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http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=washingtonstory&sid=alBW7lVQYvlw

Boehner Ridicules Senate Republicans as Party Tensions Rise

By Laura Litvan

May 12 (Bloomberg) -- House Majority Leader John Boehner dismisses recent
legislative proposals on energy, immigration and spending as ``stupid,''
``insulting'' and ``dead on arrival.''

Boehner's scorn isn't directed at his usual target, the Democrats: The
proposals drawing the Ohio Republican's contempt come from members of his
own party in the Senate.

The harsh words reflect growing tension between House and Senate
Republicans, a divide that may complicate efforts to strike compromises on
legislation and retain the party's control of the House in the November
elections.

``The majority in the Senate is out of step with Republican voters on
spending and immigration,'' said Representative Mike Pence of Indiana, who
leads a group of more than 100 House Republicans called the Republican
Study Committee. ``But the House majority may pay the price.''

Senator Trent Lott, a Mississippi Republican, said the harsh rhetoric risks
damaging party members in both chambers.

``I don't think it's constructive,'' said Lott, a former House member who
says he often counsels House leaders. ``I've pleaded with the House, let's
not be shooting shots back and forth at each other within our own party,
because anything that hurts us, hurts them in the end.''

While there's always some institutional tension between the House and
Senate, the friction is more intense than usual, said Mark Rozell, a
professor of public policy at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.
It reflects concerns about the consequences of low party approval ratings,
the Iraq war and persistent budget deficits, he said.

A Frustrated Party

``We have a frustrated Republican Party right now that is at odds with
itself,'' said Rozell. ``The House members are much more worried about
losing control of their chamber than the Senate.'' Democrats need a net
gain of 15 seats in the House, and six in the Senate, to gain control.

Public opinion polls continue to show a slide in approval ratings for
Republicans in Congress in advance of the elections, in which all 435 House
seats and one-third of the Senate's 100 seats will be at stake. A Gallup
Poll released yesterday found that 48 percent of those surveyed had a
favorable opinion of the Democratic Party, while 36 percent viewed
Republicans favorably.

Rozell said another source of division is that House Republicans are
focused entirely on this year's elections, while as many as five Republican
senators, including Majority Leader Bill Frist, are looking past November
to possible presidential runs in 2008. ``One cannot discount national
ambitions of any senators,'' Rozell said.

`Focused on 2006'

Frist spokeswoman Amy Call said the Tennessee Republican is ``100 percent
focused on 2006'' and has advanced an election-year agenda that includes
proposals on health care and energy.

Boehner, 56, told reporters this week that he is confident differences
between the two chambers can be ironed out.

``You have got two different institutions, two different rhythms,'' he
said. ``And while there are always going to be some differences, if you
look at House and Senate Republicans, you will see us agreeing on many of
the same principles.''

Boehner was less conciliatory when Frist proposed giving Americans a $100
rebate to offset soaring gasoline prices on April 27. Frist was forced to
withdraw the proposal within days in the face of widespread criticism.
Boehner was one of the sharpest critics, calling it ``insulting'' to
consumers, and ``stupid.''

Representative Jeff Flake, an Arizona Republican, said the rebate idea made
the party look ``desperate.''

Bad Ideas

``When you get elections like this, and the party is doing so poorly and
Republicans are doing poorly with the base and everybody, you're going to
find people speaking more freely about bad ideas,'' Flake said.

Call said Frist continues to press ahead with other components of an
eight-point energy proposal that Republicans in both chambers can agree on,
including plans to increase domestic oil production and improve
conservation.

Some Republicans are more concerned about the war spending legislation. The
Senate approved, 77-21, a $109 billion measure funding operations in Iraq
and Afghanistan in the face of President George W. Bush's threat to veto
any legislation exceeding $94.5 billion. House Republicans pushed through a
$92 billion measure and are insisting that the Senate drop special projects
from its version that were ``earmarked'' for home states.

House Speaker Dennis Hastert of Illinois and Boehner called the much larger
Senate version ``dead on arrival'' in the House.

Frustrated With the Senate

``I'm very frustrated with the Senate,'' said Representative Phil Gingrey,
a Georgia Republican. The size of the Senate bill, he said, ``goes beyond
throwing something on a wall and seeing if it will stick.''

On immigration, the House last year passed a measure designed to bolster
security at U.S. borders. The Senate is debating a more comprehensive
version that would create up to 400,000 guest-worker visas for unskilled
workers and provide a path to legal status for many of the estimated 11
million undocumented immigrants in the U.S.

Boehner told reporters late last month that it would be a ``big mistake''
for Congress to approve a bipartisan Senate compromise that would allow
illegal immigrants who have stayed in the U.S. more than five years an
opportunity to remain if they meet certain conditions. He said that would
amount to amnesty.

Anger at `Amnesty'

Representative Walter Jones, a North Carolina Republican and a member of a
96-member House Immigration Task Force that wants to crack down on illegal
immigration, said the notion of ``amnesty'' angers voters in many
Republican-held House districts. Jones said there will be strong opposition
to the Senate version if it reaches the House.

``The people in my district want us to secure our borders first,'' Jones
said.

Representative Joe Pitts, a Pennsylvania Republican, said Republican
infighting risks turning off voters. ``On so many issues, we're out of
step,'' Pitts said. ``We have some vulnerable people up for re-election. I
think there's a lot more sensitivity to the people on the ground and what
they're saying.''

Across the Capitol, Republican senators are trying to look on the bright
side. Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska said Boehner was ``trying to
demonstrate his leadership'' and ``represent the House position.''

Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas said members of his party should train
their fire on more traditional targets.

``I wish the rhetoric were lower, and I think you're going to start to see
that happen,'' Brownback said. ``Hopefully, we're past the stage of
shooting at each other and we're going to start shooting at the
opposition.'' 
[snip]


You know you're in trouble when "The Boner" speaks out.

[The conservative wing of the Republican Party, the most corrupt political
movement in the history of the republic and, like the fascist swine they
are, actively working to kill the America of The Founders.]
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