Wednesday May 23 1:06 PM ET

Jeffords Delays Word on Possible Party Switch

By Thomas Ferraro

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Vermont Republican Sen. James Jeffords abruptly postponed until Thursday a widely anticipated announcement he was bolting the party, a bombshell move that would hand control of the Senate to Democrats and jeopardize President Bush (news - web sites)'s conservative agenda.

``I wanted to be with my Vermonters when I made the decision,'' Jeffords told reporters on Capitol Hill, as fellow Republicans urged him to stay.

Just hours earlier, Jeffords, 67, often at odds with the White House, told reporters, ``I've made up my mind. I will let you know at 2 o'clock.''

Yet as many braced for a Jeffords defection, the Vermont lawmaker met privately with a group of ``old guard'' Senate Republicans, a congressional aide said.

Sen. Larry Craig (news - bio - voting record), an Idaho Republican, said afterward the group ``asked him to think about some things and give them some time to work with him and he was willing to accommodate that.''

Senate Republican Leader Trent Lott said the meeting ``did cause the change and things are still not locked in.''

Just hours earlier, Craig said, ``He (Jeffords) told me last night that he was becoming an independent.''

And a Democratic senator said he had been told by a Senate Democratic leader that Jeffords was withdrawing from the Republicans. ``He is going to leave,'' the senator said.

The various statements and declarations gave both sides on Capitol Hill some hope. The White House said it would decline comment until Jeffords made his announcement.

A Jeffords defection would hand Democrats control of the now evenly divided Senate for the first time since 1994, and threaten Bush's agenda, which includes tax cuts, a massive new missile defense system and conservative judicial nominees.

While Republicans control the House of Representatives and thus the flow of legislation there, a Democratic controlled Senate would make the call on when various measures would be brought to the floor for consideration.

Sen. Robert Torricelli (news - bio - voting record), a New Jersey Democrat, sounding as if Jeffords had already left the Republicans, said the move would increase Democrats' ``ability to now put the issues of education, the environment and fair tax relief before the American people -- it's a dramatic change.''

``We can better compete with the White House with a somewhat more equal platform,'' said Torricelli.

Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites), who met with Jeffords at the White House on Tuesday, urged Jeffords to remain a Republican but received no assurances, sources said.

After Jeffords broke ranks over the president's proposed tax cut a few months ago, the White House did not invite the senator to a ceremony honoring a Vermont educator as national teacher of the year.

In addition, there was word on Capitol Hill that the administration might oppose legislation favored by Jeffords to help Vermont dairy farmers.

CRITICIZED AND COMPLAINED

Jeffords has riled Republicans a number of times in recent months, largely for criticizing Bush's proposed $1.6 trillion tax cut as too big and by complaining the president failed to propose enough money for education.

The Senate is now split between 50 Republicans and 50 Democrats, with Cheney, a Republican, having the tie-breaking vote.

Even if Jeffords became an independent, Democrats would still control the chamber, 50-49. Republicans could keep committee chairmanships if Jeffords voted with them in organizational meetings. But a senior Democratic aide said Jeffords told him he would side with the Democrats.

Jeffords could end up a committee chairman in a Democratic-led Senate if he sided with a new Democratic majority. One likely spot would be as chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee. He now chairs the Health, Education and Labor Committee in the Republican-led Senate.

Senate Democratic Whip Harry Reid of Nevada is ranking Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee. Democratic sources said Reid has agreed to step aside to give Jeffords the chairmanship if he became a Democrat.

Democratic sources said Reid has been courting Jeffords for weeks.

Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, a Mississippi Republican, told reporters on Tuesday night Jeffords had not told him if he was leaving the party, but added: ``He's being wooed. I'm sure that's true on all sides.''

Sen. Joseph Lieberman (news - bio - voting record), a Connecticut Democrat, said, ''There certainly is a sense we could be on the eve of a big change here in the Senate.''

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, an Iowa Republican, said with a 50-50 Senate everyone knew there could be a sudden shift in the balance of power.

So much so, Grassley said, that he and Sen. Max Baucus (news - bio - voting record) of Montana, the panel's ranking Democrat, ``worked out arrangements three months ago for this sort of transition. It will be very smooth.''

Sen. Kent Conrad (news - bio - voting record), a North Dakota Democrat, said if Jeffords does bolt the Republicans, he expects Republicans to put pressure on Sen. Zell Miller (news - bio - voting record), a conservative Georgia Democrat, to also switch sides. Miller has publicly said he intends to remain a Democrat.

-- Anonymous, May 23, 2001

Answers

Well, he's gone and done it. Major political earthquake.

-- Anonymous, May 24, 2001

I would have thought the only thing that mattered was how he voted. He's bound to still vote with the Republican agenda now and then.

-- Anonymous, May 24, 2001

Redeye posted an interesting story over at RAL's about the possible WHY this guy is switching. It has to do with the fact that Vermont and all New England states have been getting milk price supports that are way out of line with the rest of the country and it is possible that the current administration is no longer going to support this.

-- Anonymous, May 24, 2001

Brooks oh Brooks: Control of the Senate!! The Majority Leader and committee chairmen have enormous power.

-- Anonymous, May 24, 2001

He was elected as a Republican and if I was in the Vermont Republican party, I'd think I'd get real pissed - if I had voted for him, I think I'd be super pissed.

Personally, I think he must be a real jerk.

-- Anonymous, May 24, 2001

Fingers crossed that some Independent or Democrat will turn Republican.

I think there's more to it than milk price supports; I think the Dems have got something on him. It's the way they operate. Bet he doesn't run again, once he's served his purpose.

-- Anonymous, May 24, 2001

Here's the BBC take:

Thursday, 24 May, 2001, 17:32 GMT 18:32 UK Rebel tips US Senate balance

Mr Jeffords: "I found myself in disagreement with my party"

United States Senator Jim Jeffords has left the Republican Party, changing the balance of power on Capitol Hill.

The move effectively hands control of the Senate to the Democrats for the first time since 1994 and could derail President George W Bush's policy agenda.

In an announcement in his home state of Vermont, Mr Jeffords said that he was becoming an independent but would vote with the Democrats.

Mr Bush said later: "I respect Senator Jeffords ... but respectfully I couldn't disagree more" with his decision.

A spokeswoman for Mr Bush said the White House was "disappointed," but the president would "continue to work with Republicans and Democrats, as he has been doing, to get results for the American people".

Disagreement

Mr Jeffords, 67, said he took the decision because he felt that he no longer supported the policies put forward by the Republican Party.

"In order to best represent my state of Vermont, my own conscience and principles that I have stood for my whole life, I will leave the Republican Party and become an independent," he said.

"Looking ahead, I can see more and more instances in which I will disagree with the president on fundamental issues," he told the news conference.

He felt a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, he said.

His speech was accompanied by cheers and shouts of "Thank you Jim".

His relations with the White House have been particularly strained in recent weeks, after his decision to oppose Mr Bush's proposals for huge tax cuts.

But Mr Jeffords said he had promised the president to delay the switch until after Congress completes work on the cuts.

Negotiators of the lower House of Representatives and of the Senate are working on a compromise version that could be written and win approval as early as Friday.

Finely balanced

The defection swung the finely balanced upper house, where each party previously had 50 senators.

The loss of Mr Jeffords means that the Republicans can no longer rely on Vice-President Dick Cheney's casting vote to push through legislation.

This will make it difficult for Mr Bush to get key points of his conservative programme through Congress, in the following areas:

Plans to drill oil in sensitive areas such as the Arctic wildlife refuge in Alaska.

Appointment of conservative judges to the Supreme Court to replace retiring members.

The controversial education voucher system providing public funding for private education.

The missile defence system.

Confirmation of appointments to top positions in government. Only 11% have so far been approved.

Unconditional loyalty

Both Mr Bush and Mr Cheney met Mr Jeffords on Tuesday, urging him to remain a Republican.

But the New York Times newspaper quoted Republicans close to the administration as saying that the White House did not take rumours of Mr Jeffords' defection seriously until Monday evening.

The party leadership had expected unconditional loyalty since Mr Bush took office, the sources said, adding that the administration had tried to punish Mr Jeffords for his rebelliousness by cutting him out of important decision-making.

In the past 20 years, 14 Democrats in Congress have switched to the Republican Party, while only one Republican has gone the other way.

The defection will enable the Democrats to take control of some key committee

-- Anonymous, May 24, 2001

National Review:

After He’s Gone
Silver linings for the GOP.

By NR’s John J. Miller & Ramesh Ponnuru
May 24, 2001 4:20 p.m.

At least the obnoxious Strom Thurmond deathwatch may finally come to a welcome end, and not because the old man has died.

But the announcement by Sen. Jim Jeffords that he's leaving the GOP and will caucus with the Democrats provides another kind of silver lining for Republicans: They have a clear enemy. In politics, enemies can be useful, especially when your "friends" are people like Jeffords.

Under the old dispensation, Tom Daschle could obstruct GOP proposals and then deride Republicans for not getting anything done even though they "run" Congress and the White House. He can't do that any more. Daschle probably won't let himself become a Gingrich-like bogeyman, but he will face an accountability he hasn't had to deal with previously.

This first evidence of this came across the transom right after Jeffords' announcement. "We do look forward to seeing Democrats in the Senate transition themselves from nay-sayers and obstructionists to a majority that actually has to lead and legislate," said J.C. Watts of Oklahoma, who heads the House Republican Conference, in a statement.

"Democrats, as a minority, have been the obstructionist party in the Senate. Under Minority Leader Daschle's leadership, they blocked the Social Security and Medicare lock box, marriage-penalty relief, death-tax relief, Social Security earnings-limit repeal, and pension reform. They now have the challenge of holding hearings and moving legislation."

This turn of events may also make it more likely that Bush will veto bad legislation coming out of Congress, such as bloated spending bills. Last week, it would have been tough for him to explain why he's against what a "Republican Congress" had just approved. Next week, he can blame those liberals in the Senate.

Make no mistake: The Jeffords loss will hurt, not least when it comes to confirming judges. But it may also provide some hidden opportunities, if the GOP is willing to seize them.

-- Anonymous, May 24, 2001