European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 25, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Tuesday june 25, 1991 the stars and stripes Page 13 commentary Walter Mears a / a. A Bush s veto strategy plays defense and offence seeking Republican reinforcements president Bush complains that he s reduced to Quot playing defense in Congress. That Means vetoes. O t he list of democratic measures subject to veto threats is Long and getting longer part of a veto strategy the White i Louse tries to use As More than a last resort. Bush seeks to make the veto an offensive weapon too to seek Compromise demand concessions and try to get his own Way. With democrats dominant in Congress Bush said the other Day a we re asked to play sing from their music and in a not going to do a democratic senator complains that the administration is threatening to veto Bills that Haven t even been introduced yet. There a a Broad warning on a whole class of legislation Bush has said he will veto any measure that would ease restrictions on the use of Federal funds for abortion even abortion counselling. With republicans outnumbered in both the House and the Senate and with Only an outside Chance of gop gains to reverse Senate control during a second term Bush has Only the veto to Back most of his legislative demands. A was it is now. I m playing defense in the House i m playing defense in the he said at a Republican fund raising dinner in Milwaukee. Quot thank god we had 21 vetoes and every single one of them was sustained. We re got to keep bad things from happening and then get More people so we can make Good things happen in the in a Pep talk to Republican senators last month. Bush sketched in the other Side of the veto strategy saying a a it a the Only Way we can get decent Republican ideas through Congress. A when we re in a minority the Only Way we re going to get something done is to beat Down the bad idea before they give us a shot at a Good idea a he said urging gop senators to support him against override has threatened a second veto of the civil rights Bill he says would Lead to hiring quotas. And he has said he would also reject spending limits or Public financing in congressional campaigns a family leave Bill legislation to bar the hiring of permanent replacements for striking workers measures to make the Cable television Industry once again subject to Federal regulation defense spending cuts aimed at weapons the administration wants legislation to deny Trade preferences to China. And More. A the Only Domestic policy action that appeals to the president seems to be the veto a said sen. Howard m. Metzenbaum a Ohio. A the sleeps at night and dreams about the veto. He wakes up m the morning talking about the to make a veto stick Bush needs Only one vote More than one third in either the House or the Senate. To get his own Bills passed he needs More than half. Hence the veto strategy. It works Best for an administration with a limited set of legislative Aims. And that is the Case with Bush despite his claim that a we Are going to keep fighting for our Domestic desert storm for our Domestic Agenda Quot Bush and his lieutenants use vetoes and veto threats to Force their w a to the bargaining table on legislation. Ronald Reagan would hint but would t say whether he would sign or veto a Bill until it got to his desk. Bush not Only says what head veto he sometimes tells Congress in Advance what it could change in order to get his signature. That san opening for Compromise although it does t necessarily Lead anywhere. Bush said in Milwaukee that the democrats want things done their Way and he Isnit interested. Quot i Wasny to elected to do it their Way. 1 was elected to do it our Way. The sensible Way a he told his Republican audience. By the numbers. Bush s 21 vetoes so far compare with 78 Reagan vetoes nine of them overridden by Congress during two full terms. Which is nothing to compare with f Ranklin d. Roosevelt a 635, nine overrides. Or for that matter. Harry s. T Rumans 250, with 12 overrides most of them during his struggle with a Republican Congress he denounced As a do nothing Quot and made his target in the 1648 Campaign. Converted into gop terms that could be the Model for a Bush Campaign against democrats As a tired old characters. Who want to go Back and say a let the Federal government solve All our a a a a we re moving into a political Bush says. A we re hearing All kinds of weird voices out of the Pas David Brode democratic labor Alliance experiencing Strain the Alliance of organized labor and the democratic party a a one of the Cornerstones of american politics for 60 years a has come on hard times. Some democrats on Capitol Hill see the Union leadership As old and out of touch. Some labor leaders think the democrats Are ingrates and political chameleons. But like an unhappy couple they have so much invested in each other they cannot seriously contemplate divorce. Last week when the democrats celebrated John Olvert a narrow two Point Victory in a special election that ended almost 100 years of Republican control Over Western Massachusetts i first congressional District it was As much labor s win As anyone a. In a Campaign that spent a bit less than s500.000, organized labor s political action committees pics contributed Quot More than $125,000.&Quot along with phone Banks and direct mailings to members said John Perkins director of the Al Cio committee on political education Cope. William Rosen press spokesman for the new congressman was simply confirming the obvious when he said. We received a lot of support irom labor both financial and people on the Street. It was the key to our that is so a commonplace for democrats it is hardly news. But this example occurred just after the democratic leadership of the House and Senate had abandoned labor s top priority legislative Issue so far this year by helping pass the a fast track Quot authority that opens the Way for president Bush to negotiate a free Trade agreement Between the United states and Mexico. Labors pressure a and its arguments that the agreement would shift . Jobs to Low wage mexican factories a persuaded most democratic senators and representatives to oppose the measure. But with Many of the top democrats supporting the president. Bush got what he wanted a and labor got an embarrassing defeat. Among the defectors in the Senate were majority Leader George Mikhail Maine and such big shots As sen. Lloyd Bentsen Texas. Joseph Biden Del. Bill Bradley . Albert Gore or. Tenn Edward Kennedy a i . Bob Kerrey neb and Jay Rockefeller in the House speaker tons l Olev did not vote but three of his tour Washington state democratic colleague it opposed labors position. So did majority Leader Dick Gephardt to ways and Means committee c chairman d m Rostenkowski Iii a and even rep. Vic Lazio Cali the chairman of the democratic congressional committee. Which counts on labor to support its candidates. Leadership aides a privately that president Lane Kirkland and labor overplayed their hand that the movement toward a North american trading bloc has too much economic Louic and political momentum to derail but whatever the merits this roue and others live put the democratic Al or Alliance under heavy Strain. Liven though he pointed out m an interview that labor will have another shot when the negotiated mexican agreement mines Back to Capitol Hill Tor a Kirkland did not hide he a Merit that on a great i a be the it a beets live Hood and survival of or of the Democrat Ere eur u Leader he took a w a a. I he Only pro-pe.ov-. U m Delate who is sir my i e a s ter.-, i sen i Orn hark in of h i. i a a Lone a lint by Many but or support from the id d. Uriel important o primaries. But labor o pc r mom on of c r pro. i. I r Quot e t Al i. I. A r be in aug. 31. The will hold a Solidarity Day t to aiming to assemble More than 2 8 it x if i rank and file members in Washington to Call for a National health care plan and passage of legislation barring employers from permanently replacing striking workers with new employees. Kirkland is Well aware that although the striker replacement Bill is sponsored by almost Hall the members of the House some key democrats would like to delay a vote indefinitely because they think it too. Is a frill on which labor is at Odds with broader Public sentiment. A we re not m any Way Kirkland Aid of his attitude toward the democratic Leader trip. But he also warned i Fie vagueness of t he democratic me age Cau a Quot More and More t it one o m if it really it who m o elected. It rth. R and say that Isa i i National lev a. Working Famis. Makes a diff Cryn would go a it k p w he Thuv Are to a Kirkland i the d Eilio crafts need a candidate a x a ii Aii like the Barlev. Ona hat lie important to the traditional f i e. 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