Angie Craig: “I have to respond to something that was in today's USA Today paper, September 8. I know the Presiding Officer is a…”

“I have to respond to something that was in today's USA Today paper, September 8. I know the Presiding Officer is a member of our leadership. Let me, for a few moments, tell you what he and I are going to expect in the final month of this Congress. I am quoting now an article about Senate minority leader Tom Daschle. It is reported here that they have a simple strategy; the Democrats have a simple strategy for winning the final negotiations over spending. In other words, they want to spend more of your money than we are proposing to be spent by some billions of dollars. Here is their strategy, and he admitted it: Stall until the Republicans have to cave in because they can't wait any longer to recess. That means shut the Congress down and get out on the campaign trail. Why? Well, because 18 of the 29 Senators seeking reelection are Republicans this year and 11 are Democrats, and there are a lot of vulnerable Republicans, according to Senator Daschle. He says, ``We only have one vulnerable Democrat, and he happens to be just across the river.'' I think he was probably referring to Senator Chuck Robb. Well, if that is the strategy of the Democrats, let me repeat it because that is what they have been doing for 3 long months: Stall, stall, stall. Yet they turn around and tell our friends in the press it is a ``do-nothing Congress.'' I don't see how the press can mix that one up as much as they have.”