On the Prowl
The People's Business In the days leading up to the New Year, President Clinton barred several Secret Service agents from the presidential residence while he and Hillary packed some of...
...Chuck Robb...
...Maxine Waters is too old to play in the WNBA-- she throws the best elbows in the business...
...In one recent case, Hatch actually allowed three court nominees backed by Democratic members of the Judiciary Committee to pass through committee for a floor vote, while holding back two Republican-backed nominees slated to fill federal seats in New York and California...
...John Ensign with a z5-point lead over Democratic trial lawyer Ed Bemstein, who wasn't even recruited by the state party...
...When Hill reporters got wind of his absence, rumors began to swirl that Nickles was about to retire to become CEO of the Professional Golfers Association...
...Steny Hoyer, who took a hard shot to the chest from Waters as President Clinton walked down the aisle before the State of the Union address...
...He 14 Marc h 2 o o o _9 The American Spectator then announced the donation at the Democrats' annual retreat, and encouraged other members to donate whatever they could to help win back the House...
...George Allen both lead against Hillary Clinton and Sen...
...Mama Doc Too bad California Rep...
...In his desperation Daschle asked Kerrey's friend former Sen...
...Connie Mack, and Sen...
...Bradley declined, reportedly telling Daschle that ifa solid Democrat like Kerrey was leaving the party in a lurch, there must be a good reason for it...
...Those are internal documents, they didn't come from us," says the RNC source...
...There was some concern that White House property might end up in New York by accident," says a uniformed Secret Service officer...
...How did such talk get started...
...You haven't done it in the past, and the president deserves it this time for everything he has done for you...
...I had ten $1,ooo checks for Senate campaigns, and when I heard about the deal I tore up Lott's...
...Craig and Mack were just sitting there shaking their heads...
...Hastert announced that the House was going to try to push through three different tax-cutting bills in the first few weeks, including an end to the marriage penalty...
...He wanted to raise $1 million at the retreat, but it didn't go as well as he would have liked," said an aide in Gephardt's leadership office...
...He is viewed as a conservative Democrat, who would probably side with Senate Republicans 7 ~ percent of the time...
...ThingsAre Looking Up The good news for the Republican National Committee in late January was that the GOP was less likely to lose control of the House and Senate than a month ago, and it's the Democrats who deserve the most thanks-for failing to attract top talent to run for office...
...Just ask the toll takers along New Hampshire's Everett Turnpike, which Gore's seven-car motorcade regularly traveled without ever paying the 75-cent toll, oftentimes using a lane reserved for wide loads to avoid having to stop...
...A month ago, except for Virginia, we couldn't say that...
...One group won't even pretend to cooperate: The Black Caucus, which fundraises on its own, has yet to provide a dime to the greater DCCC cause...
...One Gore advance man says that, to his knowledge, Gore didn't pay a single toll in the six months he regularly visited New Hampshire...
...Then all eyes fell on Lott, who said he didn't feel comfortable putting a taxcut bill first on the Senate agenda...
...DCCC Chairman Patrick Kennedy promised $1oo,ooo (and a month later had yet to pony up...
...Days before the New Hampshire primary, Gore's motorcade refused to stop at the Bedford toll plaza, even though a toll taker frantically signaled for the cars to pull in and pay up...
...Bob Kerrey, who is retiring without having changed his mind about Bill Clinton...
...Instead, Kerrey will selectively contribute to House and Senate campaigns...
...Just ask Rep...
...Hastert was giving Lott an easy win, particularly when we knew the president was going to support the marriage penalty bill," says an aide who attended the meeting...
...Democratic Caucus Chairman Martin Frost promised $5o,ooo (and has paid it...
...We have at least five conservative federal nominees that Orrin Hatch has kept hostage in Judiciary and Lott cuts a deal for the liberals," laments a conservative lobbyist...
...Nickles's people might want to check with Lott's staffers...
...Kennedy has tried to pry money from the Black Caucus, but those members aren't interested," says the Gephardt aide...
...The president needs to hear your applause and support loud and clear," Ucelli told them...
...But Lott couldn't have done it without the help of a key Republican...
...Podesta and Lockhart nodded as Ucelli continued, "The president is going to give all your bosses something to cheer about...
...Perhaps in an effort to crow, someone at the RNC evidently faxed the latest poll numbers to DNC headquarters and to House and Senate Democratic leaders...
...On the Democratic side, former Governor Ben Nelson is a fiscal conservative who opposes late-term abortions and supports parental notification...
...Not One Plug Nickles On January 2o, Speaker of the House Denny Hastert, Majority Leader Dick Armey, whip Tom DeLay, Sen...
...Kerrey told him that the party had only itself to blame for siding with men of weak character like Clinton and Gore...
...Then why did "from [RNC head] Jim Nicholson" appear at the top of each faxed page...
...KerreyOn The retirement of Nebraska Sen...
...Virgil Goode, who was about to announce he was leaving the party to become an independent, and the tack for Sen...
...The People's Business In the days leading up to the New Year, President Clinton barred several Secret Service agents from the presidential residence while he and Hillary packed some of their belongings for the big move to their new Chappaqua, New York home...
...The American Spectator _9 March 20 o o 15...
...Trent Lott, Sen...
...You learn pretty fast to get out of the way if you're between Maxine and a camera," says a Democratic member...
...Lott's killing us with these agreements...
...Adding insult to injury, when Daschle asked Kerrey if he would leave the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee whatever campaign funds he might have--an estimated $3 million-the Nebraskan turned him down...
...At a late January press conference with the grandmothers of Eli~n Gonz~ilez, she elbowed Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee out of the way in order to be in position to speak first...
...Now it's stuck with him...
...In the days before Kerrey's late January announcement, Minority Leader Tom Daschle lobbied him hard not to jump ship...
...For the record, cars carrying the press did stop and pay...
...So make sure your bosses are ready...
...Take the Senate race in Nevada...
...Hillary's office had tried to keep the agents out on its own, only to be informed by the Secret Service that for security reasons it was required to observe the packers and movers...
...We were told that no artwork, no furniture, and no rugs were to leave the building...
...According to one attendee, two press secretaries were kept out of the meeting: the tack for Virginia's Rep...
...Internal RNC polling during the third week of January showed former GOP Rep...
...As for Hatch, he's been bottling up judicial nominees perceived to have the support of organizations or interest groups that have failed to support him in the past...
...Larry Craig met in the speaker's office to plan out the legislative agenda for the first month of the new session...
...We hear about them from staffers after the fact," adds a conservative activist...
...Judicial Review Even before the 2ooo legislative session began, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott angered many Republicans by cutting a deal with Minority Leader Tom Daschle that ended a confirmation filibuster over two liberal judges up for federal appointment...
...That's because the only members who committed money were people who ran the campaign committee...
...Bob Kerrey further clouds the Senate picture for Democrats...
...Money Matters House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt is putting his supporters' money where his mouth is...
...Pep Rally On January z5, White House Chief of Staff John Podesta, Press Secretary Joe Lockhart, and Communications Director Loretta Ucelli briefed all Democratic press secretaries on the upcoming State of the Union address...
...He told Kerrey that his exit would seal the party's fate in November, that they couldn't take back the Hill," says an aide in Daschle's office...
...At worst, we've got better than a 50-5 ~ chance of taking those three seats away," says an RNC source...
...When a few reporters asked Gore why he didn't pay tolls, he said it was for security reasons...
...Stenberg is considered a solid conservative, and will probably be endorsed quickly by George W. Bush...
...The leading GOP candidate is probably state Attorney General Don Stenberg, who lost the nomination in 1996 to Chuck Hagel...
...Both Mack and Craig insisted that the Senate could pass the marriage penalty bill within the first week, but Lott remained noncommittal...
...Armey and DeLay reported that they could get that bill, as well as a bill expanding education savings accounts, through the full House...
...When the House chamber's TV camera hit the spot where Hoyer would have stood, Waters was there instead...
...He recently cut a $250,000 check from his campaign coffers to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee...
...Waters is an equal-opportunity enforcer...
...Win-Win The Nebraska Senate seat might be good for Republicans, but it may be even better for conservatives...
...Lott just couldn't see it...
...In New York and Virginia, Rudy Giuliani and former Gov...
...Notably absent from the meeting was Senate deputy majority leader Don Nickles, who was out of town...
...Highway Robbers Vice President A1 Gore says he's learned a lot from Bill Clinton, and apparently he has...
...Some caucus members help individual Democrats fundraise in their districts, but when it comes to big time money they don't do it...
...So while the Secret Service wasn't allowed to observe the packing, it did inspect every box that left the residence before it was put into a secure moving van...
...Bill Bradley to intercede...
Vol. 33 • March 2000 • No. 2
