PRYCE IS NOT RIGHT
Last Wednesday, Rep. Mike Pence, chairman of the
House Republican Study Committee, joined colleagues at a press
conference to flesh out their “Operation Offset” report, which laid
out more than $900 billion in potential budget savings to offset
the cost of Hurricane Katrina and other unexpected budget
busters.
The report was in part inspired by President Bush’s statement
that no new taxes would be required for the hundred billion dollar
price tag that Katrina is representing, and that budget cuts would
do the trick. As well, fiscal conservatives in both the House and
the Senate continue to harbor ill will toward the pork-laden
transportation and energy bills, as well as the Medicare
prescription drug plan passed largely due to Republican leadership
efforts to ram the legislation through the process.
The press conference and report was
but one sign that, particularly on the House side, Republicans are
chafing at House Speaker Dennis Hastert and
Republican leader Tom DeLay’s refusal to deal with
out of control spending that may create political problems for
Republicans, if not in 2006, then definitely in 2008.
“The bill will come due sooner or later,” says a House
Republican Study Committee member. “It’s just a matter of when. We
can’t keep doing this. President Bush promised a veto on
transportation, and he didn’t do it. We begged him to look at the
energy bill for cuts. The White House didn’t. We thought we’d help
things along with this report.”
But House GOP leadership didn’t take kindly to the HRSC’s
assistance. After the press conference, according to HRSC and House
leadership sources, Pence and HRSC members were called on the
carpet by Hastert and Republican Conference chair Deborah
Pryce. “We were told in no uncertain terms to shut up,”
says the HRSC member. “They want us to go away, believing that
somehow this issue will go away too.”
Of greatest concern to Hastert and Pryce are the mid-term
elections and the belief that “Operation Offset” would be used as
ammunition by Democrats, says a Republican House leadership
staffer. “They could say, ‘See? Republicans want to cut Medicaid.
They want to cut welfare.’ The HRSC document looks like an official
party document. It is going to be used like one by the Democrats.
We don’t need that right now.”
But “Operation Offset” doesn’t call for anything particularly
radical or outrageous. For example, it recommends delaying the
Medicare prescription benefit plan for one year, but to keep the
discount card program running, cutting off financial underwriting
of the District of Columbia and eliminating money-losing and
under-utilized Amtrak routes.
Silent in lashing out at the fiscal conservatives was Republican
leader Tom DeLay, who has publicly claimed that
Republicans have actually controlled spending during their time in
Congressional control. DeLay, according to sources, is hesitant to
weigh in too heavily against the group led by Pence, which has been
supportive of him during Democratic attempts to take DeLay down
over supposed ethics irregularities.
RICK’S CLOSED
Sen. Rick Santorum continues to lag badly in both
public and private polls in his re-election bid against
Pennsylvania’s Democratic state treasurer Bob Casey,
Jr.. Some polls show Santorum as much as 30 points
down.
“What’s really troubling is that Casey hasn’t done a damn thing,
and Rick is still down. It’s frustrating,” says a Republican
fundraiser who does work in Pennsylvania.
Republican leaders in Washington are growing increasingly
concerned about the race, which they — like the Democrats — have
targeted as a critical race in the 2006 election cycle. More
troubling, is Santorum’s seeming lack of interest in adjusting his
campaign style.
“He doesn’t seem to care that he’s down and not gaining ground,”
says a Republican National Committee staffer. “In talking to
donors, fundraisers, staff, he acts like he’s doing us a favor by
letting us help him. He needs an attitude adjustment or he’s going
to find no one watching his back when this campaign really heats
up.”
And as the bad buzz continues, that is something to consider. By
any standard, the Senate race is still very much in its early
stages, and Santorum, according to campaign sources, has not fully
energized his organization.
