After spending the evening in SC, Allen has breakfast at the Mountainview resort tomorrow morning; later in the day, he attends the NH GOP's annual meeting at the Southegan Boys and Girls Club in Milford. That meeting will also feature the election of a new GOP state chair.
I thought George was planning to abandon Virginia right after being re-elected, but looks he's already moved on. Don't worry, George. Virginia can move on as well ... in November.
In related news, the N.H. Democrats have noticed a few things about this so-called "Reagan Republican."
In advance of Sen. George Allen's trip to NH Saturday, the New Hampshire Democratic Party is attacking the VA Senator for prestidigitation on his committment [sic] to budget reform. . . .ALLEN'S BUDGET BUSTING AND FISCAL IRRESPONSIBILTY WON'T FLY IN NEW HAMPSHIRE
"Every single earmark I've gotten, I'm proud of."
*** VIRGINIA NEWSPAPER SAID ALLEN'S SUPPORT FOR EARMARKS IS FISCALLY IRRESPONSIBLE. The Free Lance-Star argued that Senator George Allen is not the fiscally responsible politician that is needed to fill the White House in 2008, saying that Allen's "flight path to the Oval Office is aboard the common carrier Air Pork." Allen boasted, "Every single earmark I've gotten, I'm proud of." The Virginia newspaper asserted that "The explosion in earmarks--from 10 in 1982 to 6,300 in 2005--is doing its bit to feed a national debt of almost $8.4 trillion. Interest payments on the debt now soak up 17 percent of federal revenues. President Bush has never vetoed an earmark-laden spending bill. Whoever succeeds him should have a radically different outlook." [The Free Lance-Star, 3/23/06]
*** SOME SEE ALLEN'S FISCAL PROPOSALS AS "DISINGENUOUS"; Allen Voted to Raise Federal Debt Limit to $9 Trillion. Senator George Allen recently introduced legislation in the Senate that he hopes will help him appear to be a fiscally responsible lawmaker. Allen proposed a "paycheck penalty," presidential line-item veto and balanced-budget constitutional amendment in recent months. But Allen recently voted to increase the federal debt limit to $9 trillion and The Washington Times reported that some are calling Allen's proposals "disingenuous." [The Washington Times, 3/21/06]
*** ALLEN'S FISCAL PROPOSALS CALLED "SHOPWORN DELAYING TACTICS." Senator George Allen has called for a presidential line-item veto and a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution. One newspaper called the measures "Shopworn delaying tactics that let politicians avoid hard calls." And a budget analyst at Financial Dynamics Business Communications said Allen's bill would affect only a small part of U.S. spending. "You can come up with whatever process and procedures you want," the analyst added, "but unless there's will to actually reduce the deficit, none of them are going to work." But Allen voted against "pay-as-you-go policies, which force spending cuts before new programs can be funded. Pay-as-you-go helped usher in a balanced budget at the end of the 1990s." [Sun-Sentinel, 3/23/06; Richmond Times-Dispatch, 2/10/06; New York Times, 3/21/06]
*** ALLEN GETTING SOFT ON TAXES. "Senator George Allen, who opposed tax increases during the Virginia budget fight two years ago, refused to take a stand on transportation funding in the Virginia General Assembly" this year...This session, the Virginia Senate plan would raise taxes and fees about $1 billion a year." Allen refused to speak out against the tax hikes and remarked that "I am encouraged that all sides recognize we need more money for transportation." Only weeks ago, Allen praised the Democratic governor of Virginia on his tax increases, saying "It's probably one of his biggest successes." [Washington Post, 1/10/06; Richmond Times-Dispatch, 3/7/06; WHSV, 3/21/06]
*** VIRGINIA NEWSPAPER SAID ALLEN SHOULD "GIVE UP BEING CUTE" ABOUT HIS PRESIDENTIAL AMBITIONS. The Virginian-Pilot argued that Senator George Allen "should give up being coy or cute about his double ambition. There's no shame in wanting to keep a bird in the hand while taking aim at one in the bush." And, "Soon enough, Allen will have to limit most of his political focus to Virginia. While he's a solid front-runner for re-election, he's no shoo-in, given the echo he's been for President Bush." When asked, "Allen declined to give assurances that he will serve out his six-year term should he be re-elected to the Senate this fall. 'Virginians can be guaranteed that no matter what I'll be doing, I'll be fighting for common-sense, Jeffersonian conservative principles,' he said." [The Virginia Pilot, 3/7/06; The Virginian-Pilot, 3/23/06]
Wow - some great work by the N.H. Dems. I especially love that last paragraph where Allen replies to Virginia's concerns about him bailing in '07 with empty platitudes. Thanks, Senator, I'm glad that when you decide to leave us in the lurch, you'll be abandoning us in a common-sense way.
We'll be sure to bring all of these points up over and over and over ...