Atlanta Journal Constitution 5/11/06

By Bob Kemper

WASHINGTON — They embraced President Bush and hailed his handling of the war in Iraq , the economy and taxes. And for back-to-back elections it paid off for Republican House candidates as they rolled over Democrats and tightened their hold on Congress.

But this year, with public support for Bush dropping to record lows, many Republican candidates are holding the president at a distance and trying to shift the national political debate away from war and immigration to less-contentious, kitchen-table issues like school safety and the cost of college.

The 50 House Republicans — including three from Georgia — who recently formed the Suburban Agenda Caucus unveiled on Wednesday a legislative package they hope will help them keep control of suburbia despite Democratic inroads.

The package includes proposals that would make it easier for schools to identify pedophiles who apply for teaching positions, create tax-advantaged savings accounts to help pay for college or a home and provide financial incentives, for local governments to preserve green space.

"It puts a softer face on the Republican agenda," said Rep. Jack Kingston of Savannah , a member of the new caucus.

The suburban agenda is a natural follow-up to Republican efforts to reach key voting blocs like the so-called soccer moms and NASCAR dads of elections past.

"Moderates want to make sure the Republican Party is putting things out there that attract people and that people can get behind," Kingston said.

Democrats charge that the suburban agenda is simply an attempt by Republicans to change the subject. Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), chairman of the committee coordinating Democrat House races, said the promises it makes are at odds with the GOP's track record on education and health care, among other issues.

"Gas prices are higher, prescription drugs are more expensive and college tuition is out of reach for American families," Emanuel said in a statement. "If you're going to have an agenda that speaks to voters' interests, you can't have a record that conflicts with it."

Democrats need a net gain of 15 seats in November to take control of the House, and many of their most contentious fights will be in areas in which population shifts have made close-in suburbs more competitive for them, political analysts and demographers say.

In suburban Atlanta , they point to the transformation occurring as Democratic-voting African-Americans and Hispanics move to once predominantly white suburban.

But Douglas Bachtel, a University of Georgia demographer, said that doesn't necessarily mean that traditionally Republican suburbs are suddenly going to shift.

Voters who settle in suburbia, Bachtel said, are usually better educated and better off financially. "And that spells Republican," he said.

Rep. Tom Price, a Roswell Republican and suburban caucus member whose district stretches from north Fulton to Cherokee County , said the suburban agenda is more than a pre-emptive strike on Democratic challengers.

"The demographics of certain suburban areas are changing and that may favor one party over another," Price said. "But I think that what suburban voters want — what all voters want — is a sense that their representatives are responding to the concerns that they have."

The suburban agenda may well help shift public attention away from rising gas prices, illegal immigration and the Iraq war, but that doesn't mean Republican candidates can ignore those kinds of front-page issues, lawmakers acknowledged.

"I don't want to refocus away from immigration or the global war on terror," said Rep. Phil Gingrey, a Marietta Republican and member of the caucus. "Those are hugely important issues, and the American people want solutions."

Besides, Gingrey said, six months before the election, there is still a chance that Bush's ratings will rebound, gas prices will decline and voters' concerns will shift.

The suburban caucus plans to spend time before the unofficial Labor Day campaign kickoff pushing its legislation. House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) and House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) both endorsed the agenda Wednesday, assuring it a good reception in the House. Its prospects in the Senate are unknown.

If the suburban agenda advances, there could be one Georgia-related casualty. One of the bills would change the name of tax-advantage savings accounts people can use to pay for youths' college expenses from "Coverdell Education Savings Accounts" — named for former Georgia Sen. Paul Coverdell, a Republican — to "Kids 401(k)" account.