BACK TO THE BUSH YEARS:

The one thing Republicans have made clear is that they're yearning for the good ol' days of President Bush. Cornyn recently told C-SPAN that Bush's "stock has gone up a lot since he left office. ... I think a lot people are looking back with more fondness on President Bush's administration, and I think history will treat him well." They are also clinging to the notion that the government can cut taxes and not offset the spending -- despite all their deficit-cutting rhetoric and criticisms that Obama is "spending trillions of dollars we do not have on things we do not need." Showing that he is a deficit fraud, Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) recently said, "[Y]ou should never have to offset cost of a deliberate decision to reduce tax rates on Americans."


Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) said that continuing Bush's tax cuts "isn't a cost," and Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) admitted that he's willing to vote against unemployment benefits for out-of-work Americans unless they're offset while waving through tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. Many Republicans have also said they're interested in repealing the progress of the past year, including health care reform, the stimulus, and financial regulatory reform. Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) has even talked about repealing the 16th and 17th amendments -- which would eliminate the income tax and end direct election of U.S. senators. Last week, Vice President Biden summed up their strategy: "Repeal and Repeat: Repeal everything positive done, and repeat the polices of the previous eight years of the Bush administration." It's also possible that if voters oust Democrats in November, far-right conservatives will take over Congress. Last week, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) filed papers to start and lead a Tea Party Caucus in the House, and U.S. Senate candidate in Kentucky Rand Paul has said that he would like to do the same if he is elected. Bachmann has also hinted at a bid to overthrow the current GOP leadership and install "constitutional conservatives." A look at the ranking Republicans on top House committees and subcommittees, who would likely become chairs if their Party wins in November, includes Texas' Joe Barton (who famously apologized to BP), Iowa's Steve King (who said that Obama "favors the black person"), and Texas' Louie Gohmert (who said that hate crimes legislation would lead to Nazism and the legalization of necrophilia, pedophilia, and bestiality).