Word: gop
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American politics played one of its usual tricks this week. A veteran Republican politician, Lamar Alexander, announced his candidacy for the presidency on Tuesday and nobody noticed. A never-elected former GOP Cabinet official, Elizabeth Dole, announced the formation of an exploratory committee on Wednesday and became the subject of instant headlines. "This is one of those remarkable things," says TIME Washington correspondent Jay Carney. "Even with less of a record than George W. Bush, Dole is doing well in the polls...
Elizabeth Dole, of course, is the beneficiary of a famous name and of America's passion with gender politics. "The GOP would like nothing better than to be the first party to put a woman in the presidency -- or vice presidency," says Carney. But therein lies a problem for the party. Though Dole really wants to be president, she is currently in solid second place behind Bush and could eventually be amenable to the second spot on the ticket. Both Bush and Dole are moderates, though. "If it begins to look as if establishment candidates have a solid lock...
...polite window dressing? No, says Carney: The Republicans came to the session with ?a level of honesty because they have only a slim majority in the new Congress.? GOP leaders know they are in no position to take bold steps and that they cannot afford to get into a major confrontation with the President or his party at this time. For the Democrats at the session, the major objective was to take measure of new House Speaker Dennis Hastert. By all accounts, says Carney, the impression he made was one of ?graciousness and non-confrontation.? Both sides seemed to come...
...Republican problem is more direct. "The GOP simply has to change the perception that it's the impeachment party," says Dickerson. That unpopular image is a much harder noose to slip out of, and one that will take all the political talent that GOP leaders can muster. "The Republican party," says Dickerson, "needs to quickly hammer out a post-impeachment agenda and start lining up achievements in Congress." Policy activism, however, is also the strategy that the Democrats need to pursue. That battle could make for yet another nasty partisan fight. So what else...
...Republicans will not have as tranquil a primary season as the Democrats. But by putting the full ideological spectrum of their party before the voters and letting them decide what direction the GOP. should take, the Republicans are making the right move...