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Just Saying No

The Democratic mantra.

May 9, 2005, Vol. 10, No. 32 • By FRED BARNES
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DAVID BRODER, THE POLITICAL columnist for the Washington Post, wrote last week that President Bush "has become the victim of overreach." Former vice president Al Gore has said Bush and congressional Republicans have a different problem, their "lust for power." Both are wrong. Bush's biggest problem--indeed the striking feature of his second term--is the Democrats' lust for obstruction.

They have answered Bush's plans for Social Security reform, his judicial nominations, and even his choice of John Bolton to become United Nations ambassador with lockstep opposition. "There is still potential for the ice to break," a White House official says. And President Bush tried at his press conference last week to peel off Democrats or at least force party leaders to negotiate on Social Security. He made a strong case for creating personal investment accounts financed by payroll taxes. But Democrats weren't persuaded. The response of Democratic congressional leaders was a reflexive "no."

After the defeat last fall of Tom Daschle, the obstructionist Senate minority leader, Democrats briefly feared blanket opposition to Bush's initiatives might produce a political backlash. That fear is now gone. Rather than feel any pressure to cooperate with the White House, Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill are the ones exerting pressure. They put the squeeze on waverers to hold the line against Bush.

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