Mullings A Political Cyber Column By Rich Galen

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Tougher Than They Though

Monday, March 5, 2001

Dan Balz, one of the top political writers in the country, had a piece in yesterday's Washington Post titled: "President's Words Belie His Tactics, Democrats Charge." The thesis of the story has to do with the manner in which the House Ways and Means Committee, chaired by Californian Bill Thomas, passed the President's tax package - pretty much as written - on a straight party line vote.

Not only that, but the Chairman of the Rules Committee, David Dreier, another Californian, has proposed a rule which will not allow Democrats to offer a substitute on the floor.

Unlike the U.S. Senate, where almost anything goes when it comes to considering a piece of legislation, a bill comes to the House floor with a specific rule, how long it will be debated, often how many amendments, and in this case whether "an amendment in the nature of a substitute" will be in order.

It won't.

The strategy here is to get the tax bill onto the House Floor and over to the Senate as quickly as possible before the Democrats and their allies have an opportunity to pick it apart by driving wedges where ever they can.

For most Americans, the details of a piece of tax legislation makes for reading which is exactly as interesting as the End User License Agreement that comes with Microsoft's Office 2000.

But for special interests - and their allies on the public payroll - there is no semi-colon which is too deeply buried not to be analyzed, dissected, discussed and, of course, lobbied.

What Bush, Thomas and Dreier have launched, is a plan to reduce taxes which cuts out the lobbyists - on the left and the right.

A major problem for the Dems is one with which many of us are very, very familiar: When it comes to message, the White House Trumps everything. Ev-ree-thing.

Consider this. Following the 1994 election in which the GOP took over the House, the Republicans had as their principal spokesmen: Newt Gingrich, Speaker of the House; Bob Dole, Senate Majority Leader; and Haley Barbour, Chairman of the Republican National Committee.

Each of these men are skilled - highly skilled - communicators. None was camera shy and they put in long hours briefing reporters, doing interview shows, and running around the country giving speeches to the faithful.

Shortly after the Congress organized in 1995, Bill Clinton held a press conference to, in effect, announce that he was still relevant in Washington, DC.

By December of that year, Clinton had shut down the government and backed the Congressional Republicans into a corner from which they only emerged this past December.

What do the Democrats have which compares to the Gingrich-to-Barbour-to-Dole double-play combo? House Minority leader Dick Gephardt; Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle; and Democratic National Committee chairman Terry "Beth Who?" MacAuliffe.

Against President George W. Bush.

Who do you think is going to win THIS argument?

Not only that, but the President has a considerable amount of political cover in the House. He can simply say, "You try to tell Bill Thomas what to do" and most people who have been here for very long will nod and agree.

And the House Leadership - Speaker Dennis Hastert and Whip Tom DeLay - have apparently told the President he has the votes, so why not go for it? What's a better headline: "Bush Wins First Legislative Battle" or "Democrats Force Bush Concessions on Tax Bill?"

That is not to say that the Senate won't force changes. The aforementioned Tom Daschle is a member of the Senate Finance Committee. That committee is chaired by Republican Chuck Grassley of Iowa but, under the rules adopted earlier this year, it has a 10-10 split between Republicans and Democrats.

Travelogue: The 37th annual Dorchester Conference was held this weekend in Seaside, Oregon which is slightly closer to anything than Mars, but not much. On the trip from Portland to Seaside you pass a sign which announces the largest Sitka Spruce tree in the world. A large tree in Oregon? Go figure.

Then to Asheville, North Carolina for the Buncombe [pronounced "bunkum"] County Lincoln Day Dinner which was held in the University of North Carolina at Asheville gym. You can have National Conventions. I'll take a county Lincoln Day dinner any day.

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