Republicans need re-branding
As Congressional Republicans try to “rebrand” themselves for the 2008 elections, the House Suburban Caucus is back with proposals designed to protect some of the most vulnerable GOP members.
The agenda includes establishment of federal “401 Kids” tax-deferred accounts for children, a requirement that school and library computers filter out Internet predators and permission for teachers to search school lockers and backpacks for guns.
Other proposals include a federal requirement that importers disclose potential contaminants in food brought into the United States and federal deadlines for doctors and hospitals to establish electronic medical records and prescribe medicines online.
The co-chairmen of the 70-member Suburban Caucus, Reps. Mark Kirk (Illinois), a moderate, and Pete Sessions (Texas), a conservative, are scheduled to present the agenda — and polling data backing it up — at the House GOP retreat beginning today in West Virginia.
House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, has been talking for more than a year about the need for Republicans to “rebrand” themselves or remain in the minority.
The main item on his agenda appears to be reform of the earmark system whose abuse led to scandals that helped hand control of Congress to the Democrats in 2006.
At the moment, polls indicate that the GOP is far from any hope of regaining control of the House. The Real Clear Politics average of generic congressional polls indicates that voters prefer Democrats by a 7.6-point margin.
Both House and Senate Republicans — and President Bush, too — plan to make “health insurance for every American” a major item on their policy agenda in an effort to catch up to Democratic presidential candidates. However, Republicans will emphasize tax credits to enable families to buy private insurance rather than “government-run” insurance programs or mandates of the type called for by Democrats.
It’s a disputed issue among Republicans whether to make the credits refundable and available to lower-income people who don’t pay income taxes. The White House was prepared to accept that idea last year, but it was torpedoed in Congress by conservative antitax groups.
Senate Republicans recently held a one-day policy retreat and unveiled proposals that leaders said would attract bipartisan support, including a task force recommended by Sens. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., and Kent Conrad, D-N.D., to address entitlement reform.
Another proposal, backed by Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., and Conrad, would permit employers to require that their workers speak English on the job. Alexander, the No. 3 Senate GOP leader, said in an interview that, “People want results. And that necessitates bipartisanship because it takes 60 votes to pass anything in the Senate.”
With the economy emerging as the No. 1 issue on the minds of voters, both House and Senate Republicans will back a stimulus package that emphasizes accelerated depreciation for U.S. businesses and tax rebates. The White House has indicated it will compromise with Democrats to include making payments to persons who pay no income taxes.
At a panel discussion held by House GOP moderates on Wednesday, Rep. Phil English (Pennsylvania), a member of the Ways and Means Committee, said the stimulus should be even larger than the $150 billion proposed by Bush — at least $200 billion, he said.
A poll commissioned by Kirk and Sessions’ Suburban Caucus indicated that Republicans and independents overwhelmingly approve of cutting corporate tax rates and extending Bush’s 2001 tax cuts. Democratic polls dispute those findings, however.
The poll, conducted by McLaughlin & Associates, showed whopping support across party lines for all the items on the suburban agenda — which Kirk said would help convince fellow Republicans to embrace it.
The poll was conducted in 10 suburban districts, from California to Connecticut, where Republicans have targets on their backs. They need new ideas and for their party to be rebranded.
Morton Kondracke is executive editor of Roll Call, the newspaper of Capitol Hill.