Dems' 100-Hour Agenda Will Put Bush And Republicans On The Defensive

Pelosi readying a pre-emptive House agenda
Zachary Coile, San Francisco Chronicle
Wednesday, November 22, 2006

"House Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi made clear Tuesday she's not willing to cede the public spotlight to President Bush in the weeks before his State of the Union speech.

"Pelosi plans to start the 110th Congress with a bang on Jan. 4 - when the House holds its ceremonial swearing in and elects her as speaker - by immediately setting off on a sprint of several weeks to enact the Democrats' ambitious 100-hour agenda...

"Democratic leaders signaled this week they will break up their package of ethics reforms to allow separate debates and votes on proposals - Including a ban on gifts, meals and travel paid for by lobbyists - and earmark reforms to require lawmakers to own up to federal money they secure for pet projects. They also will push 'pay-as-you-go' budget rules requiring that any new spending be offset by cuts in other spending cuts or tax increases.

"The strategy would force Republicans to take tough votes on ethics measures that, in essence, are a rebuke to the way the House has conducted its business in recent years. GOP leaders may seek a party-line vote against the entire package, but members who just went through close races in which ethics was a big issue may be loathe to vote against the reforms..."

Read the rest here.