reason we've come so far on Iraq is that Congress is not micro-managing it. The military and the civilian, executive leadership is calling the shots.
Maybe it's the egos, maybe it's the fear of bad press, maybe it's gutlessness, maybe it's special-interest campaign contributions. But something always keeps the Republicans in Congress from doing something big and bold.
Thanks Diana. Next time I think of a wonderful mom who takes care of kids skinned knees, I'll think of you.
A: A Pit Bull.
I think many people fail to realize that the mega lawyer donors fo the democrats are a minority.
While conservative lawyers may not be many or a majority, we are present.
The ABA is a lost cause (and a voluntary organization), lawyers who work for a living are not so ready to sign onto the DNC agenda.
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