Correspondents' Correspondence White House Tiff
SCHIEFFER, BOB
coirespondents> orresponaence BRIEF TAKEOUTS OF MORE THAN PERSONAL INTEREST FROM LETTERS AND OTHER COMMUNICATIONS RECEIVED BY THE EDITORS. White House Tiff Washington—Jimmy Carter was still...
...White House Tiff Washington—Jimmy Carter was still beaming in the afterglow of Camp David late last month when he was reminded that Washington remains a tough town—no matter what your ac-, complishments—where the key question often is: What have you done for me today...
...Some wonder whether Byrd would have as difficult a time without the date-certain agreement as is being suggested by the Administration...
...From the reports of various people who were present, here is what happened...
...Although White House sources disputed assertions that Carter had questioned Conyers' loyalty, according to other sources Conyers was heard to say that he did not appreciate having his loyalty and patriotism questioned...
...He stayed in seclusion the remainder of the day, but the rest of the Black Caucus went to Capitol Hill for a news conference...
...There was none of that sterile language about a frank exchange of views: instead, both sides conceded a shouting match had erupted...
...He told the President he should take the leaders of the Senate, both Republicans and Democrats, to a Camp David summit and keep them there until they agree to set a date for debating the bill...
...They could not help noticing, though, that the usually affable Conyers was steaming as he brushed by them, refused to speak, got in his car and drove off...
...What all agree on is that at that point Conyers did what White House visitors seldom do—he got up and stalked angrily from the room...
...While Byrd could still bring the bill up for debate, without that firm agreement on a date certain, he would run the risk of a filibuster...
...That was the question he got at the White House from the Congressional Black Caucus...
...Mitchell worried about an antitax mood, a "Proposition 13 fever" he called it, sweeping the country and dooming Humphrey-Hawkins unless it is passed soon...
...Carter called that approach inappropriate, and that produced some harsh language from Conyers...
...Michigan Democrat John Con-yers suggested a new approach...
...Not insignificantly, the White House confrontation took place just as the Black Caucus was preparing for its annual weekend of meetings and fundraisers, events that brought some 8,000 black politicians and community activists to Washington...
...The clock is ticking...
...But the bottom line is that with so many pieces of major legislation still hanging fire—such things as energy, the tax bill and hospital cost containment—the White House is not ready to run a filibuster risk...
...While it was clear that some members did not approve of Conyers' Camp David strategy, it was equally clear that everyone believed Humphrey-Hawkins was in deep trouble...
...Black Caucus members came to the White House to talk to the President about re-emphasizing his support for the Humphrey-Hawkins bill, which has been considerably watered down since it was introduced but still sets specific goals for reducing unemployment...
...People get angry all the time in Washington, but the remarkable thing about the heated meeting between the President and the Black Caucus members was the fact that the news got out fast and no one tried to gloss it over...
...The National Black Leadership Conference, an informal association of 150 black leaders from such groups as the NAACP, the Urban League ahd Operation Push, also held a session here in conjunction with the Black Caucus weekend...
...The root of the problem appears to be that Senate Majority Leader Robert Byrd has been unable to get the Republicans to agree on a date certain for holding the Humphrey-Hawkins bill debate on the Senate floor...
...This means that the fate of Humphrey-Hawkins, one of the most controversial pieces of legislation ever written, still remains uncertain.—Bob Schieffkr...
...Reporters who were waiting outside did not know then what had happened...
...All of us were tense," said Representative Parren Mitchell of Maryland...
...We have a gut feeling that if we don't get a full employment bill this session, we won't get one in the foreseeable future...
...It also triggered a sharp response from Vice President Walter F. Mondale, who at one point said that he resented Conyers' attitude...
Vol. 61 • October 1978 • No. 20
