Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Split on the Right?
The right wing social agenda being pursued by Republicans in congress may be creating a rift between economic conservatives and social conservatives according to Washington Post staff writers Jonathan Weisman and Jeffrey H. Birnbaum.
One the other hand, the focus on Schiavo, judicial nominees, and stem cells may be a positive thing if only because it keeps Republicans from destroying Social Security and Medicare.
From Wall Street to Main Street, the small-government, pro-business mainstay of the Republican Party appears to be growing disaffected with a party it sees as focused on social issues at its expense.
"I'm inclined to support the Republican Party, but the question becomes, how much other stuff do I have to put up with to maintain that identification?" asked Andrew A. Samwick, a Dartmouth College economics professor who until recently was chief economist of Bush's Council of Economic Advisers.
"I don't know a single business group involved in the judicial nominees," said R. Bruce Josten, an executive vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. "Nada, none, zip."
One the other hand, the focus on Schiavo, judicial nominees, and stem cells may be a positive thing if only because it keeps Republicans from destroying Social Security and Medicare.
