- 08/01/10 09:33 AM ET
Leaders Mitch McConnell and John Boehner said Sunday they couldn't bank on Democrats' ethics troubles to win in November.
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) sounded a careful note Sunday about Republican chances, but insisted that a GOP takeover of Congress would be done on tax-and-spend arguments rather than Democrats' highly publicized Ethics Committee woes.
The two Republican leaders in Congress appeared jointly for the first time on "Fox News Sunday," where they were asked about about their confidence in a poll last week that showed the GOP expanding its lead in a generic ballot from four points to an 11-point lead.
"I'd love to have the election tomorrow," McConnell said. "Remember there's still three months to go; it's a long way to November.
"They're not going to go down easily," the Senate minority leader said of the Democrats.
Boehner echoed the sentiment. "I think we're having a good year but we've got a lot of work to do," he said, stressing that Republicans were sent home over recess with instructions to "talk about the better solutions that Republicans have been offering over the last 18 months."
While slamming the Democrats over their "job-killing" agenda, McConnell defended last week's blocking of the small-business bill in the Senate, calling the legislation "son of TARP."
Like the bailouts before it, McConnell said, the small-business bill "puts the government in a position of taking equity positions ... That's not the way out. The way out is to kill this job-killing tax increase that's coming."
Though expressing confidence that Republicans' best campaign strategy is to focus on Democrats' economic policy, Boehner didn't leave the ethics dilemma -- possibly two ethics trials for House Democrats in the run-up to midterm elections -- untouched.
"I cannot believe it's taken some two years to investigate the Charlie Rangel case," the House minority leader said. "The swamp is alive and well."
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) sounded a careful note Sunday about Republican chances, but insisted that a GOP takeover of Congress would be done on tax-and-spend arguments rather than Democrats' highly publicized Ethics Committee woes.
The two Republican leaders in Congress appeared jointly for the first time on "Fox News Sunday," where they were asked about about their confidence in a poll last week that showed the GOP expanding its lead in a generic ballot from four points to an 11-point lead.
"I'd love to have the election tomorrow," McConnell said. "Remember there's still three months to go; it's a long way to November.
"They're not going to go down easily," the Senate minority leader said of the Democrats.
Boehner echoed the sentiment. "I think we're having a good year but we've got a lot of work to do," he said, stressing that Republicans were sent home over recess with instructions to "talk about the better solutions that Republicans have been offering over the last 18 months."
While slamming the Democrats over their "job-killing" agenda, McConnell defended last week's blocking of the small-business bill in the Senate, calling the legislation "son of TARP."
Like the bailouts before it, McConnell said, the small-business bill "puts the government in a position of taking equity positions ... That's not the way out. The way out is to kill this job-killing tax increase that's coming."
Though expressing confidence that Republicans' best campaign strategy is to focus on Democrats' economic policy, Boehner didn't leave the ethics dilemma -- possibly two ethics trials for House Democrats in the run-up to midterm elections -- untouched.
"I cannot believe it's taken some two years to investigate the Charlie Rangel case," the House minority leader said. "The swamp is alive and well."
Pelosi strikes confident note on midterms: 'I'm not nervous at all'
- 08/01/10 10:27 AM ET
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) defended House Democrats' prospects for November on ABC's "This Week" Sunday, saying that her members have a series of legislative victories to take home to constituents in August.
Christiane Amanpour, the new host of "This Week," quickly confronted the Speaker about comments made by White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs' comments in June that Republicans could be successful in their effort to reclaim the House.
"I don't spend a whole lot of time thinking about what the president's employees say about one thing or another," Pelosi said of Gibbs' remark.
"We feel very confident about where we are, whether that's well known to that gentleman [Gibbs] or not," she added later.
House members begin their district work periods on Monday.
Pelosi was reticent when asked how she would have voted on the $33 billion supplemental appropriations bill for Afghanistan and Iraq, which passed the House 308-114 on Tuesday.
Amanpour noted that 102 Democrats voted against the measure this year, or 70 more than last year. Many were members of the leadership or committee chairmen.
Members who voted against the bill have said that there was less pressure than last year from Democratic leadership to support. Pelosi had said in advance that it would be "a different kind of vote."
Pelosi explained on Sunday that there were "varying degrees of expression" in the 'nay' votes.
"How does this [the war] figure into our protecting the American people? Is it worth it? That's the question," she said.
She also responded to Vice President Biden's recent estimate that a 2011 drawdown could amount to "as few as a couple thousand troops."
"I know it's not going to be turn out the lights and let's all go home on one day," she said. "But I do think the American people expect it to be somewhere between that [a full-scale withdrawal] and a few thousand troops."
In discussing ethics charges against Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), Pelosi gave no personal opinion.
"What we have done is to wait and see what the [House Ethics] Committee decides. I respect what they do. I'm totally out of the loop. It is independent. It is confidential, classified, secret, whatever."
Christiane Amanpour, the new host of "This Week," quickly confronted the Speaker about comments made by White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs' comments in June that Republicans could be successful in their effort to reclaim the House.
"I don't spend a whole lot of time thinking about what the president's employees say about one thing or another," Pelosi said of Gibbs' remark.
"We feel very confident about where we are, whether that's well known to that gentleman [Gibbs] or not," she added later.
House members begin their district work periods on Monday.
Pelosi was reticent when asked how she would have voted on the $33 billion supplemental appropriations bill for Afghanistan and Iraq, which passed the House 308-114 on Tuesday.
Amanpour noted that 102 Democrats voted against the measure this year, or 70 more than last year. Many were members of the leadership or committee chairmen.
Members who voted against the bill have said that there was less pressure than last year from Democratic leadership to support. Pelosi had said in advance that it would be "a different kind of vote."
Pelosi explained on Sunday that there were "varying degrees of expression" in the 'nay' votes.
"How does this [the war] figure into our protecting the American people? Is it worth it? That's the question," she said.
She also responded to Vice President Biden's recent estimate that a 2011 drawdown could amount to "as few as a couple thousand troops."
"I know it's not going to be turn out the lights and let's all go home on one day," she said. "But I do think the American people expect it to be somewhere between that [a full-scale withdrawal] and a few thousand troops."
In discussing ethics charges against Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), Pelosi gave no personal opinion.
"What we have done is to wait and see what the [House Ethics] Committee decides. I respect what they do. I'm totally out of the loop. It is independent. It is confidential, classified, secret, whatever."
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