Word: lameduck
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Washington's ability to influence the Salvadorans has been hampered by the Carter Administration's lameduck status. Rightists throughout Latin America apparently expect the incoming Reagan government to reverse Carter's human rights policy and aid their fight against leftist rebels. Signals from the Reagan camp have done little to discourage such hopes. A Reagan transition team report, leaked to the press two weeks ago, named White as one of several U.S. envoys who would be replaced because they had acted improperly as "social reformers...
...Carter's most pressing problems, ones that could not wait for the change in Administrations, were matters of foreign policy. Both Carter and Reagan are deeply concerned about the hazards of "lameduck diplomacy"-that nations abroad might try to exploit the long transition between Administrations on the assumption that Washington would be too distracted and irresolute to respond...
...that have been done in the name of civil rights and desegregation," said Reagan. "I happen to believe, however, that busing has been a failure." The measure, proposed as a rider to an appropriations bill for the Departments of State, Justice and Commerce, was a significant action by the lameduck Congress. Supported by such conservative Republicans as South Carolina's Strom Thurmond, who will become Judiciary Committee chairman in January, and Jesse Helms of North Carolina, the bill passed by a vote of 51 to 35. Says Helms: "The vast majority of people of all races are sick...
Meanwhile, there were political games aplenty being played last week by both parties in the lameduck Congress. Senate Majority Leader Robert Byrd wanted Congress to complete action on a $39 billion package of tax cuts that was pending. So did Republican Dole, who will soon chair the Finance Committee, and Reagan signaled his approval. But Carter threatened to veto any such bill. That effectively killed the legislation and left Reagan free to start anew with his own tax cut ideas in January...
...lameduck session ending on Dec. 5 was expected to pass no major new programs, although it did push through a bill long wanted by Carter to protect 104.3 million acres of land in Alaska from development. Said Laxalt of the session: "We'd like to hold it in tight and get the hell out of here...