By The Prowler on 12.11.02 @ 12:05AM
Democrats on the Hill are hardly the only ones who want him out. Also: Lieberman watches Al squirm. Plus: Moderates ignore Pelosi.
WHO WILL LEAD THE SENATE?
Five days after Sen. Majority Leader Trent Lott
made his unfortunate comments regarding the political heritage of
the Dixiecrats, Republicans on Capitol Hill and conservatives in
Washington and around the country are discussing how best to call
for Lott's stepping aside as Senate leader.
According to a knowledgeable Republican source, GOP members of
both houses are extremely concerned that Lott's comments have so
derailed the momentum gained from the 2002 elections that it would
be impossible to come in in January, make numerous political
confirmations for the executive branch, and begin planning a
legislative agenda that would include accelerating the Bush tax
cuts and pushing through a prescription drug plan for seniors.
Even more upsetting to Republicans is the realization that
Lott's comments may make it virtually impossible for them to bring
a number of controversial judicial nominations to the Senate floor
successfully.
Republican Senate staffers meeting over lunch and in the
hallways of Capitol Hill have already begun throwing out successor
names, such as outgoing Republican Whip Don
Nickles, incoming Whip Mitch McConnell,
and even rising star Sen. Bill Frist.
"Even Lott's people understand how serious this has become,"
says the Republican source, who added that while there is no
discussion in Lott's office of his stepping aside, Lott's people
are steeling themselves for a growing drumbeat from their side of
the aisle for Lott to give way to a noncontroversial leader who can
get the Republican agenda back on track.
LETTING AL SQUIRM
For someone who's been coy about whether he'll launch a
presidential campaign for 2004, Sen. Joe Lieberman
sure is acting like a candidate. Last week he hosted yet another
dinner with supporters in Connecticut, reinforcing the notion that
he will run. Even more telling, according to associates, is that
Lieberman is enjoying watching Al Gore squirm due
to lackadaisical book sales and policy gaffes.
"We all loved his line that George
Stephanopoulos put words in his mouth," says a Lieberman
adviser in Washington.
The reference is to Gore's comments last Sunday on ABC's "This
Week," where in response to questioning from Stephanopoulos, the
show's host, Gore said he'd probably have to raise taxes if his
single-payer health-care program were put into place. The next day,
Gore claimed he hadn't really said it, that words were put in his
mouth.
"Lieberman is going to do everything right. He's not going to
break his promise and challenge Gore, but he's not going to just do
nothing in the meantime," says the adviser. "Gore seems put off by
that, but what can he do? If he'd make up his mind, we'd make up
our minds."
MODERATE HOOKY
House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi must not have
made it clear to her caucus that the two-day meeting she held this
week wasn't voluntary. But apparently some House Democrats didn't
care enough to show up. An attendance roster listed 129 (about
two-thirds of the full caucus) Dems meeting in Washington behind
closed doors to map out a party economic strategy for the
congressional season in January. More important, to Pelosi's way of
thinking, were the sessions held on Tuesday to discuss the party's
failures in 2002.
"If the meeting was mandatory, I didn't see it on the agenda,"
says a Democrat not in attendance. "We do enough of these things as
it is, I didn't think it was necessary to make the effort. We'll
have at least one retreat after the January session opens up."
In fact, some Democrats might want to go back to the minutes --
if such things are kept -- of the caucus retreat that was held last
year. There they'd find Pelosi in her wisdom not only upbraiding
colleagues for shoddy campaigning in 2000 and leading into 2002
races, but bringing in ethically challenged Gray
Davis political advisers to lecture them on proper
fundraising techniques. It was this performance that angered many
of the moderates of the party and, perhaps out of fear they would
hear more of the same, caused them to stay away from their new
leader's first meeting.
topics:
Taxes, Nancy Pelosi
