GOP Up the Creek without a Paddle

Are Republicans in a free-fall? The President's poll numbers are taking a continued nose-dive and the House and Senate GOP are in disarray. Want some proof? Here you go House Democrats Defeat Spending Bill.

In a bruising black eye for the House GOP, they can't get a spending bill passed.

Legislation to fund many of the nation's health, education and social programs went down to a startling defeat in the House Thursday, led by Democrats who said cuts in the bill hurt some of America's neediest people.

The 224-209 vote against the $142.5 billion spending bill disrupted plans by Republican leaders to finish up work on this year's spending bills and cast doubt on whether they would have the votes to pass a major budget-cutting bill also on the day's agenda.

Democrats, unanimous in opposing the legislation, said it included the first cut in education funding in a decade and slashed spending for several health care programs. "It betrays our nation's values and its future," said House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland. "It is neither compassionate, conservative nor wise."

Republicans said they may have lost votes because this year's bill, down $1.5 billion from last year, included no special projects or earmarks for lawmakers. "You take those out and you lose the incentive," said Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., who voted for the bill.

Twenty-two Republicans voted against the measure, many of them moderates who also are swing votes on the budget-cutting legislation.

The House GOP, which has long ignored the please of moderate Republicans are getting a lesson in coalition buildiing at the hands of the Dems and the moderate Republicans. Some House Republicans, according to Roll Call are calling for a leadership election in January. The primary impetus, at least publicly, has to do with the "Acting Majority Leader" status of Roy Blunt (MO). But after today's defeat, the GOP has to be thinking--"maybe we need new leadership across the board."

For months I have been saying that Democrats lacked a message and lacked cohesion within their ranks. I think the past several weeks have shown that theory to be trashed. At this point, the GOP is reeling from a lack of direction, a lack of discipline and a lack of message. While the President and the White House have gotten on their horse and started to beat back the Democratic message, the President still cannot break out of his slump.

Ever since Harry Reid's Secret Senate Session Stunt, the Democrats have run the table and controlled the message. President Bush and the GOP are answering the Democratic criticism-sure--but that answer is "they are being unfair and they are lying." Here is a news flash, Americans expect politicians to flip-flop and lie, we have come to expect it as the norm. The GOP needs to hone their message onto something else. A unified message on the economy, on success in Iraq, on anything other than "Bush Lied" and troop withdrawal.