 |
|
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon With its colorful cache of purples and oranges and reds, COLLARD GREEN SLAW is a marvelous mood booster --- not to mention just downright delish
April 18, 2014
Rabbi Yonason Goldson: Clarifying one of the greatest philosophical conundrums in theology
John Ericson: Trying hard to be 'positive' but never succeeding? Blame Your Brain
The Kosher Gourmet by Julie Rothman Almondy, flourless torta del re (Italian king's cake), has royal roots, is simple to make, . . . but devour it because it's simply delicious
April 14, 2014
Rabbi Dr Naftali Brawer: Passover frees us from the tyranny of time
Eric Schulzke: First degree: How America really recovered from a murder epidemic
Georgia Lee: When love is not enough: Teaching your kids about the realities of adult relationships
Gordon Pape: How you can tell if your financial adviser is setting you up for potential ruin
Dana Dovey: Up to 500,000 people die each year from hepatitis C-related liver disease. New Treatment Has Over 90% Success Rate
Justin Caba: Eating Watermelon Can Help Control High Blood Pressure
April 11, 2014
Rabbi Hillel Goldberg: Silence is much more than golden
Susan Swann: How to value a child for who he is, not just what he does
Susan Scutti: A Simple Blood Test Might Soon Diagnose Cancer
Chris Weller: Have A Slow Metabolism? Let Science Speed It Up For You
April 9, 2014
Jonathan Tobin: Why Did Kerry Lie About Israeli Blame?
Samuel G. Freedman: A resolution 70 years later for a father's unsettling legacy of ashes from Dachau
Jessica Ivins: A resolution 70 years later for a father's unsettling legacy of ashes from Dachau
Matthew Mientka: How Beans, Peas, And Chickpeas Cleanse Bad Cholesterol and Lowers Risk of Heart Disease
April 8, 2014
Dana Dovey: Coffee Drinkers Rejoice! Your Cup Of Joe Can Prevent Death From Liver Disease
Chris Weller: Electric 'Thinking Cap' Puts Your Brain Power Into High Gear
April 4, 2014
Amy Peterson: A life of love: How to build lasting relationships with your children
John Ericson: Older Women: Save Your Heart, Prevent Stroke Don't Drink Diet
John Ericson: Why 50 million Americans will still have spring allergies after taking meds
Sarah Boesveld: Teacher keeps promise to mail thousands of former students letters written by their past selves
April 2, 2014
Dan Barry: Should South Carolina Jews be forced to maintain this chimney built by Germans serving the Nazis?
Frank Clayton: Get happy: 20 scientifically proven happiness activities
Susan Scutti: It's Genetic! Obesity and the 'Carb Breakdown' Gene
|
| |
Jewish World Review
Jan. 27, 2006
/ 27 Teves, 5766
Old vs. new in the House GOP
By
Rich Lowry
| 
|
|
|
|
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
A great drama is playing out among House Republicans these days. It is a fight about their direction in the wake of the Jack Abramoff scandal, and it makes David vs. Goliath look like an even match-up. Rep. John Shadegg, a conservative reformer out of Arizona, is challenging two better-established colleagues for the crucial position of majority leader, after Tom DeLay vacated the position permanently.
The front-runner and likely winner is Rep. Roy Blunt (Missouri), who has been acting majority leader and was majority whip for years under DeLay. Rep. John Boehner (Ohio) is running second and has shrewdly identified his candidacy with reform, although he is a practiced K Street player. The most vivid storyline is Shadegg vs. Blunt, which is playing out as a struggle of new vs. old, outside vs. inside, reform vs. the status quo.
Before Republicans became the majority in 1994, their defining GOP leadership races were ideological. Now, every contender for the majority-leader job has a conservative voting record. The difference is generational and attitudinal.
Granted, they are all 56 years old, and Blunt came to Congress later (in 1996) than the other two. But Tom DeLay took Blunt under his wing, and Blunt learned the ways of DeLay Inc. This isn't to suggest that he did anything wrong; he has a reputation for being more careful than DeLay. But, until the last few weeks, Blunt has given every indication of thinking that earmarks, K Street and corporate dollars are the mother's milk of GOP governance.
After a majority leader is forced to resign because people around him abused his political and financial machine, turning to a product of that same machine strikes many as counterintuitive. As editorial boards, columnists and bloggers have rushed to endorse Shadegg, Blunt has received no outside editorial support. It is reminiscent of the debate over the nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court, except Miers had at least a few scattered supporters in the conservative journalistic and intellectual communities.
Blunt has run the oldest possible old-style campaign. His appeal is partly based on the money and favors he's given other members of Congress, and on pressure to be with the winner. Blunt's leverage is augmented by his decision to keep his whip job even if he fails in his bid for a promotion. Thus, there is not just the typical hint in such races of, "You better be with me if I win — or else," but also the more innovative, "You better be with me if I lose — or else."
A Blunt foray into the outside game fell flat when his conference call with conservative bloggers didn't produce warm feelings, but instead produced a nasty spat between Blunt's spokeswoman and the cyber-pundits.
Underdog Shadegg, a member of the historic class of 1994, has no inside advantages whatsoever. He has only a clean image, a serious commitment to reform and a refreshing insistence that the GOP get back to its government-limiting basics. He offers a fresh start.
In contrast, one front-page article in The New York Times recycling the less-praiseworthy aspects of the Blunt operation — say, his entanglement with the Alexander Strategy Group, a lobbying firm at the center of the Abramoff scandal — will stoke a debate about his past practices. It may well be that Blunt can and should be defended from any such attack, but why, given the choice, would Republicans want to divert their energy this year in defending another majority leader's cozy relations with K Street?
Even GOP lobbyists I have talked to think GOP lobbyists have too much influence. Even Republican insiders in Washington think Republicans have become too comfortable as Washington insiders. There are signs that the House majority is getting the message, as it considers far-reaching reforms. All to the good. What doesn't make sense in this picture is the probable ascendance of a representative of the old regime. New wine should come in a new bottle.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Comment by clicking here.
Rich Lowry Archives
© 2006 King Features Syndicate
|
|
Columnists
Toons
Lifestyles
|
