Republicans plan first anti-Democrat press conference of Obama presidency John Byrne

Published: Wednesday January 21, 2009





Print This Email This Before President Barack Obama has a chance to learn the layout of the White House or even the location of half of its 32 bathrooms, House Republicans will have already held a press conference intended to triangulate the Democrats' agenda.



Triangulation is an approach whereby a political figure praises one member of an opposing party in an effort to draw contrast between that member and other members of his/her party. In other words, Republicans intend to praise Obama's "bipartisanship" while using it as a foil for liberal Democrats in Congress.



Congressional Democrats are already moving in the opposite direction of President Obama, Brad Dayspring, a spokesman for House Majority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) told the Capitol Hill paper Roll Call Tuesday. So far, they have refused to work with Republicans to offer real economic solutions geared toward middle class families, taxpayers and small businesses.



Cantor (above right) will hold a press conference Wednesday at 1:30 pm along with the top Republicans on Ways and Means Dave Camp (R-MI) and Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL).



Cantor's spokesman has already aggressively tried to paint House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) as out of touch with Obama.



Obama hasn't readily tipped his hand as to where he falls on the ideological spectrum since his election, though he recently ranked as one of the most liberal members of the Senate in a National Journal survey. Even so, it's expected that he'll face-off with some of the more liberal factions of his party, particularly in the House, where legislators are more liberal and more conservative because of gerrymandered districts.



Democrats, Cantor's spokesman says, have ignored Obamas call for total transparency and bipartisan cooperation.



Pelosi and Obama don't agree on everything. Obama promised to roll back President George W. Bush's tax cuts on the wealthiest tax bracket, but has since backtracked.



"We had campaigned in saying what the Republican Congressional Budget Office told us: Nothing contributed more to the budget deficit than the tax cuts for the wealthiest people in America," Pelosi said in an interview broadcast Sunday. "I don't want them to wait two years to expire. Because they have to prove their worth to me as to how they grow the economy, how they create jobs."



With wire services.



