WP,pg1: On Capitol Hill, A Flurry of GOP Victories

[DeepModem Mom]

On Capitol Hill, A Flurry of GOP Victories
Key Measures Advance After Long Delays

By Charles Babington and Justin Blum
Washington Post Staff Writers
Saturday, July 30, 2005; Page A01


After years of partisan impasses and legislative failures, Congress in a matter of hours yesterday passed or advanced three far-reaching bills that will allocate billions of dollars and set new policies for guns, roads and energy.

The measures sent to President Bush for his signature will grant $14.5 billion in tax breaks for energy-related matters and devote $286 billion to transportation programs, including 6,000 local projects, often called "pork barrel" spending. The Senate also passed a bill to protect firearms manufacturers and dealers from various lawsuits. The House is poised to pass it this fall.

Combined with the Central American Free Trade Agreement that Congress approved Thursday, the measures constitute significant victories for Bush and GOP congressional leaders, who have been frustrated by Democrats in some areas such as Social Security. As senators cast vote after vote in order to start their August recess, Bush applauded Congress, saying the energy bill "will help secure our energy future and reduce our dependence on foreign sources of energy."

Capping a long day of debates and roll calls, the Senate scheduled hearings for Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts Jr. to begin Sept. 6, and voted to reauthorize portions of the USA Patriot Act, granting sweeping new powers to authorities to combat terrorism, although the chamber remains at odds with the House....

***

Lawmakers cited several factors for the breakthrough in the long-awaited bills, including high gasoline prices and a greater GOP willingness to include Democrats in the early drafting, especially of the energy bill. But some attributed it mainly to Bush's reelection and the Republicans' continued control of both legislative chambers, giving Democrats little choice but to join GOP efforts or have no say in how bills are shaped....


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/29/AR2005072901942.html

[rfranklin]

1. Reminds of the riots in 1968 with mass looting of the stores...

Instead of television sets, the Republicans are carting away our jobs, our pensions, our health care and benefits, leaving only the burnt our shell of the American Dream.

[BlueWolff]

2. GREAT analogy

[DeepModem Mom]

5. What BlueWolff said! nt

[DBoon]

9. I remember a Doonesbury cartoon about the LA 1992 riots

National guardsman is remarking on a vacant shell of a building, and asking why the rioters wanted to destroy it.

Said his commander,"Oh that was a savings and loan. It was looted years ago"

[annabanana]

3. hurray for the DLC. . . . . . . .n/t

[ananda]

4. one party state..

.. the business party of the corporofascists.

The will of the people and poll numbers make no difference whatsoever.

Sue

[agincourt]

6. Rigged elections,

and/or elections determined by skull-fuck knuckle dragging propaganda, take their toll on democracy.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

7. wow..bush is toast

[electricray]

8. To me this looks like a last desperate grasp

I think the selfish pigs finally realize that this is their last term. They know there is no escaping this and rather than try to get out with some sort of human decency they are grabbing as much as they can and creating such a big mess that when they lose, the people cleaning up the mess will have no choice but to look bad. This nation is heading toward civil war.

[geomon666]

10. I'm so damn tired of this already.

This isn't just rolling over, this is licking the master's feet with pride.

And this being their last gasp...there's nothing left to take! They've taken everything now.

[Kagemusha]

11. Uh, that transportation bill is not a Bush victory.

It is a victory against Bush by Congress which would not compromise on spending on transportation which Bush strongly discouraged with veto threats and other lobbying. But, he caved anyway, and in reply, he has several other "victories".

[wildcat78]

12. I'm so damned tired of this shit

My only hope I have is my Representative us Sherrod Brown, a damn good guy. DeWine is up for reelection next year and I don't think the Ohio Dems have put up someone to run against him. This damn coingate is unbelievable. The fuckin' Repuks in Columbus cut taxes by 21% then cut all local school funding. All they care about is helping big business make even more money and at the expense of the public.

It's so damn depressing.

[Writer]

13. Like... they have a majority in both houses...

DUH!

[Straight Shooter]

14. Victory is too noble a word. How about "wins through savage arm-twisting"

Reduce our dependence on foreign sources of energy? Hey, bush and all you stinking conservatives, why don't you try conserving for once?