Good news from Capitol Hill
By krempasky Posted in Republicans — Comments (3) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
According to a source on Capitol Hill, Majority Whip Roy Blunt has warmed significantly to Operation Offset and huddled with a group of RSC members yesterday in support of pushing many of their proposals to reign in federal spending. While the Medicare Rx benefit and the highway earmarks appear to be off the table, much seems to be on.
Blunt ought to be encouraged and praised for being the first member of Leadership to admit tacitly that his team screwed up by attacking the RSC and to commit seriously to finding specific offsets.
Unfortunately, as powerful as he is, Blunt can’t get it done alone, and the American people have yet to get a sense for whether the President, the Speaker, and the rest of the Congressional Leaders are truly committed to the enterprise or merely going through the motions to escape the bad headlines (i.e. will the Speaker keep a future vote open for three hours until 218 votes finally materialize like he did on Medicare). Hat tip to Mr. Blunt for at least being willing to press the case for trying to his Leadership brethren.
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Good news from Capitol Hill 3 Comments (0 topical, 3 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
...that his bumper sticker is coming OFF OF MY CAR and I will refuse to lift a finger for his re-election (he's my adopted Congressman since as an Inner-Looper Houstonian I live in Sheila Jackson Lee's district) until he starts backing the RSC.
I'm especially peeved that he was the main Congressional thrust behind Medicare Rx, so actively backing the repeal of all the RSC's recommended spending cuts except those for highways AT LEAST AS AGGRESSIVELY AS HE PUSHED FOR MEDICARE RX is the least he can do not only to pay for Katrina...but to pay for Medicare Rx!!!!
Until then, "screw you" Tom DeLay.
If Congressman DeLay gets indicted for conspiracy down in Texas, he will have to step down as Majority Leader. The Republican rump group of House members properly (in my view) demanding offsets for hurricane relief spending will be in a great position to vote as a bloc and determine who the next Republican number two in the House is. So Congressman Blunt, who would definitely be a candidate if not the odds on favorite to replace DeLay, is undoubtedly making as much of a political calculation here as a policy one in warming up to folks like Congressmen Spence and Flake.
It looks like Mr. Blunt is thinking that there might be a leadership opening any day now, and the RSC group would be good allies to have.