Republicans Playing the Terror Game

Republicans Press Terrorism, Taxes to Reverse Slide


By James Rowley and Ryan J. Donmoyer

Sept. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Republicans seeking to stem an erosion of political support threatening their control of Congress will use votes this month to try to paint Democrats as soft on terrorism and eager to raise taxes.

Topping the agenda is legislation authorizing President George W. Bush's secret eavesdropping on suspected terrorists without court warrants. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee also may seek a vote to permanently reduce taxes on multimillion-dollar estates.

The Senate returned from a monthlong recess today and the House will reconvene tomorrow, as polls suggest that Democrats are poised to gain seats and possibly seize majorities in the Nov. 7 elections. The Democrats would need net gains of 15 seats to control the 435-member House, where everyone is up for re- election, and six seats in the 100-member Senate, where a third of the members are up.

Republicans will ``position the Democrats as weak on the war on terror,'' said Greg Mueller, a party strategist who worked in the presidential campaigns of Pat Buchanan and Steve Forbes. The agenda also will let party lawmakers ``talk about what the Democrats want to do if they take back the House and Senate that they won't tell you: higher taxes.''

Lawmakers have a large agenda for what will likely be fewer than 20 working days before they leave again to campaign for the elections. John Bolton's nomination as United Nations ambassador, a proposal to open areas off U.S. coasts to oil and natural-gas drilling, an overhaul of immigration policy and revisions to lobbying rules are among the pending issues.

`Cynical Attempt'

Partisan attacks began as soon as Democrats and Republicans returned to Capitol Hill. House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland called the Republican plan to focus on terrorism this month ``an openly cynical attempt to use our nation's security in a political gamble to save their congressional majority.''

``They believe they can scare the American people into continuing to support their disastrous policies,'' Hoyer told reporters at a news conference.

Democrats said they would push for a vote on a Senate resolution calling for the replacement of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other civilian leaders of the U.S. military.

Frist called the resolution on Rumsfeld ``a pure political game'' by Democrats, conducted as Republicans are ``making sure our government and our representatives have the tools to fight this war on terror.''

Bush's Terrorism Policies

Opinion polls show a majority of American voters approve of Bush's anti-terrorism efforts, even as they are moving toward the Democrats in November. A Pew Research Center poll conducted Aug. 9-13 found that 50 percent of those surveyed would vote for a Democratic congressional candidate while 41 percent would vote for a Republican. The same poll found that 57 percent are concerned that if Democrats gain control of Congress they might weaken government efforts to prevent a repeat of the 2001 attacks.

Terrorism is ``the one issue on which the Republicans continue to have an advantage,'' said David Rohde, a political scientist at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. ``It's just the most natural'' strategy, because ``they don't have many good options.''

Senator Charles Schumer of New York, who leads the Democrats' effort to retake the Senate, said Republican reliance on the ``old chestnuts'' -- such as painting his party as soft on national security -- won't work this year. That strategy was successful in 2004 when ``Americans were basically content'' with Bush's foreign policy, he said.

`A Change of Feeling'

Voters have now had a ``change of feeling'' about the Iraq war, and ``the American people are no longer content with what we are doing with homeland security,'' Schumer told reporters on Aug. 29.

Democrats have argued that the Congress shouldn't take steps to legalize the National Security Agency effort to intercept international long-distance calls between suspected al-Qaeda operatives and their associates in the U.S. until Bush provides lawmakers with more information about it.

The surveillance legislation, negotiated by Bush and Senator Arlen Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican who chairs the Judiciary Committee, would provide for review by a secret intelligence court of the program's legality.

The measure wouldn't require individual warrants and would allow the president to continue surveillance even if the secret court objects.

In an appearance on the Fox News Sunday program Sept. 3, Specter said he thought ``we have a pretty good chance'' of passing the legislation, while adding: ``It's a matter of getting it out of committee, and so far the debate has been very, very extended.''

Handling the War

Continued Senate debate on a $466 billion defense spending measure will give Democrats an opportunity to discuss Bush's handling of the war.

In addition to the surveillance measure, Frist plans to bring up proposals for trying suspected terrorists in military detention. Legislation is needed to reconstitute military tribunals to try such suspects after the Supreme Court found the Bush administration's process lacked the necessary legal authority.

Democrats should tread carefully, because ``government actions haven't reached the point of public outcry,'' said Michael Dimock, associate director of the Washington-based Pew Center. ``More people tell us they are worried that the government hasn't yet done enough to protect us against terrorism than worry that the government has gone too far,'' he said.

Estate Tax

Frist also is looking for an opportunity for the Senate to reconsider permanently reducing taxes on all but the largest estates. ``The senator wants to see a permanent fix for the unfair tax,'' said Carolyn Weyforth, Frist's spokeswoman.

In August, he attached the proposal to legislation that would provide the first increase in the minimum wage since 1997 and renew $38 billion in tax cuts that enjoy support in both parties. The tax cuts include a deduction for college-tuition payments and a research credit for businesses.

The so-called trifecta measure fell four votes short of the 60 needed to allow consideration. Most Democrats opposed it, saying they shouldn't be forced to give a tax cut for large estates to boost wages for the working poor.

Supporters argue estate-tax relief is needed to enable family farms and small businesses to be passed from one generation to the next.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, an Iowa Republican, said in an interview that ``without a doubt'' there will be another vote on the estate tax before the election. He said he was trying to reformulate the measure to attract more Democratic support.

Phase-Out

The temporary phase-out in federal estate taxes, enacted by Congress in 2001, is set to expire in 2011. For this year, individual estates valued at more than $2 million are taxed at a top rate of 46 percent. By 2009, estates valued at less than $3.5 million will be exempt. In 2010, the levy will be completely repealed. Unless Congress extends the cuts beyond that year, the tax will be reimposed in 2011, with a top rate of 55 percent on estates worth more than $1 million.

Schumer said continuing to hold the tuition deduction hostage to the estate-tax cut won't work with voters. Republicans ``have refused to renew'' the tuition deduction, which, along with health insurance, job security and retirement security are ``meat and potato issues'' for Democratic voters, he said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Ryan J. Donmoyer in Washington at rdonmoyer@bloomberg.net ; James Rowley in Washington at jarowley@bloomberg.net .

Last Updated: September 5, 2006 15:23 EDT