Don't call me moderate, I'm a centrist

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A word of advice if you speak to leaders of the Republican Main Street Partnership. Do not use the word moderate when talking about the organization's politics.

Members prefer being described as centrists, because the moderate tag conjures up thoughts of abortion and gay rights. And Main Street does not take a position on either of these issues.

Instead, the group of over 60 governors, representatives and senators advocates reducing the deficit, cutting taxes, focusing on education as well as environmentally friendly measures. The organization released its "Promise for America" agenda yesterday.

The battle of ideas within the Republican Party has not always been easy for Main Street members, who sometimes find themselves at odds with their own leadership. The latest disagreement was over President Bush's veto of stem cell legislation.

Rep. Tom Davis (R-Virginia), who serves as president of the organization, called it "a bad issue to make your first veto" in a recent meeting with a small group of political reporters. But Davis, a former National Republican Congressional Committee chairman, was very careful not to criticize Bush or Congressional Republican leaders, who are now pushing socially conservative measures under the "American Values Agenda," banner.

"They're doing a great job," Davis said. "They've got to govern. They've got to pull together a tough conference."

It appears, though, that several members of the organization have scored a victory by pressuring the GOP leadership to hold a vote on increasing the minimum wage. The vote will likely take place today, before the House adjourns for the August recess.

Still, while the organization counts anti-abortion rights lawmakers such as Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) as one of its members, there are also many others who are considered liberal on social issues. And these members vote that way, much to the heartburn of some Republicans.

"Their whole purpose is to present a more moderate view of Republicanism," said Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the non-partisan Rothenberg Political Report. "And to the extent that they disagree with the party leaders or the top leader, the President of the United States, they run the risk of being perceived by party regulars of being disloyal."

One Republican who vocally criticizes Main Street is former Rep. Pat Toomey (Pennsylvania). As the president and CEO of the limited tax, pro-growth Club for Growth, Toomey is working to defeat a handful of his former GOP colleagues such as Rep. Joe Schwarz (R-Michigan). A headshot of the freshman lawmaker is featured prominently on the Club's website with a red headline "Joe Schwarz is a liberal." It also has launched a separate website attacking Schwarz, who faces a tough primary challenge on August 8 from a Club backed candidate.

"We don't see it as our mission to elect Republicans, regardless of what they believe in," Toomey said in a recent interview with the Grind. "The Republican Main Street Partnership has decided to try and elect liberal Republicans. What we are dedicated to is a set of principles."

The Club is also playing a prominent role in trying to defeat Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-Rhode Island) in the September 12 Republican primary.

Sarah Chamberlain Resnick, executive director of Main Street, contends the Club is being dishonest in saying it only targets people it disagrees with on economic matters. In fact, she claims it specifically goes after lawmakers it doesn't consider conservative enough on social issues.

"The facts speak for themselves," she said. "Of all the Members of Congress and open seat candidates the Club for Growth supported, they only supported one pro choice candidate. To articulate an example, they attacked (Sherwood) Boehlert (R-New York) two years ago and he voted 127 times for tax cuts. He never voted to raise taxes. However, he is pro-choice."

Toomey disputed Chamberlain's assessment that it is a social conservative organization. He called it a "dishonest charge.

"The reason they do this is because they are embarrassed by the economic liberalism of their members," he said.

For his part, Davis is blunt about Main Street's philosophy about challenging incumbent Republicans.

"We don't go after other Republicans," he said. "I believe in being an addition and not being a subtraction."

And Davis said if the GOP wants to maintain control of Congress this year and the White House after 2008, it needs to embrace a big tent philosophy.

"If you want to be a national party, be competitive in all regions, you need to be tolerant," Davis said.

The organization, founded in 1998, is on track to spend $7 million in the November elections, Chamberlain tells the Grind. The group receives funding from likeminded Republicans such as former Rep. Amo Houghton (R-New York) and Robert Ziff of Ziff Brothers Investments.

As for Main Street's attempt to re-brand, Rothenberg said, "One man's centrist is another man's moderate."

(An occasional Morning Grind feature in a series about organizations seeking to influence the 2006 and 2008 elections)

6 for '06

Congressional Democratic leaders previewed six policy themes Thursday the party will promote in the coming months as it tries to wrest control of the House and Senate from Republicans in November. Under the overarching banner "A New Direction for America," Democrats said they are better equipped to provide real security, better jobs, access to college, energy independence, affordable healthcare and retirement security.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-California) described it as "a list of deliverables that can happen, God willing, if Democrats take back Congress." The first order of business, Pelosi said, was to enact the recommendations put forth by the 9/11 Commission.

Republicans dismissed the pledge as an election year stunt.

Still, Democrats were bullish on the prospect of taking back the House and Senate majorities, but refused to make any predications about what gains they would make in November.

"One hundred days out, I would rather be us than them," said Rep. Rahm Emanuel (Illinois), the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Emanuel also accused his counterpart, Rep. Tom Reynolds (New York), the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, of sitting on internal polling data because it spelled trouble for GOP candidates.

Playing off of Emanuel's training as a dancer, NRCC spokesman Carl Forti said Emanuel was doing nothing more than spinning away.

"I wouldn't expect anything less from a ballerina," Forti said.

Meanwhile, Reynolds will hold a 10 a.m. ET pen and pad with members of the media at NRCC headquarters.

Blair stops by the White House; fighting rages on

President Bush's closest ally on the war on terror, Tony Blair, stops by the White House this morning to talk about how best to address the Israel and Hezbollah situation. Blair is expected to push Bush to support a United Nations resolution for a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah, sources in Blair's office tell CNN's Robin Oakley.

A British government spokesman traveling with Blair said the prime minister believes that the United States will be willing to support a resolution next week in the expectation that Israel will by then have sufficiently weakened Hezbollah with its military action.

Meanwhile, the fighting rages on along the Israel-Lebanon border, CNN's team of reporters, who are on the ground scattered throughout the region report. The Israeli Air Force bombed at least 110 Hezbollah targets overnight as assaults between Hezbollah and Israeli forces entered their 17th day, the Israel Defense Forces said Friday morning. Targets included rocket launchers, Hezbollah structures, tunnels, a gas station and a base in the Bekaa Valley where the IDF said Hezbollah launched long-range missiles. At least 14 rockets had landed in northern Israel by midday Friday with most landing near Kiryat Shmona and Galilee, police in Haifa said.

DAYAHEAD/Events making news today and through the weekend

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