Democratic Candidates Assail Bills

Energy, Medicare Deals Loom Large

Tuesday, November 18, 2003; Page A01

Democratic presidential candidates lined up yesterday in opposition to Republican deals on energy and Medicare -- legislation that if passed would give President Bush two key political victories one year before the election.

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The candidates are coming together so quickly because they say the bills are bad policy. But some see a political benefit, too -- Bush is on the verge of taking away two more political issues and putting Democrats in the unenviable political position of playing defense on energy costs and prescription drug costs, two key areas of great concern for voters.

If the bills are passed and signed into law, Republicans and some Democrats predict Bush will probably get a political boost that could resonate through the 2004 elections. Along with Bush's tax cuts, education overhaul and defense policies, Republicans also could claim they are delivering tangible results to Americans by controlling the White House and Congress.

Piece by piece, Bush and the Republican Congress are trying to take domestic issues off the table before the 2004 elections fire up early next year. Because they control the White House, Senate and House for only the second time in half a century, Republicans anticipate that the elections will be a referendum on their performance, which will be measured in large part by their ability to break through the partisan gridlock that has come to define Washington in recent years. The Medicare and energy bills had been bottled up in private negotiations for months.

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54358-2003Nov17.html

Bush is on the verge of taking away two more political issues and putting Democrats in the unenviable political position of playing defense on energy costs and prescription drug costs, two key areas of great concern for voters.

Of course they are going to do this. Expectet it. COUNT on it. But there is a responce. Simplay read out the contents of the bill and its implications, and let the public decided if you are stone-walling or pointing out the flaws of the bill. And the biggest evil in the energey bill are the bail outs for the poluters, as well as the tax brakes going to energey conglomerits.

Also point out that the Dems didn't have a say in the crafting of the bill. The Dems were "locked out" of the debate.

Stay focused on the facts at hand. Just like they did with the "Whinning marathon." The Dems are learning how to use the power of the people. But will it be enugh.

This is legislation in name only. The real result will be the sacking of the treasury and a give away to the already wealthy.

Our main problem is that the right controls the message.

People better wake up or by 2008 their quality of life will be zero!

on the baby boomers, supposedly a large voting block. Since we know many of the ditto heads voting repug are not rich, this is an issue that SHOULD concern them. If this doesn't wake up the people, then we are going to be looking forward to a lot of old, poor, medicine-less baby boomers. Probably the height of irony that we thought we'd change the world for the better and this is how we end up.