He was the first Republican senator to oppose convicting President Bill Clinton on impeachment charges and he also voted against the nomination of Clarence Thomas as a Supreme Court justice.Despite this independence, Mr Jeffords remains the most conservative of a three-member congressional team for what was the first mainland US state to approve gay marriage. The state's other senator, Patrick Leahy, is a Democrat, while the House representative, Bernie Sanders, is the only socialist congressman in the US. Mr Jeffords' disgruntlement is known to have been influenced by several factors, though the issue of tax appears to have been central.When he voted against Mr Bush's proposed cuts, the White House reacted by threatening to block a bill that would allow Vermont and a handful of other states to continue a federally approved milk cartel that ensures dairy farmers obtain higher than average prices.Senator Jeffords also took personal umbrage when the White House deliberately snubbed him over a ceremony to honour the Teacher of the Year, which was awarded to a Vermont teacher. This was held up as a grave error on the part of the Republicans who, in the words of one commentator, "needs Jeffords more than Jeffords needs the Republicans".The general view in Washington yesterday was that Mr Jeffords could easily survive as either an independent or a Democrat. A native Vermonter, he is likely to retain enough personal support to see him returned to the Senate.
Voters in Vermont tend to support the candidate rather than vote purely on party political lines.Famous for its maple syrup, clapboard villages and Ben and Jerry's ice cream, Vermont is also known for its unique political make-up a mixture of arch-conservatives and blue-collar communities as well as the hippies who were drawn by its unspoilt environment.But Vermont is also strongly divided by wealth. Upmarket ski resorts rub shoulders with run-down mill towns.. Senator James Jeffords was on his way to his home state of Vermont last night, amid feverish speculation that the moderate Republican would announce his defection from the party a move that would transform the political landscape in Washington and confront President Bush with his first big domestic defeat. Senator James Jeffords was on his way to his home state of Vermont last night, amid feverish speculation that the moderate Republican would announce his defection from the party a move that would transform the political landscape in Washington and confront President Bush with his first major domestic defeat.But Mr Bush's $1.35 trillion tax cuts proposal which was passed in the Senate last night after a warning by the President that failure to do so would harm the US economy has not been affected.
Anticipating Mr Jeffords's likely defection, Mr Bush had already struck out, warning that "many economists" had already factored the tax cuts into their calculations, and that any hitch would upset a whole range of other projections.By the simple act of renouncing the Republican whip, Mr Jeffords will overturn the Republicans' majority in the Senate, upset the political balance in Congress and drastically alter the political climate in which Mr Bush must operate. The defection could damage or delay some of the main policy objectives of the Bush administration, such as energy reform and the missile defence plan. Mr Jeffords had planned to make his announcement in Washington yesterday, but apparently thought better of it at the last moment and headed for Vermont instead. He insisted, however, that despite personal appeals from President Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney, he had made up his mind. Close associates said he would declare himself an independent and align himself with the Democrats, but not formally join the party. Mr Jeffords is not the first member of the US Congress to change parties. But his defection just four months into President Bush's term is without compare.The Senate is currently split 50-50 between the two main parties, with Mr Cheney holding the casting vote.
