The American Spectator

Washington Prowler

As Tuesday Follows Monday

By The Prowler on 1.10.06 @ 12:10AM

WASHINGTON -- Another day, another set of Republican dramas. We'll leave the Shakespearean parallels to John Batchelor over at AmSpecBlog, but suffice it to say Monday was remarkable: with the seeming shifts every 15 minutes and constant updates on the House Republican caucus elections, and the drawn out ravings of Democrats on the Senate side, as a seemingly heavily medicated Judge Samuel Alito calmly sat and took it all in.

So if it's Tuesday, it must be another day on Capitol Hill for the Prowler. And here we be.

On the House side, things are no clearer for Republicans or anyone else trying to figure out two days out who is in the lead for Leader of the Republican Caucus.

Recall that throughout history, these types of intraparty races have been the toughest to call early on, and with three weeks to go before the actual voting, no one should be taking stock of public whip counts for either Reps. Roy Blunt or John Boehner.

Late Monday night, both sides and their surrogates were claiming some form of victory.

Boehner released a 37-page manifesto that he clearly had spent a good deal of time on, addressing policy issues across the board to appeal to both conservatives and moderates.

The result: Rep. Mike Castle (Del.) committed at least initially to Boehner late in the day and "hosted" a conference call of fellow moderate members to whip them on Boehner.

Blunt and his operation were putting out messages about announced supporters all day long, conservatives and moderates alike.

Some onlookers guessed that Blunt was slightly ahead in support, others opined that Boehner was pulling ahead.

The reality: no one, not even the prospective leaders' whip organization, really knows where they stand. And they won't for some time.

AN EARLY EDUCATED GUESS? Despite the fact the Blunt had almost double (30-18) the stated supporters by day's end, Boehner may be in the better position to gain a foothold for the position.

He arrived in Washington more than a decade ago from Ohio with the reputation as a reformer, and did just that as a member of the "Gang of 7" that took down the House Post Office and House Bank.

He has served as committee chairman, successfully steering sometimes unpopular legislation through his committee and onto the floor.

In speaking with Democrats, they privately will tell you that their leader, Nancy Pelosi, has had difficulties in the past few days enunciating or even guessing at how to attack Boehner as a potential Republican leader.

"We've tried the K Street crony lines and they don't really work," says the Democratic staffer. "He's been a good representative for his district and he's been low key for the past few years. Despite what the press is saying, he isn't as tainted by things like the Abramoff scandal as others on his side -- or our side -- of the aisle are."

Letter to the Editor

topics:
Nancy Pelosi, John Boehner, Mainstream Media