NANCY IN DISTRESS
House Democrat Leader Nancy Pelosi was talking a
tough game about what would happen to Republicans and the Bush
Administration if Democrats take back the House in November. She
promised major investigations of the President and members of his
administration. She promised more money in homeland security
spending, and a roll back of President Bush’s prescription drug
plan.
Why the tough talk? The results in Ohio, where Democrat
pollsters brought back comparatively bad news. Despite record
spending for primaries, Democrats barely improved on primary
numbers they had in the state back in 2002 for mid-term elections.
Nationally, while approval numbers for Republicans edge down into
the “teens,” Republican turnout has been surprisingly good, and it
now appears that several seats targeted by Democrats in Ohio,
California, Texas and Florida will not be in their column in
November.
“Pelosi’s been talking a good game, but her party’s numbers
aren’t holding up,” says a Democratic leadership aide who is
working behind the scenes to remove Pelosi after the mid-term
elections.
In fact, a number of people are working behind the scenes to
remove Pelosi. According to congressional sources, her deputy,
Democratic whip Rep. Steny Hoyer, and his staff
have been making it clear to a number of different business
interest groups that they do not support Pelosi’s virulently
anti-business positions and that they are more than willing to
help.
“What comes across is that Hoyer wants Pelosi’s job. He knows it
will take money to do it and he’s reaching out to groups that
normally don’t have followings in Democratic circles, such as
telecom, small businesses and various chamber of commerce groups,”
says a lobbyist for a manufacturers coalition. “Hoyer’s fundraisers
are making it clear that his leadership PAC is becoming a good
venue to kill two birds with one stone: get our issues heard and
work against Pelosi.”
WE’VE ONLY JUST BEGUN
Word is that Josh Bolten isn’t through with
changes at the senior level of the White House and President Bush’s
Cabinet. While the resignation of CIA chief Porter
Goss was a surprise, Bolten and others were aware that it
would come sooner rather than later after witnessing turf battles
between Goss and National Intelligence chief John
Negroponte over that past couple of months.
According to White House sources, Treasury Secretary
John Snow remains in limbo and is growing
increasingly frustrated by his tenuous position. It is believed
that he will stay on, though, through May, perhaps into June. After
that, all bets are off.
Another Cabinet member considering jumping back to the private
sector: Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao. There is
also talk that Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez
may take on a new, higher profile role in the administration,
though that role has not been clearly defined.
