Word: congressmen
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...chairman muses that superpluses are "dangerously large") and then fantasy-land (where a tax cut passed in May can save the economy in March), the debate over George W. Bush's $1.6 trillion tax-cut plan is at last moving back onto familiar territory. Democratic and Republican congressmen crowding around microphones, arguing about what the federal goverment ought to do with its extra cash, and how big it ought to be after spreading it around...
Even George W. Bush seemed surprised at how hot tax-cut fever was getting. At a White House meeting last week with congressmen from the Ways and Means Committee, Bush marveled that while he had proposed a $1.3 trillion tax cut on the campaign trail, "Now, all of a sudden, people are throwing out $1.6 trillion. Everything in Washington seems to grow." Massachusetts representative Richard Neal leaned over to him. "So, Mr. President," he asked, "what is the real number?" "$1.8 trillion!" Bush shouted, then said he was only joking. But the congressmen weren't. From the back...
...hogs can be hard to control. Bush summoned CEOs to the White House last week and warned that he would fight any move toward business-tax breaks. "We should focus on people first, not corporations," he said. He delivered an even blunter message to congressmen at the White House Thursday night: "I'm not going to let the tax plan get pencil-whipped." Brave words, but few in Washington believe them. Corporations gave $134 million in soft money to the Republicans to get Bush elected. Their chiefs expect more than White House cuff links in return...
...DEMS: Federal spending increases $35 billion over five years. Aid is tightly targeted to the neediest schools, which pleases liberals but could turn off congressmen looking to court middle-class constituents...
...Overall, the prospects for the McCain cause are a little brighter this time around. Congressmen on both sides of the aisle are polling the folks at home and finding that they remember their spring fling with the "Straight Talk Express," and that the 2000 election only reminded them how much the system can make them wince. And there's always the selfish side - all those rubber-chicken fund-raisers can really wear a lawmaker out, and some of them would actually rather be in Washington making better laws...