Below are some Republican generated myths, and the facts that go along
with them. What really amazes me, is the right wingers who are SO
blinded that they suck all of this in as truth.






Putting the Lie to Republican Myths About Democratic




Since taking over the leadership of the Senate last year, Democrats
have made a difference for all our families by passing important,
common-sense legislation in a wide variety of policy areas while
serving as a check against a Republican hard right agenda that does
not reflect the values of most Americans. (For a list of Democratic
accomplishments during the 107th Congress, see the DPC Special Report,
"Senate Accomplishments Under Democratic Leadership," pp. 1-18,
October 21, 2002.)

In a case of the proverbial pot calling the kettle black, Republicans
have implemented a strategy of blaming Senate Democrats for blocking
the very legislation they prevented from becoming law. This DPC
Special Report compares these Republican claims, as made in a recent
Republican Policy Committee report, "A Litany of Failures on Daschle's
Doorstep" (October 1, 2002), with the facts.

Homeland Security Bill

REPUBLICAN MYTH: "The Senate is currently at a standstill - after a
month of virtually no progress and a Democrat-led (sic) filibuster -
on the Homeland Security bill."

FACT: After Senate Democrats announced their support for a Department
of Homeland Security more than one year ago - on October 11, 2001 -
the Bush Administration continued to oppose the idea for eight months,
even refusing to allow the Director of the Office of Homeland
Security, Tom Ridge, to testify before Congress.

In the meantime, Senate Republicans voted in committee against
legislation establishing the Department. After the Administration
changed its position on the issue and H.R. 5005, the Homeland Security
Act of 2002, came to the floor in September 2002, Senate Republicans
filibustered the bill for weeks in an attempt to strip away workers'
civil service and collective bargaining protections. Republicans voted
three times against ending their filibuster on the bill and two more
times against ending their filibuster on their own version of the
bill.

Defense Appropriations

REPUBLICAN MYTH: "The defense [appropriations] bill languishes in
conference, even as the Senate is poised to consider a resolution
authorizing the use of force against Iraq."

FACT: On October 16, 2002, the Senate passed the conference report to
the defense appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2003, which provides
$355.1 billion to pay for ongoing military activities, an increase of
$34.1 billion, or nearly ten percent, over last year. And on October
11, 2002, the Senate approved the $10.5 billion conference report to
the military-construction appropriations bill to pay for military
bases and military family housing. The Senate-passed
military-appropriations conference report exceeded the
Administration's request by $835 million.

The Budget

REPUBLICAN MYTH: "For the first time since the passage of the Budget
Act of 1974, the Senate has failed to adopt a budget resolution...
This failure has had a domino effect - no budget has meant the
appropriations process got off to a late and difficult start. It has
meant there would be no effort to control spending and bring the
growing deficit under control."

FACT: It is true that the Senate did not pass a budget resolution this
year. However, that had nothing to do with delaying the appropriations
process. House Republicans delayed the process themselves. They waited
until June 27 to pass an appropriations bill, although House Rules
permit bills to be considered after May 15 if there is no budget
resolution conference report by that date. Further, the House
Appropriations Committee only completed work on six of the 13
individual appropriations bills by the August recess while the Senate
Appropriations Committee completed work on all 13 bills.

The Senate Appropriations Committee complied with the spending limits
set in the budget resolution reported by the Senate Budget Committee.
Further, Senate Democrats - and some Republicans - sought to pass a
resolution to extend budget enforcement rules and set spending limits,
a resolution that effectively endorsed the assumptions of the Senate
budget resolution. While that effort had the support of 59 Senators,
Bush Administration and Senate Republican opposition blocked those
spending limits. Ultimately, the resolution did pass but only after
the spending limits were removed at Republican insistence.

Appropriations Bills

REPUBLICAN MYTH: "With fiscal year 2002 now in the past, not one of
the 13 appropriations bills for the new fiscal year has been sent to
the President. This is a direct result of the Senate's failure to pass
a budget."

FACT: The Senate Appropriations Committee completed work on all 13
bills by the August recess, for the first time since 1994, when
Democrats last controlled the Senate. However, the Senate customarily
does not consider an appropriations bill until it passes the House of
Representatives. No appropriations bills were sent to the President
before October 1 - the start of the new fiscal year - because the
House was unable to pass appropriations bills that met the House's own
unrealistic budget assumptions. The Senate Appropriations Committee
complied with the targets in the budget resolution reported by the
Senate Budget Committee. Senate action on the budget resolution would
have had no impact on the House's inability to pass appropriations
legislation.

In his October 1, 2002 column, NationalJournal.com's budget expert
Stan Collender characterized the Republican leadership argument that
the Senate's failure to pass a budget resolution kept the House from
passing appropriations bills as follows: "That is close to nonsense."

NOTE: The military-construction and defense appropriations conference
reports passed the Senate on October 11 and October 16.

Judicial Nominations

REPUBLICAN MYTH: "The Democrat (sic) Leadership has blocked nearly 40
percent of President Bush's judicial nominees: roughly one-third of
the President's district court nominees and 57 percent of his nominees
to the more influential circuit courts of appeals. In so doing, Senate
Democrats have contributed to the judicial crisis that exists in the
nation's federal courts."

FACT: Since assuming control of the Judiciary Committee 15 months ago,
Senate Democrats have confirmed 80 judicial nominees. This is more
judges than were confirmed during the first 15 months of either the
Reagan, the G.H.W. Bush, or the Clinton Administrations. Democrats
have already confirmed 14 circuit court nominees, twice the annual
average of confirmed circuit court nominees between 1995 and 2000 -
when the Senate was under Republican control.

Democrats are working hard to correct the Republican-created judicial
vacancy crisis. From 1995 to 2000, the Republican leadership in the
Senate deliberately blocked many of President Clinton's nominees,
thereby nearly doubling the number of judicial vacancies from 63 to
110.

When Republicans say Democrats have "blocked" nearly 40 percent of
Bush nominees, they are lumping together all Bush nominees that have
not been confirmed - even if they were only recently nominated. Of the
nominees currently pending, 60 percent have been nominated only within
the last four months.

Protecting Social Security

REPUBLICAN MYTH: "When Democrats were in the minority, they repeatedly
accused Republicans of raiding Social Security and called on the
Senate to protect Social Security surpluses for future retirees. Now
that they run the Senate, however, Democrats have failed to take any
action to reduce the on-budget deficit or otherwise protect Social
Security."

FACT: It was a Republican President and Congress that passed
legislation which eliminated any cushion in our budget, forcing use of
the Social Security trust fund. Since then, Senate Democrats have
worked hard to block Republican efforts to increase the on-budget
deficit and further raid Social Security.

In addition, Senate Democrats have fought against proposals to
privatize Social Security, which would divert trust fund surpluses to
private accounts - forcing deeper cuts to preserve the system's
solvency and ultimately reducing guaranteed benefits for future
retirees. All but one Senate Democrat wrote to President Bush in
opposition to privatization plans recommended by the President's
Commission that would do serious long-term harm to Social Security.

Medicare Prescription Drug Benefits

REPUBLICAN MYTH: "Democrats regularly clamor for a new Medicare
prescription drug benefit, but once given the majority they failed to
make good on their rhetoric."

FACT: Despite Republican opposition, Senate Democrats fought to pass
the Medicare Outpatient Prescription Drug Act of 2002, which would
have given America's seniors a comprehensive, affordable, and reliable
Medicare drug benefit. This legislation, which was co-sponsored by
Senators Graham, Miller and Kennedy, had the support of the majority
of the Senate, received more votes than alternative proposals
supported by Senate Republicans, and was endorsed by the major
organizations representing patients, seniors, and workers.

Even though a majority of the Senate voted for the Medicare Outpatient
Prescription Drug Act of 2002, Republican Senators - siding with the
pharmaceutical industry - blocked passage of the legislation, thereby
preventing the bill from receiving the 60 votes needed to pass under
Senate rules.

Welfare Reform

REPUBLICAN MYTH: "In 1996, a Republican Congress reformed welfare by
promoting self-reliance through work... The law must be reauthorized
this year, and the House has passed the President's plan to bring
self-reliance to more Americans. Yet the Senate, now under the control
of Democrat (sic) Senators who opposed welfare reform, has failed to
follow suit."

FACT: The welfare reform legislation of 1996 represented a bipartisan
effort involving President Clinton and members of Congress from both
parties. This year, rather than work toward a bipartisan consensus,
House Republicans attempted to ram through partisan legislation based
on the Administration's controversial welfare proposal. The House bill
would have significantly reduced the child care assistance available
to low-income working families, putting them at risk of falling back
onto welfare and undercutting the progress we've made since 1996.

The Senate chose a different path. A bipartisan group of Senators on
the Finance Committee modified the President's proposal to build on
the strengths of the 1996 legislation, while providing more support
for low-income families who are trying to make the transition from
welfare to work, or are trying to stay off welfare in the first place.

The bipartisan Finance Committee bill provided an additional $5.5
billion for child care to help families find safe placements for their
children, and gave states more options to provide appropriate supports
to meet each family's specific circumstances. Senate Democrats agreed
to take up the legislation on the Senate floor but Republicans
rejected the offer and refused to discuss other options for bringing
the five-year reauthorization to the floor for debate.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

REPUBLICAN MYTH: "Like welfare reform, the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) will expire this year. Despite
widespread recognition that problems in special education demand
Congress' (sic) attention, Senate Democrats have failed even to
consider legislation reauthorizing IDEA."

FACT: It's absurd for Senate Republicans to blame Democrats for
failing to act on IDEA reauthorization, since the Administration has
said it will not even send Congress its proposal until next year, and
House Republicans have not acted on reauthorization.

In fact, members of the HELP Committee, which has jurisdiction over
IDEA, have been working on a bipartisan basis to develop legislation
to reauthorize this program. Senator Gregg, the Republican ranking
member, specifically asked Senator Kennedy not to introduce
legislation, but to continue the bipartisan process to reach
consensus.

The truth is that the Republican record on IDEA is weak. Senate
Republicans have refused to support full funding for IDEA, which has
contributed significantly to the delay in consideration of
reauthorization legislation. This has been a high priority for
Democrats, and was included in the Budget Resolution passed by the
Senate Budget Committee.

Accessible Health Care

REPUBLICAN MYTH: "[The] Senate Democrat (sic) leadership still has
failed to make health insurance more affordable to small businesses
and working families."

FACT: Democrats are deeply concerned that rising health care costs and
the weak economy during the Bush Administration are causing more and
more Americans to become uninsured. Senate Democrats have a strong
record of working to make health coverage more affordable and
accessible.

Senate Democrats responded to rising prescription drug costs by
passing the Greater Access to Affordable Pharmaceuticals Act, which
would have closed loopholes that some brand-name drug manufacturers
use to delay access to generic drugs. Even though the Congressional
Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the legislation would save
consumers $60 billion over 10 years, House Republicans have refused to
bring the bill to a vote.

Senate Democrats also fought to provide health insurance assistance to
workers displaced by trade as part of the Trade Act of 2002. House
Republicans refused to include any health care subsidies in their
trade bill for months, but Democrats succeeded in including
substantial health insurance assistance in the final law.

The Democratic-controlled Senate also approved temporary state fiscal
relief to help states cope with their serious budget shortfalls
without resorting to budget cuts that would harm patients. House
Republicans, however, have failed to enact similar assistance.

Senate Democrats also strongly support the Family Opportunity Act,
which would give states the option of allowing families of children
with disabilities to purchase Medicaid coverage for those children,
and the Mothers and Newborns Health Insurance Act, which would give
states the option of covering pregnant women in SCHIP. Both bills were
approved unanimously by the Senate Finance Committee, but Republicans
have blocked efforts to bring them to a vote on the Senate floor.

Republicans also blocked the Democratic effort to provide meaningful
health insurance assistance to the unemployed as part of the economic
stimulus package last fall.

Cell Transplantation Research

REPUBLICAN MYTH: "Scientific discoveries over the last year and a half
have made it obvious that the Senate needs to confront the issue of
human cloning. Senate Brownback has been at the forefront of the
debate in his attempts to get a total cloning ban passed by the
Senate. However, as the New York Times on May 26, 2002, reported,
"Senator Tom Daschle ... promised Mr. Brownback a vote by February or
March, then set a deadline of Memorial Day. Now Mr. Daschle says, the
vote will take place in June." Senator Daschle still has not made good
on his promise."

FACT: The Republican claim that Senator Daschle did not keep his
promise to bring up the Brownback bill is nonsense. When Senator
Daschle tried to bring the issue to the floor, it was Senator
Brownback who objected. Even Minority Leader Trent Lott has said that
Senator Daschle "fulfilled his commitment" to bring up the issue for
debate (The Washington Post, 6/14/02).

Senator Brownback and House Republicans want to prohibit cell
transplantation research, which holds the promise of creating
life-saving therapies and treatments for diseases such as Parkinson's,
Alzheimer's, diabetes, and spinal cord injuries. Forty Nobel Prize
winners have warned that the Brownback bill "would impede progress
against some of the most debilitating diseases known to man."

Terrorism Reinsurance

REPUBLICAN MYTH: "Democratic leaders originally pulled the terrorism
reinsurance bill because their prized constituency, the trial lawyer
community, could not stomach the liability provisions... The bill is
now dying in conference as Senator Daschle continues to insist that
trial lawyers be allowed to seek punitive damages from the victims of
terrorism."

FACT: On June 18, 2002, Senate Democrats overcame months of Republican
delay to win passage of legislation to provide a temporary federal
backstop that would allow businesses to obtain insurance coverage
against terrorist attacks. Unfortunately, the House Republicans - with
the support of the White House - supported a version that was tailored
to please corporations and hard-right special interest groups.

As a result, Republicans have insisted on including partisan tort
reform provisions which are extraneous to the purpose of the
legislation and would place arbitrary limits on awards to victims of
terrorism. These Republican efforts to delay passage of the
Senate-passed bill have imposed costs on our economy by raising
insurance premiums and blocking projects that cannot find or afford
insurance.

Senate Democrats' frustration at the Republican insistence on
including these provisions is shared by many of those most effected by
the delay. Larry Soehren, president of the Building Owners and
Managers Association told the Washington Post, "It baffles me. If you
pulled the tort reform out of it, it would go through." (October 12,
2002)

While recent press reports have indicated that Republican conferees
have agreed to drop the tort reform provisions, other Republicans have
pledged to block these compromise efforts and will oppose the proposed
conference report.