CHINAGATE REOPENS
Back in the days of the Clinton administration, one of the biggest
ongoing scandals was influence peddling and illegal campaign
donation by agents of the People’s Republic of China. In 2004
Democrats may have yet another round of such scandals if they don’t
pick their presidential or vice presidential candidate carefully,
according to a senior Democratic staffer in the U.S. Senate.
“There are several former Senate staffers who have done business
in China or with Chinese-government backed corporations and they
could expose their former boss to some embarrassing situations,”
says the staffer. “You’d think we’d learn. But maybe we need
another hard lesson.”
THIS OLD JOE
Al Gore’s former running mate Joe
Lieberman either believes that Gore isn’t going to run in
2004 or doesn’t care. Recall that Lieberman pledged not to run for
president next time if Gore chose to run again. Gore has said that
Lieberman isn’t bound to that pledge, although Lieberman, being
about as honorable as a Democrat is capable of, had said he’d abide
by it.
But that wasn’t the vibe that 2002 campaign volunteers were
getting earlier this month when Lieberman’s PAC threw a thank you
party for its and other Washington, D.C. area Democratic Party
volunteers. The Connecticut senator thanked everyone for their hard
work and told them to keep their options open when it came time to
commit to working for a 2004 race.
“I got the feeling he was telling us something without coming
out and saying it,” says a reveler at the event.
Gee, sounds like Lieberman has the politician-speak down
cold.
POWER ALLEY
Republican staffers on Capitol Hill and in the White House have hit
the lottery of sorts. With the GOP controlling both ends of
Pennsylvania Avenue, lobbying shops, trade associations and law
firms that do business inside the Beltway are snapping up just
about any Republican with ties to anyone influential inside the
White House or in the House or Senate.
“All these Clinton holdovers can’t do us a bit of good now,”
says a longtime Democratic lobbyist. “I’ll admit we’ve been a bit
remiss in bringing in Republicans, but we haven’t had to in close
to ten years. Now it’s imperative that I have some folks
onboard.”
Big winners are lower level Republicans already in the employ of
such high-powered lobbying shops as Preston Gates.
Even retiring congressmen who loved playing up their non-Beltway
ties are getting in the action. Former Majority Leader Dick
Armey plans on spending at least some of his time in
Washington, and has at least three different lobbying firms bidding
against one another for his services. Guess he won’t need that old
cot he used to keep in his office to save money on rent.
