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Records of the White House Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff (Reagan Administration)
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Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
Digital Library Collections
This is a PDF of a folder from our textual collections.
Collection: Deaver, Michael
Folder Title: Washington Times "Alice in
Potomac Land" re: MKD and JAB
Box: 60
To see more digitized collections
visit: https://reaganlibrary.gov/archives/digital-library
To see all Ronald Reagan Presidential Library inventories visit:
https://reaganlibrary.gov/document-collection
Contact a reference archivist at: [email protected]
Citation Guidelines: https://reaganlibrary.gov/citing
National Archives Catalogue: https://catalog.archives.gov/
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
April 5, 1984
Mr. Deaver:
The highlighted portions
pertain to you and JAB.
I have not rescheduled the
Whalen lunch yet -- JAB not
real interested and am having
difficulty in securing a
mutually convenient time for
the three of you.
Holel for if
WASH. TIMES: 3-27-84
ALICE
IN
POTOMAC
LAND
Moral victories (and losses)
The Moral Majority is readying its list of
four senators to target for defeat in this year's
elections. Their sin was to vote against the
school prayer amendment last week, and MM
wants to set an example, just like other con-
servatives did following the vote to give away
the Panama Canal.
The religious right really did have an impact
on the Senate vote last week. Keep in mind that
one-third of the Senate is up for re-election ev-
ery two years. Well, a whopping 70 percent of
this year's "third" voted for the prayer res-
olution. Just barely half (53 percent) of
the class of '86 supported it, while those who
don't face the electorate until 1988 (and who
apparently think that Moral Majoritarians have
short memories) could muster only 45 percent
of their numbers for an aye vote.
Those who helped defeat the amendment
should ponder this fact: A recent Market Opin-
ion Research poll discovered that nearly half of
the public watches at least one electronic
preacher each week. And those guys, as a rule,
Democrat Rep. Daniel Rostenkowski, chairman
have very long memories indeed.
of the Ways and Means Committee.
Mr. Rostenkowski is the real winner in this
The New Right still hopes to fill Ed Meese's
year's budget battle, having first won an in-
White House shoes with one of their own. Re-
traparty battle (with budget chairman Jim
cently, they enlisted the support of the Reagan
Jones who wanted a much larger tax increase).
Kitchen Cabinet in this effort, and Mr. Reagan's
For Republicans, this cozy Reagan-
old buddies soon gathered in the Oval Office to
Rostenkowski agreement deprives them of an
discuss the problem. Holmes Tuttle presided.
election year issue. Evidently, there is no dif-
Just as the meeting got under way, Mike
ference between the two parties on taxes - ex-
Deaver, the presidential valet, walked into the
cept in Jim Jones' district, of course.
room Although they had been promised a pri
vate audience, Mr. Tuttle (whose son works at
Any notion that the budget austerity means
the White House) decided against asking Mike
there is a lid on spending in the bureaucracy
to leave. As a matter of fact, none of these sup-
went out the window last week with the news
posedly two-fisted businessmen had the nerve
Education Secretary Bell had for us. The Na-
to explain that Mike is part of the problem.
tional Institute for Education will have $800
So the minutes passed amiably. Mr.
million more for new programs in the coming
Reagan waved goodbye to his pals, and Mr.
year. And that translates to hiring 41 additional
Deaver walked quietly back to his office. Mis-
bureaucrats.
sion accomplished.
Perhaps it's something in the spring air that
President Reagan went to Capitol Hill last
only affects folks from Illinois. But Rep. Henry
Wednesday to drum up support for the
Hyde, the House's pre-eminent pro-lifer, has
so-called down payment on the budget deficit.
been giving aid and comfort to the enemy. He
First, he met with Senate Republicans. After
put in the Congressional Record a glowing tri-
the cameras recorded the opening
bute to Ted Olson, counselor to the attorney
statement and the doors were closed, the pres-
general, completely forgetting, we suppose,
ident fell back upon the kind of platitudes for
that Mr. Olson led the fight against the
which he is noted, leading one senator to spec-
president's Sanctity of Human Life proclama-
ulate that there was probably more interesting
tion.
conversation among the pages in the
cloakroom. Several senators reported that Mr.
Friendship is carried to a fault by this ad-
Reagan's response to a question regarding
ministration. Bill Casey, the CIA director, is
defense cuts was a rambling story about a Ma-
trying to get his general counsel, Stanley
rine whose mother died of cancer.
Sporkin, appointed to the U.S. District Court
Meandering on over to the House of Repre-
here despite strong opposition from the busi-
sentatives, the president succeeded in getting
ness community, which thinks he is a Naderite,
applause from assembled House Republicans
and from right-to-lifers, who say he is pro-
twice. - when he arrived and when he left. One
abortion.
member of the House GOP leadership mut-
tered afterwards, "Why did he bother coming
The author is a political insider who must
up here?" The real problem for Republican
remain anonymous in order to tell tales out of
congressmen is that Mr. Reagan bought the
school.
budget compromise advocated by
WASH TIMES 3-6-84
ALICE
IN
POTOMAC
LAND
Deaver and the Chicoms
One of the real growth industries in our
country today is communism. Yes, communism.
Russian treaty violations (which had been ap-
Not the political philosophy, but rather the
proved by the White House) in favor of a
question of who gets to be the liaison with com-
sloppy. meandering extemporaneous statement
munist countries when the United States ex-
that most of the representatives found dull at
pands its trading partnerships with them. And
best, insulting at worst, Then, he compounded
if you think it is big business now, wait until
the problem by bluntly refusing to answer most
you see what it's like after the president gets
questions. Those who fought for Mr. Adelman
back from Red China!
to get his present job are aghast again. Should
On the other hand, don't rush out to try and
he seek a future government job, he would be
get a piece of the action. Chances are, Mike
well-advised to advertise in the help wanted
Deaver beat you to it.
section of Democrat Today, the publication of
Currently, Mike is deputy chief of staff at
the Democratic National Committee.
the White House. But those jobs don't last for-
Well, if Ken Adelman is with us, can Peter
ever, and the day is coming when Mike must re
Mc Pherson be far behind? The answer, of
turn to the world of public relations. And when
course, is yes. Only a few weeks after "60 Min-
he does, look for the Chinese communists to
utes" did a shocking story about the compul-
come walking through the door with him. Mike
sory abortion and sterilization programs in
has cultivated close ties with them and one be-
communist China, AID Director McPherson
gins to suspect that it stems from more than a
sent legislation to Capitol Hill that would re-
desire to find a pen pal.
peal prohibition against direct U.S. aid to the
In retrospect, this probably explains why
Red Chinese. Alice thinks she detects the
the deputy chief of staff was escorting Chinese
beginning of a Chicom fetish in the administra-
Premier Zhao Ziyang on his visit to the United
tion.
States in January - a visit that culminated in
Much to the dismay of the State Depart-
the signing of a new industrial accord.
ment, liberals and conservatives alike on Capi-
As columnist William Safire pointed out, Mr.
tol Hill are balking at implementing the
Deaver's interest in improving relations be-
Kissinger Commission recommendations on
tween Washington and Peking goes back as far
aid to El Salvador. The left opposes it for
as 1981 when he arranged a meeting between
the usual reasons, while conservatives feel
the president and Y.K. Pao, who once parlayed
more aid only prolongs the agony. As the de-
a single boat into a shipping empire in Hong
partment puts on a full court press to drum up
Kong before switching his loyalties to the com-
conservative support for the aid program, it
munist Chinese.
also is trying to affect the outcome of the pres-
idential election in El Salvador by denying a
Very foreign policies indeed
visa to Roberto Aubisson to come to the
United States, there just might suddenly be
South Africa has thrown in the towel,
enough votes to pass the Kissinger aid bill.
capitulating to the protests of Mozambique that
it was aiding the resistance unit there. If you
guessed that a Kremlin threat was behind
Learning experiences
South Africa's change of heart, guess again.
The administration's clumsy handling of the
The policy change comes courtesy of our very
school prayer issue has a lot of Reaganites
own State Department. Foggy Bottom passed
scratching their heads. The White House head
the word that the traditional U.S. veto of U.N.
count of Senate supporters of the school prayer
resolutions imposing sanctions against South
resolution listed two of the measure's
Africa will cease unless they mend their ways
strongest supporters - Bill Armstrong and
and quit offending their Marxist neighbors.
Roger Jepsen - as questionable. Before the
Meanwhile, at a March 1 briefing of Repub-
laughter dies down, let us also point out
lican congressmen, ACDA Director Ken Adel-
that even Howard Baker, the chief sponsor, had
man threw away his tough, prepared text on
a question mark by his name.
WASH
TIMES
:
2-28-84
ALICE
IN
POTOMAC
LAND
Haig vs. du Pont
If you're a friend of Al Haig's, you may want
to inquire about his health. You see, he said that
Gov. Pete du Pont of Delaware would only be-
come vice chairman of the prestigious Hudson
Institute "over my dead body." Al is the chair-
man, and usually he knows. However, the gover-
nor has been named vice chairman and now
the contest begins to see which man will really
In any event, the news gets Dick Lugar,
run Hudson's Washington office. Mr. Haig has
chairman of the Senate Republican campaign
his own presidential plans for 1988,and he sees
committee, off the hook. Most observers had
Mr. du Pont as a possible rival for the Repub-
lican nomination.
fingered him as the culprit who was meddling
in the Massachusetts primary.
Staff changes at the White House: Frank
Donatelli, the oldest Young American for Free-
Jim Jenkins, Mr. Meese's deputy, will not
be accompanying Mr. Meese to the Justice De-
dom, has been named Faith Whittlesey's deputy
in the public liaison office. Karna Small tells
partment. And he won't be going to China ei-
friends she will leave White House Communi-
ther. You see, Mr. Meese had asked that he be
cations to run the public relations office at the
represented on the upcoming presidential visit
National Security Council.
by his man Mr. Jenkins. But Mike Deaver said
Clever planning by conservatives in the
no here is, after all, that bothersome limit of
House of Representatives may get the school
500 that the Chinese imposed on the American
prayer amendment passed yet. The House Re-
delegation. To add Mr. Jenkins to the list would
publican Study Committee guarantees head-
mean bumping someone else off - perhaps one.
lines at this week's hearings. The
of the secret lovers mentioned in last week's
committee has scheduled both Joe Gibbs and
column, both of whom are on the manifest.
Tom Landry, respective coaches of the
The president himself will have to represent
Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys,
the conservatives in Communist China (not that
to appear.
conservatives care much whether they are re-
presented there or not).
Formidable couple
To tax or not to tax
Behind every successful man, you'll find a
successful woman. So, if Sen. Bob Dole be-
At almost the precise moment that Jack
comes the next Senate majority leader, he may
Svahn, director of the administration's Office
have wife Elizabeth, the secretary of
of Policy Development, was assuring con-
transportation, to thank for it. One of
servatives Mr. Reagan would not sign off on
Elizabeth's top aides says the price for her ap-
any tax increase, White House aides were pass-
pearance on behalf of a Republican Senate can-
ing the word that certain revenue "en-
didate is a commitment to vote for Bob for
hancements" were acceptable after all.
leader. Meanwhile, the senator has his own way
Specifically, these aides have given the
of dealing with Senate candidates. According to
green light to both Republican Sen. Bob Dole,
Kirk Clinklenbeard who runs Campaign
chairman of the Finance Committee, and
America, the Dole PAC, a sizable contribution
Democratic Congressman Dan Rostenkowski,
went to Sen. Roger Jepsen's re-election cam-
chairman of the Ways and Means Committee,
paign with the understanding that Mr. Jepsen
whose not-too-dissimilar revenue-raising plans
is to throw his support to the senator from Kan-
would increase taxes by $50 billion in the next
sas.
three years. The hitch is that none of this can
The first effects of Ed Meese's departure
be referred to as a tax increase, but must be
from the White House have been felt, and ap-
called loophole closing instead.
parently conservative fears are well-founded.
All of this was quietly worked out amicably
Two examples:
last week with aides to Senate leader Howard
Liberal Elliot Richardson is entering the
Baker participating in the discussions. The
Republican senatorial primary in Massachu-
president's men even managed to sidetrack at-
setts against conservative Ray Shamie, and
tempts to repeal the indexing program.
guess who talked him into it? None other than
Whether the administration can save face by
our own Ronald Reagan. The president's tele-
calling a tax an enhancement remains to be
phone plea to Mr. Richardson was arranged by
seen.
presidential aide Dick Darman, a longtime
Richardson associate.
As for the well-meaning Mr. Svahn, the in-
cident demonstrates better than words why he
Had Mr. Meese still been operating as White
cannot act as the intermediary for con-
House counselor, he never would have permit-
servatives at the White House in the wake of
ted the president to make that call. He surely
would have pointed out that Mr. Shamie was
Ed Meese's departure. He simply doesn't have
one of the first on board the Reagan-for-
the clout.
President campaign in 1980, while Mr. Richard-
The author is a political insider who must stay
son was trying to deny Mr. Reagan the nomina-
anonymous in order to tell tales out of school.
tion.
WASH. TIMES: 2-14-84
ALICE
IN POTOMAC LAND
The ayes of Texas
Republican fortunes in the Senate appear to be
looking up. The big news is in Michigan where astro-
For those of you who keep track of Democrats
naut Jack Lousma is coming on strong. In West Vir-
working in the Reagan administration, here is an ad-
ginia, the on-again, off-again entry of former Gov.
dition. The deputy in the White House scheduling
Arch Moore into the Senate race is apparently in the
office is Ann Brock, who once worked for Rep. Sonny
on position for good. The latest poll in North Carolina
Montgomery, D-Miss. As a matter of fact, her job was
shows Sen. Jesse Helms and Gov. Hunt tied at 47.1
arranged during a tennis match between Mr. Mont-
percent each. (Don't let the tie fool you. Gov. Hunt's
gomery and Vice President Bush.
popularity has declined about 10 points while Sen.
Speaking of Democrats, Diane Dewhirst, deputy
Helms was moving up in the polls.)
director of communications at the Democratic Na-
The story in Texas, however, is different. There,
tional Committee, now works for ABC News as a re-
everybody and his brother wants John Tower's Senate
searcher in their political unit. Just remember that
seat. For awhile, it was thought Bob Krueger had the
when you hear Peter Jennings tonight. His voice, but
Democratic senatorial nomination all to himself.
her words.
Not so anymore. Conservative Kent Hance and liberal
Lloyd Doggett are moving up steadily and a run-off
The author is a political insider who must remain
between the top two is now certain. The only question
anonymous in order to tell tales out of school.
is which two will make it. Mr. Krueger just might
end up the odd man out. He's "out of gas and out of
money" according to one of his opponents. Mr.
Krueger has another problem - talking out of both
sides of his mouth. When confronted with evidence
that he had advocated building the B-1 bomber before
a conservative group and opposed it before a liberal
audience, he fumbled again, saying, "I guess I'm
against it now."
Texas Republicans have three vying for the nomi-
nation - Ron Mosbacher, who once worked for Sen.
Howard Baker, and two congressmen, Phil Gramm
and Ron Paul. Like Mr. Krueger, Mr. Gramm once had
things all sewed up. But he now finds himself on the
target end of one of the nation's nastiest dog fights.
Ron Paul has convinced the fundamentalists that Mr.
Gramm is pro-abortion - a charge Mr. Gramm
heatedly denies. Meanwhile, Mr. Mosbacher is
spending the bucks as if he owned the Bureau of En-
graving and Printing. One of the six names above will
be the next senator from Texas. Which one will Texas
say aye to? As of now, it could be any of them.
From personnel files
If Deputy Secretary of State Ken Dam leaves the
department for a faculty position at Harvard, look for
the frantic squabble over who will replace him. Con-
servative anger over the possibility that a disciple of
Henry Kissinger might get the appointment was so
intense that the man in question decided to leave
State instead.
AID Director Peter McPherson was interested in
taking the number two job at the Department of
Health and Human Services which has been vacant
for months. However, Secretary Margaret Heckler
nixed the deal, saying she needs a liberal woman in-
stead. Peter could only swing half of it.
Presidential adviser Mike Deaver apparently
burned up the telephone lines when he learned that
the New Right wanted old friend Joe Coors to take Ed
Meese's place in the White House. Those who were
called describe the conversations as "lengthy and un-
pleasant." One-time conservative Lyn Nofziger has
jumped into the controversy and defends the decision
not to replace Mr. Meese by saying that the White
House can at last speak with one voice. And he didn't
mean Mr. Reagan's.
If you think the talk around the White House is
about budget deficits and the situation in Lebanon,
you're wrong. Get an insider to speak candidly and he
will tell you about the two administration figures
whose not-so-secret romance was paraded in front of
the first lady recently. Since he's married to
someone else, aides tried to shield the truth from
Nancy, but she caught on anyway. Considering the
parties involved, this could be a major election-year
embarrassment for the administration.
WASH. TIMES: 1-31-84
ALICE
IN POTOMAC LAND
Fun and games with Bob and Tip
Last week, we told you that a band of conservative
Republicans in the House, led by Bob Walker of Penn-
sylvania, were going to spend much of this year
fighting what they call the tyranny of the Democratic
majority. This is what happened during the first
week:
The first bill Mr. Walker tried to "motion up"
was the one to permit prayer in schools. Democratic
leaders were caught off guard, and since unanimous
consent requests can be stopped by a single objec-
tion, a floor aide asked freshman Democrat Ron Cole-
man of Texas to do the objecting. Moments later, con-
servative organizations were inundating the media
in Mr. Coleman's conservative district with press re-
The White House follies
leases pointing out that he was responsible for
keeping God out of the classroom. Bumper stickers
News that Ed Meese will depart the White House
bearing the words, "Ron Hasn't Got a Prayer" are
to run the Justice Department (thereby leaving the
said to be in production.
Executive Mansion in the hands of Jim Baker) is the
When Rep. Newt Gingrich of Georgia moved that
reason why conservatives look so glum these days.
the House take up the constitutional amendment re-
Perhaps they will take comfort in the knowledge that
quiring a balanced federal budget, objection was
the decision was really a slap at Mr. Baker. According
heard from Rep. Pat Schroeder, D-Colo., even though
to insiders, both men wanted to be attorney general,
she is a co-sponsor of the resolution. Press releases
but President Reagan chose his old friend from Cali
pointing this out were soon on their way to Denver.
fornia
Speaker Tip O'Neill retaliated by making up a
White House moderates, by the way, are chuckling
new rule which he said was based on an old custom
about how they put one over on the president. They
that no one could remember. Unanimous consent re-
sold Mr. Reagan on the idea of challenging congres-
quests of this sort must now have the approval of the
sional leaders to join him in a bipartisan effort to cut
leadership in both parties. This brought a horse laugh
federal spending. What the president didn't know was
from the Republican Whip, Trent Lott, who re-
that Dick Darman and Dave Stockman were playing
marked, "The Democrats have never checked any-
with a stacked deck - they already knew who would
thing with us before." But Mr. Walker and his col-
be appointed to represent the House and the Senate.
leagues had been temporarily stopped. By the end of
From the Senate: Sens. Dole, Domenici, Hatfield,
the week, however, they were back at their old stand
Inouye From the House: Reps. Wright, Conte.
trying to clear their requests in public with the
Conable, Latta and Lott. All of them, except Mr. Lott,
speaker. One of Tip's aides remarked that Mr. Walker
are ready to recommend tax increases in lieu of
was like political fly paper. The speaker tried to shake
spending cuts.
him off, but he just wouldn't go away.
No one should get the idea, however, that
The conservatives managed to get two votes —
everything is peaches-and-cream for moderates in
one to instruct the Rules Committee to investigate the
this administration. Three of them - Mr. Darman,
accuracy of the Congressional Record and one to in-
Fred Fielding and Larry Speakes — are angry about
vestigate proxy voting in the committees. Both pro-
the seating arrangements at state dinners. The
posals were buried in an avalanche of Democratic
first lady sees that they are invited, but assigns them
votes.
to the tables on the lower level where less-important
Republicans resurrected a seldom-used parlia-
guests must listen to the proceedings over a loud-
mentary device called Calendar Wednesday which en-
speaker. All three made a pact to turn down every
ables chairmen to bring up legislation they have re-
future invitation to these glittering occasions. How-
ported from their committees. Some committees
ever, our informant laughs that when they see this in
- Judiciary, for one - make a big fuss about report-
print, the three gentlemen will be forced to accept
ing controversial bills - regulatory reform mea-
the next few invitations anyway, just to prove they
sures, for instance — which for some mysterious rea-
aren't angry after all.
son never get called up for debate. Mr. Walker
The departure of Morton Blackwell, the
concedes that it is only a matter of time before the
president's liaison to conservatives, deprives the
speaker changes the rules so that Calendar Wednes-
right of one more solid voice in the inner councils.
day is no longer a viable tool.
Among those being discussed as possible re-
The elected Republican leader, Bob Michel,
placements are Pat Pizella, who was Jerry Carmen's
doesn't understand what all the fuss is about. He has
right-hand man at the GSA; Marvin Leibman, now
always maintained cordial relations with the
with the National Endowment for the
speaker and seems somewhat embarrassed about the
Humanities; Don Todd, former director of the
activities going on about him. Behind the scenes he
American Conservative Union: Kathy Teague, who
gave Mr. Walker mild encouragement, but publicly, he
heads the American Legislative Exchange Council;
scolded the conservatives with fatherly advice:
and Robert Reilly, who has already taken over Mr.
once you've made your point, get on with the business
Blackwell's chores with the White House outreach
of governing." Mr. Walker, however, replies that de-
group on Central America.
mocracy exists everywhere in America except
the House of Representatives, and the business of
The author is a political insider who must remain
governing means dealing with issues that concern the
anonymous in order to tell tales out of school.
American people, not just those which re-elect
Democrats.
WASH. TIMES: 12-6-83
ALICE
IN POTOMAC LAND
Storm clouds over the Hill
All of which reminds us that the White House is
Most of his friends bet he won't do it, but Con-
trying to scotch the rumor that one of its highest
gressman Ed Bethune, the Arkansas Republican, is
ranking blacks, J.J. Simmons, undersecretary of the
on the verge of running for the Senate seat now held
Interior, is about to leave his post. This hasn't stopped
by David Pryor. Back in 1978, Rep. Bethune started
Dave Swanson, who once worked for John Anderson
60 points down in his first House race, but managed a
and is now a member of the Reagan congressional
victory just the same. That alone should give Sen.
relations team, from campaigning for the job. Mr.
Pryor pause for thought.
Swanson's ambitions may come as a shock to
Bethune's reputation for being a middle-of-the-
Sen. Paul Laxalt who has his own candidate, a fellow
road Republican masks his enormous popularity with
Nevadan.
the Christian right. He is a solid supporter of the
conservative position on social issues, which Sen.
There is an interesting tussle under way for the
Pryor is not. And Rep. Bethune's sixth sense for
position of assistant secretary for legislation at the
sniffing out populist issues was never better demon-
Department of Health and Human Services. Sen.
strated than in his vote against nerve gas production
Orrin Hatch, who chairs the Senate committee with
in the waning days of the recent Congress. That had
jurisdiction over most of the department's programs,
great appeal to the folks in Arkansas and Rep. Be-
is recommending that George Pritts of his staff get
thune made the most of it long before the senator did.
the nod. The administration, however, wants someone
Indeed, Sen. Pryor ended up looking like a Bethune
more in tune philosophically with Secretary Marga-
tag-along.
ret Heckler and is backing Sen. Chuck Percy's admin-
A pro-family group in Arkansas called "Family/
istrative assistant, Hannah Sistare.
Life/America/God" (FLAG), has been influential in
past elections, and they are leading the fight to
The author is a political insider who must remain
get Rep. Bethune to run. Alice would wave her flag,
anonymous in order to tell tales out of school.
too, if she thought it would help.
Congress may regret the fact that it extended
Social Security coverage to church employees. It is
the first time ever that the nation's churches have
been taxed, and the complaints run along the line of
"you-can't-take-what-is-God's-and-give-it-to-Caesar."
One congressman has urged the evangelicals to
gather in Lafayette Park on Martin Luther King's
birthday and burn their Social Security cards. And he
was only half kidding.
If you want three good reasons why Bob Dole will
never be the Senate majority leader, you have but to
look at page two of last Friday's Washington Post.
There, Sen. Dole says he is seriously considering a
race for the leadership post and has had 25 or 30
contacts with (note the words are "contact with," not
"commitments from") his colleagues about it.
In an accompanying story, Sen. Dole implies
criticism of the president for refusing to reappoint
Mary Louise Smith to the Civil Rights Commission.
Ms. Smith was never a popular figure with congres-
sional Republicans and most of them welcome her
departure. Sen. Dole's seeming defense of Ms. Smith
puts him at odds with many of his Senate colleagues
(reason number one). His statement hasn't exactly
made him the White House choice for the job (reason
number two). But then, that is what we've come to
expect of Sen. Dole (reason number three).
Trouble in paradise
As soon as President Reagan ordered the FBI to
investigate the leak of what transpired at a National
Security Council meeting, White House gossips
naturally turned their attention to champion leakers
Dick Darman and Dave Gergen. As the investigation
progressed, the folks in Gergen's communications
office were saying, with undisguised glee, that it's not
their man this time, leaving the distinct impression
that a major announcement from Mr. Darman can be
expected shortly. Associates of Mr. Darman reply that
this is just camouflage, a poor attempt to cover up
what is well known - the recent split between Jim
Baker and Mr. Gergen will soon lead to the commu-
nications director's demise as a White House source.
Republicans will probably muff the opportunity,
but a Bob Teeter poll for the Republican National
Committee shows overwhelming support among the
black community for the president's decision to go
into Grenada. The irony is that the Black Caucus in
the House of Representatives - Democrats all -
deplored the Grenadian mission and many of them
are leading the fledgling effort to impeach Mr. Rea-
gan for authorizing it. Can the GOP successfully
exploit the fact that black leaders are out of sync
with their own people? Don't count on it. Blacks have
always held strong pro-life views, just like Mr. Rea-
gan, but Republicans never knew how to make the
most of it.
WASH. TIMES 11-8-83
ALICE
IN POTOMAC LAND
Jim Baker's ambitions
All of those stories about White House Chief of
nothing in the rules that says the presiding officer
Staff Jim Baker wanting to be, first, national security
can't recognize anyone he wants to, but by Senate tra-
adviser, and the ambassador to the U.N. may or may
dition, the majority leader or the manager of the
not be true. But insiders do tell us that Baker needs
pending bill are always given preference over other
some practical foreign policy experience if he
senators when they seek recognition. Senate leader
expects to be secretary of state in a Bush administra-
Howard Baker immediately pulled the bill down,
tion
which is legislative jargon for turning to something
Baker's ambitions aren't helped by the recent per
else quickly. But by siding with the Democratic oppo-
formance of the White House congressional affairs
sition on a bill the administration wants so badly,
office which is responsible to him. Senate
Danforth has put to rest any notion that he is a team
Majority Leader Howard Baker's staff was furious at
player, and that's the most unpardonable sin of all for
Ken Duberstein, who heads the congressional office,
a senator.
after a Democratic senator suddenly offered an
There was a certain irony in that Senate vote on an
amendment to the debt ceiling bill expressing indig-
amendment to give the president of the United States
nation over press restrictions during the Grenada
power to veto individual items in an appropriation bill
rescue operation. The majority leader wanted a sig-
rather than having to veto the entire measure.
nal as to just what kind of compromise statement the
Among the missing that day were Sens. Glenn, Cran-
White House could live with. But the president's posi-
ston. Hart, and Hollings. All were out campaigning
tion remained murky and the amendment was
for the Democratic nomination to be president. Relax,
adopted. One of Baker's top aides lamented: "This
guys. the amendment lost anyway.
happens every time a foreign policy issue comes up."
Footnote Jim Baker and everyone else in the mod-
Postscripts
erate wing of the White House would be begging
Jeane Kirkpatrick to stay on the job at the U.N. if
Memo to Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich.: Dear Carl,
they knew the surprise name that servatives
You're not out of the woods yet. The possibility of
intend to put forward should she resign in December.
Peace Corps director Loret Ruppe running against
you next year was one thing. Guy Vander Jagt is quite
Capitol Hill sidelights
another. Yes, Guy Vander Jagt, the 10-term Repub-
lican congressman from your state's 9th District. Guy
Conservatives will likely grieve before the day is
has said he won't do it unless victory appears fairly
over at the defeat of Kathryn McDonald in today's
certain. And darned if someone didn't take a poll for
special congressional election in Georgia. She seeks
Guy to prove that it is.
to replace her husband, Larry, who was killed when
Memo to Rep. Bill Alexander, D-Ark.: Dear Bill,
the Soviets downed Korean Air Lines Flight 007. All
Everyone really appreciates those speeches on the
observers are appalled that the widow's effort was
budget deficit and are tickled to death that you sit on
almost a textbook case in how to lose. Recalling
the Appropriations Committeee where you can match
Larry's affiliation with the John Birch Society, New
action with words. But, to be perfectly honest, wasn't
Right leader Paul Weyrich lamented, "The Birchers
it just a little hypocritical to go through with that
will be tempted to say the KGB sabotaged the cam-
massive refurbishing of your own office? Your
paign. Well, if the KGB had tried, they couldn't have
neighbors refer to it as Alexander's palace.
done a better job of it than Mrs. McDonald's own
Memo to Sen. Bob Packwood, R-Ore.: Dear Bob,
staff."
Everyone wonders what became of the Tidewater
Whatever chance Sen. John Danforth, R-Mo.,
Conference. The folks at the Tidewater Inn in Easton
might have had of moving into the Republican leader-
are particularly concerned. You used to sponsor these
ship in the next Congress flew out the window last
sessions on the future of the Republican Party all the
Thursday. Sitting in the presiding officer's chair, as
time, but it's been over a year since the last one.
the Senate began debate on the natural gas
Meanwhile, some of the conservatives in the House
deregulation bill, Danforth broke with tradition and
have stolen your thunder. They put together a similar
failed to call on Sen. James McClure, R-Idaho, floor
exercise called the Baltimore Conference, and
manager of the bill, when the amendment process
frankly, Bob, the bad news doesn't stop there. Every-
began. Instead. he recognized the legislation's chief
one agrees the House Republicans came up with a
opponent. Howard Metzenbaum, D-Ohio. There is
whopping success.
The author is a political insider who must remain
anonymous in order to tell tales out of school.
ALICE
Washington Times
IN POTOMAC LAND
October 18, 1983
Newt's folly
Rumor of the week
Today is primary day in Georgia's 7th Congres-
sional District, and for Kathy McDonald, the ordeal
Alice hears that Secretary of State George Shultz's
continues. The widow of the congressman killed
threat to quit was a key factor in the decision to
when the Soviets downed Korean Air Lines flight 007
appoint Judge William Clark, a Shultz rival, as sec-
is expected to finish ahead of the others, but won't
retary of the interior. President Reagan, we are told,
have sufficient votes to escape a run-off.
felt he could better afford two changes as national
Her sole opponent in the run-off will be either
security adviser in his first term, but couldn't
Republican Dave Sellers or Democratic State Repre-
weather the fallout from the resignation of two sec-
sentative Buddy Darden. If it's Darden, voters
retaries of state.
would have a clear-cut conservative-liberal choice.
The author is a political insider who must remain
However, insiders now think it is more likely to be
anonymous in order to tell tales out of school.
Sellers, a moderate. Sellers' chances were
greatly enhanced when Georgia Rep. Newt Gingrich
decided to go all-out to help a fellow Republican. Con-
servatives nevertheless find this a little strange inas-
much as Sellers would not look favorably on most of
Gingrich's conservative opportunity legislation,
whereas Mrs. McDonald would probably support it
down the line.
Life in the ivory tower
Lance Tarrance's poll of the religious right was
released last week, and it gave new evidence to the
fact that President Reagan is losing ground to
both John Glenn and Walter Mondale among a large
group of Americans who overwhelmingly supported
the Reagan candidacy in 1980.
One would have expected the president's team to
take immediate steps to heal the breach, but, no, the
attitude of the senior staff was one of "so what?"
Mike Deaver reportedly said, "Who needs them?
them, meaning the Moral Majority-types. The admin-
istration is planning a new Reagan coalition, "minus
the fringe groups" as some of them put it -
"fringe groups" is now another code word for the
religious right. (Keep in mind that many of the men
advising President Reagan today are the same ones
who helped put together the winning coalition for
Jerry Ford in 1976.)
The Tarrance survey shows Sen. Glenn actually
leading the president among biblical literalists. Even
Walter Mondale captures the support of one of every
four evangelicals who call themselves conservatives.
Where are they now?
The media keeps us informed on the whereabouts
of such former Carter administration alumni as Stu
Eizenstat, Jody Powell and Sarah Weddington. But
Alice thought you might also like to know what has
happened to the people who worked for these
prominent Democrats when they occupied their posi-
tions of power.
Back when Eizenstat was developing the Carter
debate books, three of his top assistants were Kath-
leen Reid, Rosemary Rogers and Georgia O'Conner.
Today, these three ladies are still on the job. Reid is a
special assistant to the Reagan domestic policy staff.
Rogers and O'Conner both serve as assistants to
Martin Feldstein, the chairman of Reagan's Council
of Economic Advisers.
Constance Gerrard and Patricia Byrne once
worked for Jody Powell when he was President Cart-
er's press secretary. Until just a few weeks ago,
Gerrard was doing much the same sort of thing for
Larry Speakes in the Reagan administration. Patricia
Byrne - lucky girl - landed a cushy job with John
Rogers, director of the Office of Administration in
the Reagan White House.
Vanna Shields used to be personal secretary to
Sarah Weddington, back when Sarah headed up the
Carter effort to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment.
Today, Vanna can be found still slaving away at 1600
Pennsylvania Avenue, working in Dave Stockman's
shop.
Liberal Democrats, it seems, are like the poor.
They are always with you.
ALICE
Washington Times
October 11, 1983
IN POTOMAC LAND
The outside world
One of the more clever fund-raising gimmicks in
recent months has been devised by the far left, the
Private polling for all presidential candidates con-
beneficiaries of which are a lot of Democratic candi-
tinues to show an increase in concern over the crime
rate. Most conservative leaders now call it the
dates for the House of Representatives.
An organization called the Citizens' Labor-Energy
sleeper issue in next year's election. Attorney Gen-
Coalition has been sending workers door-to-door
eral William French Smith is known to be upset that
the crime rate doesn't receive the attention it
across the country in a campaign to kill the natural-
gas deregulation bill scheduled for congressional
deserves at the White House and says Republican
action later this year. The sales pitch is that the bill
leaders on Capitol Hill avoid him because they are is
will increase utility costs. "A small contribution now
sick of hearing about getting votes on anti-crime leg-
islation
to help spread the word will save you a lot of money
later on in lower home heating bills," is the way they
put it. The contributions then go first to pay the
The Washington correspondent for a Sacramento
cost of hired "volunteers" and then to the candidates
paper notes this irony: The usually conservative sen-
who, true to their word, do oppose the gas deregu-
ator from Kansas, Bob Dole, has spoken out against
lation bill.
outgoing Interior Secretary Jim Watt, while Alaska's
For the record, the Reagan administration con-
Ted Stevens, who often sides with the liberals, is
tends that deregulation would in the long run actually
Watt's staunchest defender. "Word is that both sen-
reduce utility bills. But the legislation's real purpose
ators want Howard Baker's job as Majority Leader,"
is to provide the incentive necessary to uncover new
the reporter writes. "They each figure they'll need to
domestic sources of natural gas and reduce U.S. reli-
pick up some votes from the opposite ideological
ance on foreign energy supplies.
camp. So, Dole (was) courting liberals by attacking
Watt, and Stevens (was) courting conservatives by
supporting him."
It begins to look as if there will be Senate floor
action on the president's school prayer constitutional
California businessman Jack Courtemanche, who
amendment after all. The Judiciary Committee
was finance chairman of the Reagan campaign
reported it last July but failed to file the essential
in 1976, is coming back to town as deputy to Faith
Committee Report to accompany it. Now, committee
sources say they notified the White House legislative
Whittlesey, the president's director of public liaison.
affairs office that the report will be ready this week.
Courtemanche is said to be Mike Deaver's alter ego.
There had been some concern that Sen. Orrin
The author is a political insider who must remain
Hatch, who supports a silent-prayer amendment,
anonymous in order to tell tales out of school.
might be dragging his feet on this one, but apparently
he will rally behind the president. Senate Majority
Leader Howard Baker promised the White House to
call the matter up this fall, although his frequent lists
of unfinished work have so far failed to include the
school prayer amendment.
Inside the administration
Under the heading of "who needs enemies with
friends like these," the Reagan administration can
now add its very own Quadrennial Social Security
Advisory Council, which is about to issue a decidedly
un-Reagan-like call for higher taxes. The council is
filled to the brim with Reagan appointees, if not Rea-
gan believers, and therein lies the embarrassment.
It will hardly come as a surprise to learn that the
Treasury Department and the Department of Health
and Human Services are fighting for the council's
soul as it wrestles with the solvency of the Medicare
program. HHS says no credible report is possible
unless it includes a recommendation for a tax
increase. Council members found this argument per-
suasive and promptly went on record favoring a tax
hike in a 9-to-1 vote (although they made it clear they
oppose increasing payroll taxes).
Treasury is left to explain why the president still
feels higher taxes are unnecessary, even when one of
his own commissions suggests otherwise.
WASH. TIMES: 9-27-83
ALICE
IN POTOMAC LAND
Cabinet politics
Bottom lines
The absurdity of the Jim Watt flap can best be
seen through the eyes of presidential aide Mike
Larry Flynt sent all members of Congress a sub-
Deaver Or at least that is what many conservatives
scription to Hustler, the porno magazine he publishes.
think
So, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, sent Mr. Flynt a
They suspect Deaver of not being all that unhappy
subscription to Christianity Today with a note
with the plight of Secretary Watt.
that read, "You sent me a little slice of what's on your
Deaver's motives are not thought to be anti-Watt so
mind, so I'm sending you a slice of what's on mine."
much as a desire to promote J. J. Simmons, the
undersecretary, to the top spot. Simmons, a black
The socialist regime of Francois Mitterrand in
Democrat, is a long-time career bureaucrat whom
France was said to be on an austerity kick. Neverthe-
Watt discovered a few years back.
less, the French delegation to the international
And while the spotlight focuses on the secretary of
banking conferences, going on in Washington the past
few days, arrived on a chartered Concorde. One dele-
the interior, there is a lot of behind the scenes maneu-
gate said at a cocktail party last week this was neces-
vering to force Labor Secretary Ray Donovan to
sary for reasons of comfort. Well, there's socialism
resign before the '84 campaign gets under way. The
for the masses and then there's socialism for the aris-
betting is that the Labor Department's congressional
tocracy.
liaison officer, J. J. O'Donnell, will succeed Donovan
on an interim basis, with retiring Rep. John Erlen-
House Republicans simply won't give up the fight
born, R-Ill., slated to fill the post in the second Rea-
no matter how often Tip O'Neill revises the rules to
gan administration. O'Donnell came up through
foil them. In the past few weeks, we have seen the
the ranks of organized labor and once served on the
minority force the Democrat majority to vote on one
AFL-CIO executive council when he ran the Air Line
unpleasant amendment after another. There was
Pilots Association. Although a Democrat, he sup-
Texas Rep. Phil Gramm's proposal to stop using the
ported Reagan in 1980.
International Monetary Fund to finance trade with
the communists. And then there was the attempt of
Yankee, go home
Bill Frenzel, R-Minn., to lower trade adjustment
assistance to the spending levels in the Democrats'
The road to Nicaragua is evidently paved with the
very own budget. How embarrassing for the speaker's
good intentions of Sen. Paul Tsongas, D-Mass. There
comrades to have to vote against that one. Finally,
he was in Managua during the Senate's August recess
Rep. George Gekas, R-Pa., had the nerve to suggest
telling the Marxists what they wanted to hear.
that the Democrats' latest jobs bill was a little politi-
According to the Aug. 16 edition of Barricada, the
cal and more than a little unsound fiscally. His
official organ for the Sandinista Front of National
amendment providing that the measure wouldn't go
Liberation, Tsongas and Rep. James Shannon,
into effect if the secretary of the Treasury deter-
D-Mass., were on another one of those peace missions
mines it will increase the federal deficit, actually
which the left is constantly making to Central
found over 200 Democrats voting against it.
America. The senator took the occasion to announce
that the majority of the United States is against the
They call it the staff memo caper around the White
bellicose policies of the Reagan administration
House. An order has gone out from senior aide Dick
that's the way Barricada reported it and "we were
Darman saying no one in the Executive Mansion
can use an interoffice memo which looks like his. The
against the maneuvers of the gunboats next to Nica-
ragua."
problem started when Dodie Livingston — she works
One highly placed administration official told us
for the Office of Special Messages - used one of
that statements like these severely hamper America's
her own buck slips to send a routing request to presi-
Latin policies. "When Ambassador Stone arrives for
dential counsel Fred Fielding. Her routing slip had
negotiations in Central America, the first thing he is
the same format as Darman's, but was a different
told is, We don't believe what you are saying,' and
color. When Fielding saw it, he automaticaly thought
then someone like Tsongas is quoted."
the request was from someone higher up the pecking
It is probably cheaper for the communists to spon-
order. He put aside everything else to work on it.
sor forums throughout the Latin countries, at which
When Fielding found out it was just a request from
well-meaning Americans make damaging statements,
Dodie, several things hit the fan and all of the great
than it is to fight a war against Yankee imperialists.
minds huddled together to come up with a solution.
Darman's memo was the result.
Alice has to beg forgiveness of Sen. Charles Percy,
R-Ill., for last week's story that he had announced the
new staff director of his Foreign Relations Commit-
tee by referring to him as Jewish in the press release.
Alice erred in that the release did not refer to his
aide's religion. Alice regrets the error.
The author is a political insider who must remain
anonymous in order to tell tales out of school.
TIMES
9-13-83
ALICE
IN POTOMAC LAND
So much to remember
Many of the thousands who attended the Sunday
afternoon memorial service for the victims of Korean
Airlines Flight 007 left with tears in their eyes. Many
also left with rage in their hearts. While the speakers
were generally respectful of the president, the mood
of the crowd was clearly anti-Reagan, mindful as they
were of the calculated insult in the president's
refusal to attend.
If this had been a memorial service to (liberal
Democratic congressman) Ron Dellums instead of
Lugar's Republican Senatorial Committee, were work-
Larry McDonald, you can bet the president would
ing on it most of last week. They've probably even
have been here," one angry conservative said as the
decided which senators should get which vacancies.
service began.
Lugar thinks the addition of Evans guarantees
The White House line is that Reagan's absence is
continued Republican control of the Senate, and this
attributable to the McDonald family's decision to ask
in turn encourages reluctant GOP candidates to chal-
Howard Phillips of the Conservative Caucus to put
lenge incumbent Democrats. So, the senator is giving
the event together. They point out that Phillips
high priority to persuading liberals Loret Ruppe and
has even said he cannot support Reagan for re-elec-
Claudine Schneider into making the race against
tion.
Democrats Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Claiborne Pell,
But Alice also believes that Mike Deaver and Jim
D-R.I., respectively. Just why Lugar finds the addi-
Baker would not have been all that disappointed had
tion of two more liberals desirable if continued
the memorial service turned into an anti-Reagan
Republican control is assured has not been fully
rally, thereby alienating the president from move-
explained.
ment conservatives once and for all. New Right lead
ers, you may recall, have long urged Reagan to fire
both of them.
Rumors that Mimi Fellers, administrative assis-
Conservatives thought Reagan fought the decision
tant to Sen. John Chaffe, will be the next congres-
to boycott the McDonald service, but as one of them
sional officer for the Department of Health and
explained, "Nobody beats Baker, but Deaver. And
Human Services are true, according to Ken Duber-
nobody beats Baker and Deaver combined."
stein, who heads the White House congressional
Can it be that the issue which so unites the
office. Conservatives aren't exactly happy at the
American people has torn the White House staff
prospect, but then they don't have Duberstein's ear -
apart? Another administration source confides that
and Mimi does.
NSC advisor Bill Clark got so fed up with the interfer-
ence of Baker aide Dick Darman last week that he
Alice told you several weeks ago that the
threw him out of the National Security Council suite.
Schiavone Construction Co. requested access to files
When Walter Mondale criticizes the president for
of the Senate Labor and Human Resources Commit-
his timid response to the Soviets, one is tempted to
tee in its investigation of Labor Secretary Ray Dono-
break into uncontrolled laughter. Unfortunately, the
van. The company wanted to pursue civil remedies
Republican alternative to Mondale's hypocritical
against those who alleged wrong-doing on their part.
opportunism is apparently an administration at war
Schiavone has now received a terse reply from the
with itself.
committee's top-ranking senators, Orrin Hatch and
Ted Kennedy. Request denied, they say, because nei-
ther the Privacy Act nor the Freedom of Information
Bottom lines
Act applies to Congress. All of which supports H.L.
Mencken's observation that any statute which
The appointment of Republican Dan Evans to
replace Democrat Scoop Jackson in the Senate means
exempts Congress from its operation ought to be
that Republicans will pick up three or four extra
declared unconstitutional per se.
committee assignments. The new ratio of 55 Repub-
But Schiavone Construction won't give up. They
licans to 45 Democrats seems to favor adding GOP
have responded with a long letter composed of Sen.
seats on the Appropriations, Foreign Relations and
Kennedy's own words from a Senate speech he gave
Small Business committees. Senators need not worry
in 1974 supporting the Freedom of Information Act.
about all of this, however, since Jim Cannon of Major-
ity Leader Baker's staff, Secretary of the Senate Bill
The author is a political insider who must remain
Hildenrand, and Mitch Daniels, who runs Dick
anonymous in order to tell tales out of school.
Washington Times
September 6, 1983
ALICE
IN POTOMAC LAND
Reconciled to more taxes
Bettom lines
before Congress left town for the August
The shooting down of a Korean Airlines commer-
recess, Paul Volcker - safely reappointed as
cial aircraft by the Russians brought this comment
chairman of the Federal Reserve Board - warned
from a New Right leader who begged to remain anon-
that the Fed was going to resume its role as fiscal
y
She Russians take the John Birch Society a
disciplinarian.
lot more seriously than Americans do. That being the
is What he was really saying was that the money sup-
castoit follows that anybody who would try to kill the
ply will be tightened and interest rates will go up.
have no hesitation in trying to kill Con-
What he was really trying to do was blackmail Con-
gressmani McDonald (who was head of the society).
gress into reducing the federal deficit by raising
Adso. please note the reaction of Sen. (Howard)
taxes
Bakerwho was urging caution and a continuing dia-
mSo, here it is September. Interest rates are edging
logue with the Russians while everyone else, even Ted
back up and the first order of business for Congress
Kennedy was expressing appropriate horror. The
upon its return is a reconciliation bill. That's the
thought that our country might one day be led by a
bill which, through a combination of spending cuts
man so scared of the enemy is the most frightening
and tax hikes, keeps the government operating within
aspect of this whole matter."
the limitations set in last spring's budget resolution.
Hic.
Bob Dole, chairman of the Senate Finance Com-
Republicans traditionally rotate the chairmanship
mittee, wants to be the key player in the September
of their Platform Committee among senators.
budget battle, which means stealing the spotlight
congressmen and governors. Sen. John Tower was
away from Sen. Pete Domenici, who heads the Budget
chairman in 1980 and this time it is the House's turn.
Committee. Last spring, Domenici's budget res-
Apparently, Congressman Trent Lott of Mississippi,
olution recommended only 13 cents in new spending
who holds the party's number two leadership post in
cuts for every dollar in higher taxes. Dole, however, is
that
will get the nod at the national
aware that the man who succeeds Howard Baker as
convention next year. There may not be a great deal
Majority Leader must be a mainstream Republican.
for him to do. however. The Republican National Com-
So. he is calling for a one-for-one trade - one
mittee already has task forces at work on a first
dollar in spending cuts for every new tax dollar. Con-
draft. And the White House insists that the document
servatives will likely fall in line behind Dole on this
reflect Reagan. rather than congressional, thinking.
one.
In the House, Democrats also want a big increase
Two years ago, Jeanne Connelly was one of those
in taxes, but they balk at proposing it on their own. :
taking part in an anti-Reagan rally at the
They dream of forcing the president to do it.
Denver office of the Legal Services Corporation
One person to watch when the
where she was employed. Although the law specifi-
reconciliation debate begins is Sen. John Glenn.
cally prohibits the corporation and its employees
While Glenn's presidential aspirations require that he
from engaging in political activities. participants in
soften his military image, he has been distancing
tHe rally were so confident of the rightness of their
himself from other Democratic candidates on eco-
cause that they videotaped the whole thing. These
nomic matters. moving to the right. Senate Budget
days. Jeanne works for Sen. Howard
Committee aides think Glenn intends to offer one of
Metzenbaum. D-Ohio. as his staffer for the Senate
those waste-fraud-and-abuse amendments to the rec-
Committee on Labor and Human Resources, the very
onciliation bill. If he is successful. you' be reading a
committee which has been investigating activities of
lot more about him than either Dole or Domenici.
tHe same Legal Services Corporation. Recently.
committee members were treated to a showing of the
The job market
videotape from Denver. However, Ms. Connelly was
The White House personnel office is determined to
well-protected by fellow aides. Her portion had been
carefully excised.
gevone of its own, Dennis Patrick, appointed to a
commission, any commission. First. he was going to
The author is a political insider who must remain
the Federal Trade Commission. but chairman Jim
anonymous in order to tell tales out of school.
Miller blanched when he saw that Dennis' main
qualification for the job was his close friendship with
the senior staff. Now. Dennis is in line for
appointment to the Federal Communications Commis-
sion which means that the personal choice of FCC
chairman Mark Fowler is out of the running.
Meanwhile, discount the rumors that Margaret
Tutweiler. Jim Baker's top aide, will soon be filling
Faith Whittlesey's shoes as director of public liaison.
Thank esident has made it clear that Faith can put
her shoes under his desk anytime she wants to.
And in still another personnel change, Carolyn
Sundseth. former girl Friday to Joe Coors, will take
Due Jepsen's job as the president's liaison to
werlen. Of all the unfair news reports recently, the
handling of Mrs. Jepsen's retirement takes the cake:
corporation and its employees
Glenn's presidential aspirations require that he
from engaging in political activities, participants in
soften his military image, he has been distancing
tHe rally were SO confident of the rightness of their
himself from other Democratic candidates on eco-
cause that they videotaped the whole thing. These
nomic matters, moving to the right. Senate Budget
days. Jeanne works for Sen. Howard
Committee aides think Glenn intends to offer one of
Metzenbaum. D-Ohio. as his staffer for the Senate
those wašte-fraud-and-abuse amendments to the rec-
Committee on Labor and Human Resources, the very
onciliation bill. If he is successful, you'll be reading a
committee which has been investigating activities of
lot more about him than either Dole or Domenici.
the same Legal Services Corporation. Recently,
committee members were treated to a showing of the
The job market
videotape from Denver. However, Ms. Connelly was
well-protected by fellow aides. Her portion had been
The White House personnel office is determined to
carefully excised.
gevöne of its own. Dennis Patrick, appointed to a
commission, any commission. First. he was going to
The author is a political insider who must remain
the Federal Trade Commission. but chairman Jim
anonymous in order to tell tales out of school.
Miller blanched when he saw that Dennis' main
qualification for the job was his close friendship with
the senior staff. Now, Dennis is in line for
appointment to the Federal Communications Commis-
sion which means that the personal choice of FCC
chairman Mark Fowler is out of the running.
Meanwhile, discount the rumors that Margaret
Tutweiler. Jim Baker's top aide, will soon be filling
Faith Whittlesey's shoes as director of public liaison.
The resident has made it clear that Faith can put
her shoes under his desk anytime she wants to.
And in still another personnel change, Carolyn
Sundseth, former girl Friday to Joe Coors, will take
over Jepsen's job as the president's liaison to
werten. Of all the unfair news reports recently, the
handling of Mrs. Jepsen's retirement takes the cake:
Theyattributed it to the gender gap, when in fact
Best copy available;
everyone knew she would soon return to Iowa to help
husband Roger in his senatorial re-election campaign.
ARea was told at least two months ago that Mrs. Jep-
distantion mesent in
sel Would resign shortly after Labor Day.
original
WASH. TIMES 8-23-83
ALICE
IN POTOMAC LAND
Forgive and forget
The Gary Studds affair provides a wonderful
Something called the Center for Changes con-
opportunity for the Kennedys. Word trickles down
ducted a four-day seminar in Detroit a few days back
from Massachusetts that Joseph Kennedy III (son of
with the provocative title, "Marxism for the '80s."
Bobby) has moved into Studds' 10th Congressional
But what really grabbed our attention was the fact
District and is expected to challenge the incumbent
that one session was devoted to the role of the Demo-
in next year's Democratic primary. Since both are
cratic Party in the formulation of the American
liberals, the contest will likely be fought on the high
working class and social movements.
ground of moral fitness. Studds, of course, is the con-
gressman who was censured for having an affair
Barbara Honegger's blast at President Reagan,
with a male page. And yes, the district does include
claiming he had failed in his commitment to women,
Chappaquiddick.
didn't come as a surprise to one White House aide
who remembers her behavior as a member of the
Alice Green Burnett is said to have done a bang-
Reagan transition team in 1980. As the story goes,
up job as a member of Jerry Brown's transition team
Barbara had convinced Marty Anderson, Reagan's
when he replaced Ronnie as governor of California.
first director of the Office of Policy Development,
Even Mike Deaver said as much. So, it was only a
that she was clairvoyant, and Marty thought such tal-
matter of time before she would become a member
ents might come in handy to the new administration.
of the Reagan administration. Peace Corps Director
Why Barbara then went to the Justice Department
Loret Ruppe has just appointed Burnett to head the
rather than, say, the State Department, which could
private sector branch of her agency.
use some clairvoyance, is a mystery. At any rate, she
told fellow staffers at the transition headquarters of
The State Department is defending the Russians
past premonitions and hinted that her role in the
again. It all started when the Pentagon wanted to
Reagan administration had already been revealed to
brief members of the two congressional armed ser-
her. There were those who believed she was psychic
vices committees on Soviet development of an ABM-
and there were those who called her "goofy." The
type radar system that even the lefties concede is a
fact that there were two schools of thought on Bar-
whopping violation of the SALT agreements — all of
bara Honegger may say as much about the Reagan
administration as it does about her.
the lefties, that is, except those who constitute the
foreign policy establishment. State nixed the briefing
and made the decision stick, which shows you where
Now that Ronald Reagan has reversed himself on
such issues as federal support for bilingual education
the power lies.
and the Martin Luther King holiday bill, House
Democrats are claiming, tongue-in-cheek, that this
File and forget
administration must have obtained a copy of the
Mondale briefing book.
One of the least important of today's controversies
is which presidential aide - Mike Deaver or Bill
Clark - first suggested the name of Henry Kis-
For the record
singer to head the president's Central America Com-
Last week's column told about a disconcerting epi-
mission. Now, one very knowledgeable source tells us
sode in the life of Sen. Paul Sarbanes when the State
that Richard Nixon had a lot to do with it Somehow,
Department's congressional affairs director, Tapley
Alice is not surprised
Bennett, fell asleep as Sarbanes was speaking. By
mistake, several words were left out, leading the
Helen Milliken, wife of Michigan's former Repub-
reader to believe that Bennett was snoring away dur-
lican (sort of) governor, says that the Equal Rights
ing a telephone call. Actually, it should have read that
Amendment is more important than the re-election
the incident occurred during a meeting of the Senate
of Ronald Reagan. She has vowed to fight Mr. Reagan
Foreign Relations Committee called to discuss the
on the floor of next year's convention if necessary to
effect of the Supreme Court's legislative veto
get an endorsement of ERA written into the Repub-
decision on the War Powers Act.
lican platform.
The author is a political insider who must remain
anonymous in order to tell tales out of school.
WASH. TIMES 8-9-83
ALICE
IN POTOMAC LAND
Selling (out) Reagan policy
The White House has been working closely with a
coalition of Catholic. Protestant and Jewish organiza-
tions, trying to get Congress to pass legislation autho-
rizing a tuition tax credit. President Reagan has made
no secret of his support for the idea. He once went so
far as to suggest that he might sign the withholding
tax repeal bill if Congress would sweeten the pot by
attaching tuition tax credits to it.
Last month. the coalition met with Reagan again.
This time, the administration promised to get the
tuition tax plan tacked onto a bill dealing with rail-
road retirement benefits. Well, that bill passed
the House and Senate the week before Congress took
off on an extended August vacation. No one tried to
attach the tuition tax program to it, and to the dismay
of many conservatives. the White House didn't lift a
finger to live up to its commitment.
The culprit wasn't the president. whose support for
tuition tax credits is genuine. Rather. the do-nothing
decision was made by Ken Duberstein. who heads the
White House congressional affairs office. It is
Duberstein's job to sell Reagan policy on Capitol Hill,
but in this case it worked the other way around.
Liberal Republicans in Congress explained their
dilemma to Duberstein. If they vote for the tax credit
amendment. the National Education Association is
offended. If they vote against it, the clergy back home
will be up in arms. It's better not to have to vote at all.
Duberstein, who once worked for former senator
Jacob Javits. understood the message and called off
the dogs.
So. the coalition will likely be invited back to the
White House for another planning session. However,
they needn't expect more than gentle massaging as
long as Duberstein controls the situation.
A visit to the White House
Business came to a screeching halt in mid-
afternoon at the White House last Tuesday. About half
of all the Republicans in the Senate - those who
affiliate with the unofficial. conservative Steering
Committee -- paid a call on the president.
Ordinarily. you wouldn't expect the Darmans and
the Deavers to turn out when conservatives come call-
ing but they were all there, on the theory, one must
assume. that it is difficult to criticize those who sit
across the table listening. However. the senators had
not come to criticize. but to discuss issues.
Sen. Jesse Helms. R-N.C., opened the meeting by
explaining. "Mr. President. we are the base of your
support in the Senate." Coming in. they were. Going
out. less SO.
Between coming and going. the senators talked of
everything from the economy to Central America, but
their words had no visible impact on either the presi-
dent or his aides. Helms and company learned that:
Reagan didn't know Congress had made the fed-
eral debt "permanent" and so. not understanding the
issue. he asked OMB Director Dave Stockman to dis-
cuss it. It turns out Stockman takes the Democratic
line that the permanent debt does not lead to item veto
or impoundment powers.
The president's advisers had not told him of the
recent stories on abuse of power at the Legal Services
Corporation. nor was he aware that his own Justice
Department had been asked to enter the case.
Reagan had also not been told of controversy sur-
rounding the selection of Henry Kissinger to head the
Central American commission. The president spoke
of his objectives in that region, explaining how his
commission would find solutions to all of our troubles
there. just like the Social Security Commission
solved all of the problems in the retirement system.
Senators returned to Capitol Hill about as happy
with government-by-commission as they are with
government-by-presidential-aide. Those who man the
Republican Cloakroom reportéd later it had been a
long time since they'd heard senators so critical
of their own administration.
That the get-together caused more problems than
it solved was not lost on the White House. Reagan
aides were on the phone promising a better meeting
in September. But such a meeting might be hard to
arrange. One southern Republican - not Helms
/ - said, "Why would I want to meet with Reagan? He's
not running the place!"
The author is a political insider who must remain
anonymous in order to tell tales out of school.
WASH
TIMES
8-2-83
ALICE
IN POTOMAC LAND
Revolted, revulsed, nauseated
When Rep. Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., suggested that
his colleagues, Dan Crane and Gary Studds, be
relieved of their duties in the House of Representa-
tives for having sex with teenage Capitol pages, many
members of Congress squirmed in their seats. And
for a variety of reasons.
It will be awhile before the breech between Gin-
grich and Dan Crane's brother, Phil, who represents
Administration notes
suburban Chicago, is healed. But perhaps that was to
be expected.
House Democrats are still aghast at the
There were also those congressmen who don't like
radicalization of Majority Leader Jim Wright of
Texas. It surfaced again when Wright not only voted
the idea of meting out punishment for sexual esca-
for, but led the fight in behalf of, the most radical
pades not too different from what they themselves
amendment opposing the administration's efforts in
may be guilty of.
Nicaragua.
And there was the knee-jerk reaction of the super-
As one sage explains it, "The radical elements con-
liberals, who feel it is their lot in life to defend the
trol the Democratic Party in the House, and the
morally corrupt. So predictable is their response that
House Democrats control the party. Their blood lust
one sometimes suspects they are really wind-up toys
is such that they will throw out anyone who doesn't
unleashed on an unsuspecting world by the American
agree with them."
Civil Liberties Union.
Wright, of course, hopes to succeed Tip O'Neill as
One of them, Democrat Richard Ottinger of New
speaker when Tip retires. There are rumors he has
York, sent Gingrich a handwritten note which read:
already told Wright that will be next year,
"I saw you on television seeking to profit politi-
although most observers think a more likely date is
cally from the misfortunes of our colleagues, Studds
1986.
and Crane, and I was thoroughly revolted, revulsed,
nauseated.
Just before the House debated Nicaragua,
"The last guy who pretended to be as super-moral,
National Security Adviser Bill Clark and Secretary of
high and mighty as you was Bob Bauman.
State George Shultz went before the Republican Con-
"All you b------s who wear morality signs on your
ference to plead the administration's case. But most
foreheads are super-hypocrits (sic).
congressmen left wondering if the administration had
"You may have earned yourself a good shot in the
a case to plead. Almost to the man, the Shultz-Clark
media, but know that from every member I speak to,
performance was described as "inept." Some of
you've earned yourself the thorough contempt of your
the most mild-mannered Republicans complained
colleagues."
they had been lied to. Some of the administration's
Gingrich didn't bother to respond in kind. Instead,
strongest supporters recalled that when the president
he made copies of the Ottinger letter and distributed
threw down the gauntlet in his April 27 speech to
them on the House floor, converting several con-
Congress on Central America, it was only a matter of
gressmen to his point of view in the process.
days before Reagan aides were on the Hill trying to
work out a compromise with Democrats.
Giving him the business
Although the defeat in the House was largely sym-
bolic for the president, he can award most of the
For years, the United States Chamber of Com-
blame to his own aides.
merce has been taping a weekly television program
called, "It's Your Business." As the name suggests,
Conservatives hardly distinguished themselves
panelists discuss current issues affecting the
when the administration issued its regulations aimed
business community.
at preventing grantees from using federal funds for
After much fretting about it, the AFL-CIO has
political purposes. Righ-wing bickering was partly
finally come up with a response of sorts called
responsible for those regulations being withdrawn.
"America Works." It, too, is a half-hour discussion
Now, a new set of regs, built around the full-and-
show in which panelists go over a lot of the same
frequent-disclosure concept, are about to be
issues, but always from a union standpoint.
announced, and the White House isn't taking any
There is another difference, however, and Richard
chances, which is why Howard Phillips (of Conserva-
Rahn of the Chamber's staff discovered it when he
tive Caucus) and others were called to the Executive
was asked to be the first America Works guest who
Mansion last week. The administration has its fingers
wasn't pro-union. Mr. Rahn reports that some 17 min-
crossed, but right-wing support of the new rules
utes of debate were filmed, of which only seven min-
appears certain.
utes were actually used. His own remarks were
reduced to approximately two minutes including one
Just about everyone at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
comment edited in a way that distorted the meaning.
is wondering who will run the president's political
Mr. Rahn laughs about it, just the same. On "It's
office when Ed Rollins leaves to help re-elect the boss.
Your Business" there is no editing, he reports. "If a
Latest rumor has it that the powers will be shared by
guest makes a monkey out of himself, that's his busi-
Margaret Tutwiler, executive assistant to Jim Baker,
ness. On labor's show, it's theirs."
and Mike McManus, who is a Mike Deaver protege.
The author is a political insider who must remain
anonymous in order to tell tales out of school.
WASH. TIMES 6-28-83
Ladies' day at Cape Canaveral
ALICE
The past few days haven't been easy ones for Jack
Murphy, who heads the congressional liaison office at
NASA. Getting the shuttle up and down safely was the
IN POTOMAC LAND
least of his worries. He had the 600 most important
women in America on his hands. They were there to
watch the launch, and the administration saw it as
a way of closing the gender gap. Which explains why
Help Wanted
Gloria Steinem was invited, and Phyllis Schlafly was
not.
The White House is really taking this economic
NASA chartered a plane to fly most of its guests to
recovery business seriously. Mike Deaver's personal
Florida. Nancy Reagan's staff insisted on reserved
crusade to lower the unemployment statistics is
seats in first class, of course. All of the ladies were
already the talk of the town. He is concentrating his
treated to expensive meals and free booze on the
efforts on displaced workers from the Carter admin-
flight down and songs by John Denver upon landing.
istration.
The ceremony at the VIP center was in the hands
First, Mr. Deaver hired Patricia Bye to be his
of Democratic Congresswoman Lindy Boggs of Lou-
administrative assistant, no doubt because of her
isiana, while the administration was represented
experience in the White House correspondence office
briefly by Faith Whittlesey. Considering the fact it
answering Jimmy Carter's mail. Then, he brought
was footing the bill, it should have asked for more.
Bill Sittman on board as his special assistant. Bill, you
At the launch site, front, center, and more visible
may recall, was an advance man for the Carter cam-
than Sally Ride, were Jane Fonda and Miss Steinem.
paign in 1980 and is said to have spent election
The taxpayer could be forgiven for asking: What price
night in Plains. Last week, Deaver added Donna
the gender gap?
Blume to his staff, she being the same Donna Blume
Just who was responsible for the decidedly un-
who once belonged to Fritz Mondale when he was vice
Republican guest list is a question on the minds of
president.
many of the party faithful. The buck apparently stops
Now, if there are any of you Carter administration
nowhere, although Dave Gergen, the president's
people out there who still haven't found suitable
communication's director, is getting a lot of the heat.
employment, please send your form 171s in triplicate
Disenchanted Republicans on Capitol Hill were left
to: Michael K. Deaver, The White House, 1600 Penn-
with only Murphy to take it out on. He has had to
sylvania Ave., Washington, D.C., 20500.
endure questions like, why was Lindy Boggs rather
By the way, Interior Secretary Jim Watt is also
than Sen. Paula Hawkins, R-Fla., the spokeswoman?
doing his bit for the cause. He turned to Vic Kamber,
(Mrs. Hawkins was elsewhere launching a ship.)
former chief lobbyist for the AFL-CIO, to put together
Is it true that Sally Ride said she would rather
the Wayne Newton extravaganza, which precedes the
meet afterward with Gloria Steinem than Ronald Rea-
Fourth of July fireworks next week.
gan? (Well, she didn't use those exact words.)
Kamber is, of course, the director of PRO-PAC, the
Ultimately, Rep. John McCain, R-Ariz., got through
political organization created for the sole purpose of
to Murphy. Why, he demanded to know, was Jane
defeating Watt's good friend, Sen. Jesse Helms,
Fonda invited in the first place? McCain, who spent
R-N.C., in 1984. But as one of the secretary's aides put
6½ years in a North Vietnamese POW camp, said that
it, "Better to have Vic on the Mall than in North Caro-
the length of his imprisonment was due in large part
lina."
to the aid and comfort Ms. Fonda gave the enemy. And
here was his administration giving aid and comfort to
her.
Murphy wasn't able to respond to McCain's satis-
faction, and the congressman promised to answer it
himself the next time the administration comes
knocking on his door - hopefully to ask for more
money for the space program.
Sources close to Rep. Jamie Whitten, the Missis-
sippi Democrat who chairs the House Appropriations
Committee. say the committee is readying an inves-
tigation of the Council on Environmental Quality. CEQ
Chairman A. Alan Hill hopes that the committee's
interest in the council is only fallout from the House-
side investigations into the Environmental
Protection Agency.
The Reagan administration dwells under the illu-
sion that ratification of the Genocide Treaty will lock
up the Jewish vote in 1984. Even the president has
now given the green light to go ahead and adopt it. All
Foreign Relations Committee senators, except Jesse
Helms, are for it.
Rep. Delbert Latta, the quiet Republican from
Ohio, never was a barn burner. So, he was an easy
mark for Sen. Pete Domenici when the House and
Senate budget committees tried to iron out differ-
ences between the two bodies over the budget res-
olution. Domenici, who chairs the Senate committee,
ignored his House-side counterpart, preferring
instead to work with the Democrats. House Repub-
licans, already angry over the attention the White
House gives to the Senate, have been using this as an
example of the unreliability of the Senate in fur-
thering administration programs.
The author is a Washington insider who must
remain anonymous in order to tell tales out of school.
WASH. TIMES 6-21-83
Faith, hope and charity
Faith Whittlesey, the new director of public liaison
ALICE
at the White House, tried awfully hard to be one of the
boys. Knowing she had been tagged with the conser-
vative label, Faith went to great lengths to please the
IN POTOMAC LAND
senior staff, even to the extent of hiring a former aide
to Sen. Lowell Weicker. Word has it that she once con-
sidered employing Pete Terpeluk, who leads the fight
for the left at the Small Business Administration, as a
Old jobs, new faces
way of pacifying deputy chief-of-staff Mike Deaver.
Then, Faith started reading in the press that her
Prominent senators in both parties have been qui-
White House colleagues were dissatisfied with her
etly warning the D.C. government that any attempt to
and that some of her responsibilities were being taken
remove Ben Alexander as president of the
away. She went straight to the president, dragging
University of the District of Columbia would be met
him out into the hallway for a private meeting, away
with a cut in federal funds for the institution. Alexan-
from his aides. And, yes, she got the same reassuring
der's one-year battle to cut waste and raise academic
words that Reagan once used with Dick Allen and
standards was so thwarted by the board of trustees
Anne Burford. As one insider told us, "She may have
that Alexander finally submitted his resignation last
thought she was talking to the man who is running
week. It now remains to be seen what action, if any,
things. In truth, she was on the right floor, but at the
the senators will take.
wrong door."
Meanwhile, there is a move in conservative circles
to get Alexander a major appointment in the Reagan
The author is a Washington insider who must
administration. Continued rumors of Terrel Bell's
remain anonymous in order to tell tales out of school.
departure from his job as secretary of education
could be it. But that would set up another tussle
between conservatives and moderates, with the con-
servatives pushing hard for Alexander as the
replacement, while the establishment backs Bill Ben-
nett, the chairman of the National Endowment for the
Humanities.
Last year, the U.S. delegation to the Law of the Sea
Conference was at odds with itself. President Reagan
was determined to protect U.S. rights to minerals in
the ocean beds, but not everyone shared his enthu-
siasm.
One delegate, Robert Keating, did such a skillful
job of building the administration's case that the pres-
ident rewarded him with a choice diplomatic plum.
He was nominated to be ambassador to Madagascar.
Another delegate, Leigh Ratiner, who learned his
politics at the feet of super-liberal Elliott Richardson,
worked tirelessly to undermine the president's posi-
tion. Ratiner, who calls himself the Black Prince
(he is neither), seemed more concerned about the
rights of Third World countires and the communist
bloc. Eventually, the Reagan position prevailed.
Ratiner then went to Sen. Claiborne Pell, ranking
Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, in an
effort to stop Keating's confirmation. Pell listened, but
finally decided that Keating and Madagascar just
weren't worth the fight. This week, the Senate Foreign
Relations Committee will take up the nomination. No
objection is expected, and for once, the reward for
being a good soldier won't be merely symbolic.
Once upon a time, conservative Republicans in the
House grew tired of fighting both the dictatorial
Democrats and their own stodgy leadership. So, they
banded together and created someting called the
House Study Committee, chipping in a few
bucks apiece to finance a supporting staff. Before
long, new ideas and exceptional research enabled the
conservatives to make the most of their minority sta-
tus.
Now, the Study Committee has fallen on hard
times. Despite the dynamic leadership of its new
chairman, Rep. Phil Crane, a lot of the members are
dropping out and taking back their support money.
The main reason is that the enthusiastic staff is gone,
grabbed off by the administration and other con-
gressional offices. Crane faces some tough choices to
make it all jell again. But the committee was born
out of adversity; perhaps it can do so again.
6-14-83
ALICE
IN POTOMAC LAND
Republicans vs. Republicans
The gag rule revisited
Insiders think the conservatives in the White
House have gained ground recently and some of the
Last January, we all worried about the new rules
others may be on their way out. For instance:
that Speaker Tip O'Neill was ramming through the
Shirley Moore, longtime girl Friday to Mike
House of Representatives. They applied to appropri-
Deaver, will soon move to the General Services
ation bills and were designed to end Republican
Administration, rekindling the old rumors that Mike
attempts to stop the use of federal funds for abortions.
is about to vacate the premises.
Tip probably doesn't care one way or the other about
Similarly, the promotion of Mike McManus to
abortions, but he does care deeply about Republicans
special assistant to the president, is taken as another
getting a political advantage.
sign of Deaver's departure, a promotion that would
In the first test of the new rules, a bipartisan coali-
help McManus find a good job on the outside. His
tion of pro-lifers persuaded the Rules Committee to
increased status comes in spite of, rather than
allow floor consideration of what has become known
because of, his work in setting up the Williamsburg
over the years as the Ashbrook amendment. It
Conference. which they say was less than letter per-
eliminates the funding of abortions under federal
fect. At the last moment, White House personnel with
employee insurance plans. The amendment was
known expertise in putting together conferences had
attached to the Treasury Department appropriation
to be rushed in to save the day.
bill by a vote of 226 to 183. Later on, conservatives,
The promotion of Jim Baker's chief aide, John
worried about excessive spending in other portions of
Rogers, to be special assistant to the president could
the bill, joined pro-abortionists in voting to kill the
also be taken as someone being promoted up before
whole thing.
being promoted out. After all, it was John's second
Now a new Treasury bill is on its way to the House
such elevation in four months, almost unheard of in
floor. But first the Rules Committee must again
this administration.
decide whether or not to allow consideration of the
The author is a Washington insider who must
Ashbrook amendment. This time, House Majority
remain anonymous in order to tell tales out of school.
Leader Jim Wright himself is lobbying the three pro-
life Democrats on the committee. He wants them to
switch their position and take the political heat
back home. so that a lot of other pro-abortion Demo-
crats won't be forced to switch theirs. The three
Democrats. whose political courage is on the line, are
Joe Moakley, Gillis Long, and Dave Bonior. Republi-
cans think they win either way, because of the inevi-
table resentment against this kind of machine-style
politics that went out of fashion in the Congress long
ago.
Democrats vs. Democrats
Through Radio Marti, the United States hopes to
broadcast the message of freedom to the people of
Cuba. It is a popular idea in south Florida, of course,
and almost everywhere else, except Iowa. Yes,
Iowa. There, they are concerned that Fidel Castro's
jamming of the Marti programs will also jam Des
Moines station WHO, which operates on the same fre-
quency.
Funds for Radio Marti were kept out of the Com-
merce/Justice/State appropriation bill. That's no great
surprise when you remember that the chairman of
the Commerce/Justice/State Department subcommit-
tee is Rep. Neal Smith, who represents Iowa's Fourth
District.
The bill can't come up on the House floor without a
rule from the Rules Committee, of course. Here, the
chairman, by coincidence just happens to be Florida's
Claude Pepper, whose constituency includes those
Dade County Cubans. Mr. Pepper wants the rules of
debate to specify that an amendment funding
Radio Marti will be in order. Smith refuses to call his
bill up under those conditions. Speaker O'Neill, siding
with Smith, has tried to reason with his Florida col-
league. But they don't call Pepper a stubborn old cod-
ger merely because he is 82.
House Democrats are worried about Speaker
O'Neill's commitment to put a $700 cap on the next
phase of the tax cut. It sounded like a good idea at the
time, but they didn't work out the numbers, as the
Ways and Means Committee might say. Those hit the
hardest are husband and wife, filing jointly, in the
$35.000-$40,000 bracket. They get stuck with a 10
percent increase in their tax rate. Further proof,
Republicans say, that Democrats want to hike taxes to
finance more government spending.
We are learning just what the right stuff is made
of. Clever politics, for one thing. John Glenn has made
more overtures to blacks, gay community leaders,
and other minorities than has any other candidate for
the Democratic presidential nomination. This comes
from no less an authority than Jesse Jackson. With
his macho image as a former astronaut and the alleg-
edly conservative credentials that the press heaped
on him, Glenn can affford to W00 gays and blacks -
the very groups his fellow candidates are taking for
granted.
ALICE
Washington Times
May 31, 1983
IN POTOMAC LAND
The new Reaganite
The Jim Baker forces have succeeded in adding
another "moderate" (you know they hate that word
Things that worry conservatives
liberal, so we play along with the White House staff)
He's Lee Verstandig, and he replaces Rich Williamson
Is Pakistan selling out to Moscow on the question
as presidential assistant for intergovernmental
of-their Afghan refugee problem? Karen McKay of
affairs.
the Committee for a Free Afghanistan says that
Lee's background will give you an idea of just how
Abdul-Roman Pajwak, former Afghan ambassador to
moderate they are getting these days. Originally an
the United Nations, was arrested in Pakistan last
aide to Sen. John Chafee, R-R.I., who just led the so-
week for publicly criticizing that country's brand of
backroom diplomacy with the Soviet Union.
called Gang of Five in defeating the Reagan budget in
the Senate, Lee was assigned to Secretary of Trans-
portation Drew Lewis in the early days of this admin-
Rumors persist that a group of congressional lib-
istration at the urging of Sen. Howard Baker's office.
erals led by Sen. John Danforth, R-Mo., and Chafee
Lewis said that was OK with him, since he needed a
are putting together a plan by which Republican
moderates pledged to Ronald Reagan would become
house liberal anyway. More recently, he did a brief
delegates to the Republican National Convention. If
stint with the Environmental Protection Agency,
where, according to Lee, he was sent to clean up after
Reagan were to step down, they would be the king-
the conservatives.
pins. Don't assume that George Bush automatically
benefits from such a plan. Danforth and Chafee
His wife, Toni Verstandig, is also a veteran of Capi-
are much closer to Howard Baker personally and Bob
tol Hill. Her patron is Rep. Clement Zablocki, the Wis-
Packwood professionally than they are to the vice
consin Democrat whom she has faithfully served lo
president.
these many years. Toni is said to regale friends at par-
ties by taunting Lee with such chants as "We're
Why hasn't anyone pointed out that the recent rise
gonna get the Reaganites in '84.''
Knowing all of this, it naturally follows that Lee
in President Reagan's popularity just happens to coin-
was the odds-on favorite to take Williamson's place in
cide with his emphasis on morality and the tough, no-
the Reagan White House. A source there told us that
nonsense approach in his public speeches?
another moderate - Richard Carver, the mayor of
The author is a political insider who must remain
Peoria - had already been offered the job when the
anonymous in order to tell tales out of school.
big push for Verstandig got under way. One happy
ending might be for Lee to save the mayor a spot on
the staff, since most of Williamson's aides are jump-
ing ship anyway.
Gender-gap politics
They say you can tell a man by his friends and a
lady by her enemies. If true, then Faith Whittlesey,
the president's new director of public liaison, must be
doing one whale of a job. Already, she's made just
about every enemies list in the Baker-Deaver wing of
the White House.
Last week, the press got wind of Mrs. Whittlesey
telling a Cabinet meeting that the president need not
be concerned about women's issues as long as he did
what he believed to be right. The subsequent furor
was enough to lift the White House off its foundation.
An exclusive interview with a Gannett News Service
reporter indicated that Mike Deaver would take
over some of Mrs. Whittlesey's responsibilities, on the
laughable theory that he understands women better
than she does. The story actually quoted one top aide
as saying Faith's remarks were "potentially harmful
to their efforts" to change the president's mind on a
number of issues. But there we go again,
forgetting that it was really Mr. Deaver the American
people were opting for when they checked Mr. Rea-
gan's name at the polls in 1980.
Eventually, even the president himself heard about
what was going on. He told his children to get back to
their desks, to do their own work and let Mrs. Whit-
tlesey do hers. But one is left with the feeling we
haven't heard the last of sibling rivalry at 1600 Penn-
sylvania Ave.
ALICE
Washington Times
IN POTOMAC LAND
May 17, 1983
Tax and tax, spend and spend
So, things are humming again at 1600
The collapse of all efforts to pass a budget res-
Pennsylvania Ave. And if this is Jim Baker's way of
olution in the Senate. Thursday - as one alternative
making amends with National Security Adviser Bill
after another went down to defeat - - was due to a
Clark, that's fine. Alice wouldn't want to be a Latin
small group of liberal Republicans who held the bal-
commie now, that's for sure.
ance of power. Except for them, the Senate was
casting mostly straight party line votes. It was a frus-
trating day for senators, but a concealed joy for some
of their staffers.
Bottom lines
Jim Range, chief aide to Majority Leader Howard
Baker, circled the Senate floor, loudly blaming con-
Father Bryan Hehir is not a Catholic bishop, but he
played a key role in the adoption of the pastoral letter
servatives for not compromising enough - conve-
on nuclear arms. After the bishops' first session on a
niently ignoring the massive, double-digit increase in
nuclear freeze several months ago, Father Hehir
domestic spending Republicans already agreed to.
sought to calm complaining priests with quiet assur-
While Steve Bell, the staff director of the Senate
ances that the pastoral letter was being toned down.
Budget Committee, cried crocodile tears, there were
His words were enough to keep many of them at home
those who recalled that Bell had written Chairman
saving souls rather than traveling to Chicago to dab-
Pete Domenici's original budget proposal last January
ble in foreign policy.
- a high revenue, big spending budget that still
makes Reaganites blanch.
Now, the strong anti-Reagan statement that
Moderate Republicans have maneuvered them-
emerged from Chicago has prompted a number of lay
Catholics to seek out someone as prestigious as
selves into the interesting position of being the
Bishop John J. O'Connor to file a minority report.
national spokesmen for higher taxes - a platform vir-
O'Connor, who subscribes to the traditional Christian
tually without a constituency. Some cynics swear that
position on war, will have to hurry, however. Already,
last Thursday's embarrassments were deliberately
the liberal bishops, flushed with success, are turning
planned by the Republican hierarchy as a means of
their attention to capitalism.
badgering the administration into going along with a
tax hike. One small bit of evidence to support that the-
ory: Even though the vote on the main Republican
substitute was sure to be close, the vice president was
nowhere around to break a possible tie. When asked
Dick Stone is the president's new ambassador to
about this, a Bush aide replied, "Baker's staff says he
Central America, a choice that won rounds of cheers
won't be needed." So, even a tie would have favored
from the right. Now, we learn that the ambassador
the liberals.
had to pay a price for his nomination, and it came in
Insiders will be watching closely as the Budget
the form of Foreign Service Officer Joe Presel.
Committee goes back to the drawing board today. The
Presel, who is now Stone's top assistant, is best
weekend visit of OMB Director David Stockman to
remembered as the man who leaked the Rowny hit list
Sen. Domenici's office may mean that the administra-
when ACDA Director Ken Adelman was up for con-
firmation.
tion will settle for a three-year budget including the
surtax Stockman devised sometime back. Imagine the
Another Stone - Roger of Black, Manafort and
president, campaigning for re-election, having to
Stone - is running all over New York telling friends
explain why four years hence he had to raise taxes.
that he will be chairman of the Re-elect Reagan Com-
More likely, the Republican leadership will serve
mittee. At the same time, partner Paul Manafort is
up a slightly warmed-over version of what the mod-
running around Washington telling friends that he not
erate Republicans were proposing last Thursday. If
Roger, is the man selected for the job. We suspect
so, there are those who will say they knew it all along.
that one, and possibly both, are wrong, which isn't
very good for business when you're with a public rela-
tions firm.
M. Peter McPherson, administrator of the Agency
for International Development, snubbed the Senate
Faith healer
Appropriations Committee last week, which has been
looking into the $300 million in U.S. aid scheduled
The Senate Intelligence Committee approved
for Syria. He simply refused to testify. Peter was
Chairman Barry Goldwater's "compromise" plan to
probably too busy trying to line up someone with the
eliminate all funding for our efforts to curb the
appearance of a conservative to take Assistant
flow of Cuban arms into Central America. Goldwater,
Administrator Frank Ruddy's place. When we last
using his powers as chairman, prevented a vote on the
checked, Peter was dickering with Frank Donatelli,
president's request, which would have been
the former national chairman of the Young Americans
approved. The senator's plan does have an escape
for Freedom, but that fell through when some of Mr.
clause - if the activities down there continue, fund-
Donatelli's former right-wing friends heard about it.
ing will be reinstated - and committee members
thought that was better than nothing.
So, the White House has decided to take whatever
The author is a political insider who must remain
measures are necessary to unite the American people
anonymous in order to tell tales out of school.
behind the president's program in Central America.
Chief-of-staff Jim Baker authorized Faith Whittlesey,
the director of public liaison, to put together a work
ing group devoted to this purpose. Meetings are
already under way.
Please note that senators are not included, but the
heads of several prominent conservative organiza-
tions are. And that's a first. Usually, conservatives are
only invited in when the ship of state is sinking and
all else has failed. No one thinks the situation in El
Salvador or Nicaragua has reached quite those pro-
portions, so chalk it up to the political savvy of Mrs.
Whittlesey, who was also one of the political archi-
tects of the defense plank in the 1980 Republican plat-
form.
WASH.
TIMES:
4-26-83
Second Thoughts
Bill Simon, boy wonder of the Nixon-Ford years,
still smarts from being treated by the Reagan White
House as just another Republican. So, he joined four
other ex-Treasury secretaries in demanding cuts in
the defense budget. Then, just when everyone was
beginning to wonder how far this feud would go,
Simon chose not to testify against the administration's
ALICE
plan to replenish the International Monetary Fund.
The change of heart may be good politics, but it does
put Simon at odds with his own conservative princi-
ples on just about every issue.
IN POTOMAC LAND
Conservatives who counted ACDA Director Ken
Adelman as one of their own are headed for
still another disappointment. As soon as he was con-
Speech pits Baker against Clark
firmed, Adelman phoned Sen. Paul Tsongas to swear
that he, Tsongas, would never regret the Adelman
There is a lot more at stake for the
appointment. As if to prove it, the director named
administration than just the 55 advisers in El Salva-
Norman Clyne as his executive assistant. Even
dor when Ronald Reagan goes on television tomorrow
moderates blanched at so blatant a left-winger in the
night to plead for support of his Central American
upper echelon. And before the week was over, Adel-
policy. It could determine who will be running our
man's office conducted a liberals-only briefing which
country from now on - Jim Baker, the current man in
sent Republican morale there into a tailspin.
charge, or national security adviser Bill Clark, whose
Moderate Democrats in the House of Representa-
policies Reagan will be advocating in tomorrow's
tives can be excused for having second thoughts on
speech.
trusting their own leaders. First, they were assured
Since Baker has developed a habit of opposing
that the nuclear freeze resolution was not one of
Clark on just about everything, forces loyal to the
those peace at-any-price measures. Then, its chief
chief of staff are now required to question the wisdom
sponsor, Rep. Ed Markey, made it clear that his goal is
of the Reagan address. According to one congres-
unilateral disarmament. A few days later, the Demo-
sional Republican, Baker is telling his aides not to gin
cratic leadership said that for tactical reasons Demo-
up the usual support for the speech, hoping that as the
crats should vote for low defense dollars and higher
president's words die a quiet death, so, too, will
taxes when the budget resolution was up. After all,
Clark's powers of influence.
they said, there would be another chance to support
For his part, Clark already has former Sen. Dick
more sensible figures after the Senate acted.
Stone out drumming up support for the administra-
So, you can imagine how they all gulped upon hear-
tion's policy on Capitol Hill. Pro-Reagan forces in the
ing that the Senate Budget Committee had approved a
White House are banking heavily on a favorable
$30 billion tax increase and dangerously low defense
public response and worry that Baker will succeed in
numbers, too. It just may be that House Democrats
removing the tough rhetoric needed to produce the
won't get a second chance to support something
desired result.
"more sensible."
Opposition to Clark's Latin policy is surfacing from
The city abounds with speculation on who is the
some surprising sources - Assistant Secretary of
source of the hatchet job Time and Newsweek did on
State Thomas Enders, for one. On the Georgetown
national security adviser Bill Clark. On the radio one
party circuit, he's been describing himself to Demo-
evening last week, columnists Pat Buchanan and John
crats as their man in the State Department. "I keep
Lofton came to the conclusion that it was the work of
the Reaganites honest," he was heard to say. Even the
White House aide Dick Darman. Now, however, sev-
CIA's John MacMahon encourages friends to lobby
eral members of the Kitchen Cabinet, Reagan's unof-
Congress against "wasting" dollars in Central
ficial advisers. think the real culprit is deputy
America.
chief-of-staff Mike Deaver. Their reasoning: Deaver
Meanwhile, Sen. Chris Dodd has been doing some
was known to have clashed with Clark over plans
lobbying of his own. He wants a closed-door Senate
for still another Reagan foreign policy speech, this
session to discuss Central America, and he wants
one to discuss Soviet violations of the SALT treaties.
it before Reagan delivers his speech tomorrow night.
Deaver brought in Secretary of State George Shultz to
The real purpose of a closed-door session is to put
plead with the president not to get too specific, while
an official light on everything that leaks out (usually
Clark wanted Reagan to tell the American people
within six hours).
the whole story and let the chips fall where they may.
So, Dodd's goal is to frame the issue on his own
Two Republican senators who thought of them-
terms in advance of the Reagan address.
selves as the next Senate Majority Leader saw their
It puts Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker on
stock fall sharply in the last few days. Ted Stevens
the spot. If he grants Dodd's request, it will be inter-
muffed his chance while filling in for the current
preted as strengthening Jim Baker's hand.
leader, Howard Baker, during debate on the withhold-
Guerrilla warfare in Central America is nothing
ing tax legislation. Stevens moved to recess to have
compared to what is going on right here in our own
more time to work out a compromise, but was
backyard.
rebuffed by a vote of 63 to 31. Deeply shaken, he left
the floor in the hands of Sen. Paul Laxalt until the
absent Baker was back in town. Similarly, Budget
Committee Chairman Pete Domenici's vote to report
the Democrats' budget inspired one of those ago-
nizing reappraisals that Republicans are always going
through.
The author is a political insider who must remain
anonymous in order to tell tales out of school.
WASH. TIMES: 4-12-83
ALICE
IN POTOMAC LAND
Mister Deaver's Neighborhood
Wayne could have confirmation problems, too. He
worked for the Republican who challenged Senator
Alice has a fondness for riddles, so when one of our
Bob Stafford in the Vermont primary last year, and
most distinguished conservative leaders asked her
Stafford is a key man on the Senate Labor
what Howard University and the Beach Boys have in
Committee. On the other hand, Wayne has done his
common, she naturally thought it was going to be a
best to win Stafford's friendship by stopping many
joke.
Reagan initiatives designed to close down the
It turns out, however, that the answer isn't funny
Department of Education. Evidently that is no longer
at all, at least not in the usual way. Alice's
a consideration.
conservative friend explained that both were
Those Americans who voted for Ronald Reagan as
clients of presidential aide Mike Deaver back when
a means of cutting down the size of government will
he was a public-relations consultant rather than a
find the switch from Borcherdt to Roberts a little
presidential one.
hard to take. And if further proof were needed of
This all came up during a conversation between
the dwindling power of the Californians in the
Alice's friend and Ben Alexander, the president of
administration, this surely is it.
the University of the District of Columbia. Ben was
complaining that President Reagan is always making
the trip up 7th Street to Howard University, while
Bottom lines
UDC has trouble even getting a rejection to its
invitations to Mr. Reagan. Ben discovered that
Congressional Republicans have let those clever
Howard has a friend inside the administration, and
Democrats outmaneuver them again. This week, the
he doesn't. Alice would love to help. of course, but
House will be debating the nuclear freeze
she doesn't have any friends on the inside anymore
resolution at the same time the Senate takes up the
either.
nomination of Ken Adelman to run the Arms
When Jim Watt beached the Beach Boys, it was
Control and Disarmament Agency. The Democrats
that same inside friend who orchestrated the
want to make the freeze resolution a referendum on
immediate outrage. Mr. Deaver, dragging the first
Adelman. and Aldelman's confirmation a vote on the
lady along with him, got the jump on the Democrats
production of nuclear weapons - a one-two punch
and thereby scored a coup (of sorts) for the
that might disarm Mr. Reagan as well.
administration.
The president was in great form last week when
The rumors persist that Mr. Deaver will soon
he called Richard Viguerie, editor of Conservative
return to the private sector where he can resume
Digest. Viguerie begged the president not to let
his ties officially with the Beach Boys and Howard
Chinese tennis star, Hu Na, be deported. Mr. Reagan
University. Come to think of it, it wouldn't be a bad
responded, "Don't worry. I'll adopt her myself
idea for Mr. Watt and Mr. Alexander to retain the
before I'll let them send her back."
Senator Orrin Hatch sought to make peace with
Deaver firm themselves.
the New Right at lunch yesterday. Conservatives
have been denouncing the Utah senator for
Dealing Wendy out
scheduling ERA hearings this spring, and they came
to see Hatch eat crow. Waiters carefully removed
the table knives, an unnecessary ploy since the
Wendy Borcherdt was a card-carrying member of
conversation was described as intense rather than
the Reagan team in Sacramento, so everyone knew
angry. The senator gave assurances that the Senate
she would be among the first Californians to surface
will not act on ERA until after the House has. And
in Washington once the election was over.
Phyllis Schlafly gave assurances that her people will
After a brief stint on the White House staff, Wendy
keep an Eagle-eye on the Hatch hearings to be sure
was nominated to be a deputy under secretary of
of their impartiality.
education. But her confirmation hearings were
delayed by liberals on the Senate Labor and Human
Resources Committee when they tried to blackmail
The author is a political insider who must remain
the president into naming a Democrat to a
anonymous in order to tell tales out of school.
completely unrelated position.
Then, the feminists got wind of Wendy's
conservative instincts and sent up a howl of protest.
Soon, the moderates in the administration were
clutching their faint hearts. The senior staff balked
at giving Wendy a recess appointment last January,
and Education Secretary Terrel Bell warned her not
to take any action that would affect education,
policy.
Last week, the White House capitulated. Without
even telling Wendy, the Baker/Darman/Duberstein
wing had the nomination quietly withdrawn. The
new candidate will be Wayne Roberts, a liberal who
was once Pen James' deputy in the office of
presidential personnel. For the past few months,
Wayne has been the Education Department's
regional representative in Boston.
WASH. TIMES : 4-5-83
Bottom lines
ALICE
President Reagan's political judgment is on the
mark more often than that of his advisers, which, of
course, is to explain why he's the president.
IN POTOMAC LAND
Nevertheless, the White House staff is reportedly
very divided over the wisdom of the Reagan defense
speech two weeks back. Aides Mike Deaver and Jim
Baker opposed it from the beginning and now point
They shall overcome
to the panning it got from liberal critics as proof
they were right.
The president's defense speech created special
When a white, Southern, conservative, Republi-
problems for some Republicans on Capitol Hill. Sen.
can congressman says publicly he wants to begin
Jerry Denton was turned down in his request for an
working with the Black Caucus in the House of
advance copy. CBS had asked him to participate in
Representatives. that's news. Or at least it should
the post-speech analysis. Finally, CBS itself
have been. If Ted Kennedy had said he agrees with
provided Denton with the text, having received it
90 percent of the Caucus' objectives, it would have
several hours earlier. As the Alabama senator said
been Dan Rather's lead story that evening. But the
later, it's pretty hard to rally the troops behind the
statement came from Newt Gingrich, the Georgia
president when the press gets the word before the
Republican. so it was ignorned.
troops do.
The Gingrich speech was delivered moments after
Personnel rumors of the week: The administra-
the Black Caucus had unveiled its substitute
tion is having second thoughts about naming Rich
proposal to the budget resolution. He got the
Williamson ambassador to international organiza-
attention of the whole chamber when he mused that
tions and may leave him at his White House desk
black politicans say the word "Republican" just like
instead. Delaware Gov. Pete duPont appears set as
Klansmen say the word "black." Which is strange,
finance chairman of the president's re-elect
Gingrich said. because Republicans, like blacks, are
committee.
a minority.
The so-called jobs bill, which the president signed
into law a few days ago, looks more and more like
The congressman proposed creating a
the pork-barrel bill its critics claimed it was. A
Republican Black Caucus Task Force to explore
memo distributed by a Senate Republican office
areas in which the two could start working together.
says that the measure contained $100,000 for the
He took note of the benefit to machine politicians
President's Commission on Drunk Driving: funds
for blacks to have no ties to the Republican Party. For
for the San Francisco cable car system and a music
Democrats. said Gingrich, "it is an enormous
hall in Elmira, New York: and $2,000 for parties
advantage to be able to automatically count on you."
hosted by HUD Secretary Sam Pierce.
Congressman John Conyers, who is black, seemed
to appreciate the point Gingrich was making.
Whether anything comes of the idea, it demon-
The author is a political insider who must remain
strates once more that the young turk Republicans in
anonymous in order to tell tales out of school.
the House are no longer content to sit on the back
row and accept business-as-usual from their own
leadership.
All in the family
Not many lobbyists have the ability to alter public
policy like Timmons and Company. Its top dogs, Bill
Timmons and Tom Korologos, are not only veterans
of the Nixon/Ford administrations, but also helped
the Reaganites in the 1980 campaign. They have the
luxury of picking and choosing their clients. So,
when they move into the area of family issues, you
know that more is afoot than a Jesse Helms
filibuster.
We were reminded of this upon learning that
Korologos is on the board of advisors to the Home
-and School Institute, whose founder is Dorothy
Rich. the wife of the Washington Post reporter.
And then word reached us that Timmons has been
using his old contacts at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to
bring about a meeting between President Reagan
and Henry Clausen, the head of the Masonic Order
The purpose of the chat is to talk the Old Man out
of his support for tuition tax credits, which the
Masons adamantly oppose.
Bill and company can also be seen a lot on Capitol
Hill these days where they are trying to get the
House to set up a Committee on Hunger and
Nutrition. One Republican congressman told us that
Timmons' real objective is to use the committee to
push adoption of the Brandt Commission report.
You remember that one. It's the report that calls for
massive aid from the Free World into the
developing nations.
All in all, it is an interesting collection of new
clients for Timmons and Company and raises the
question of why - is it ideology or the big buck?
Regardless, it's a far cry from the days of the New
Federalism.
WASH. TIMES 3-29-83
ALICE
IN POTOMAC LAND
Time to put on your thinking caps
Movers and shakers
All right, children, don your thinking caps and
Republican senators close the doors every
write on your slates the names of the three token
Tuesday at noon and caucus in private. But word
conservatives the Reagan folks have nominated to
leaked out after their last session that the usually
key foreign policy positions. Well, there was Ernest
unflappable majority leader. Howard Baker. flapped
Lefever. But as his appointment grew controversial,
twice - first at Bill Armstrong, R-Colo. for
the White House staff ordered him to keep away
complaining about Baker's plan to cut back the
from senators on the Foreign Relations Committee.
number of staff allowed on the Senate floor, and
Eventually. he had to withdraw from consideration.
then at Bob Kasten. R-Wis., for pressing his
Then came Ken Adelman, whom the president
withholding tax amendment. Republicans can't
allegedly wants to head up the disarmament agency.
remember Baker ever losing his cool twice in a row.
Capitol Hill was ruled off limits for Ken, too, and at
Speaking of the Senate leader, conservatives have
the very moment a full court press was called for.
one more reason to cheer Howard Baker's impending
His chances for confirmation are 50-50 at best.
retirement. He is the man responsible for putting
Now. conservative White House aide Rich Williamson
Frank Reiche on the Federal Election Commission
has been named U.S. representative to international
And Reiche is the man who provided the winning
organizations. Almost immediately. he was told to
margin when the FEC decided in favor of a new
cancel his appearance before the Stanton Group,
regulation prohibiting campaign contributions by
the biweekly gathering of New Right defense
organizations that lobby Congress. Its real purpose is
strategists. If you see a pattern emerging, children,
to put conservative groups like the National Right
you get an "A." As one conservative leader told us.
To Work Committee and the Moral Majority out of
"One can't help but wonder if the senior staff really
business. Unions need not worry, of course. They
wants these guys confirmed."
are exempt again.
We had sworn off Ed Meese stories for Lent. And
Last year. when all of them swore they wanted to
then Alice learned that the president's counselor has
balance the federal budget. Rep. Bob Walker,
been arranging for professors from the Kennedy
R-Penn., tested his colleagues on it over and over
School of Government at Harvard to come down
again. He offered an amendment to several special
twice a week to brief the White House staff on how
interest bills that said those bills couldn't go into
to perform their jobs in a professional manner.
effect if the result is a bigger national debt.
Experience helps. even at the White House. So,
Embarrassed Democrats kept having to vote
Harvard has been sending instructors who had jobs
against fiscal responsibility. This year, there is a new
in the Carter administration. Yes, the Carter
Walker amendment. He unveiled it last Monday as
administration. Presumably. with Jim Baker and
the House debated the Oregon Wilderness Act, a bill
Mike Deaver cornering the market on hacks from
to lock up thousands of acres of forest land.
the Nixon-Ford years, Mr. Meese had to turn to
Walker's amendment simply said that the land can't
Jimmy Carter for his.
be taken out of production if it increases
Personnel rumors of the week Jack Courtemanche
unemployment. Ultimately. it failed. The vote ran
one of the gang from California, is still being talked
along party lines with embarrassed Democrats
about as Mike Deaver's replacement. And Ron
choosing trees over jobs.
Kaufman, fired from his Republican National
Committee post for not being enough of a Reaganite.
The author is a political insider who must remain
may turn up on the White House staff running the
anonymous in order to tell tales out of school.
office of administration if and when John Rogers
vacates the premises. Evidently Joan Aikens has
lobbied her way back to another six-year term on the
Federal Election Commission. although some
congressmen were a little perplexed at being lobbied
that hard by one who would regulate their
campaigns.
Yes, it was Jim Watt who championed Bill
Ruckleshaus for the job of EPA Director. Jim has
been telling pals that the administration sweetened
the pot by promising Ruck the next cabinet vacancy,
and one of them allowed as to how he hopes it won't
be Jim's. EPA hasn't had much to laugh about lately.
but there were a lot of chuckles after Ruckleshaus
paid a courtesy call on Congressmen Dingell and
Florio. They swear that the congressmen told the
new director they had prepared a list of those at EPA
who ought to go. At least that's the way they tell it
at EPA. Alice wouldn't want to take an F. Lee Bailey
test on it.
ALICE
Washington Times
March 15, 1983
IN POTOMAC LAND
The Burford Blitz
Bottom Lines
By 5 p.m. Wednesday, it was all over. Anne
Just in case you got the idea that the
Gorsuch Burford was gone and the celebrations
Environmental Protection Agency was the only
could begin. This is not to imply that there were
thing on the administration's mind last week, we
parties actually going on in the White House,
offer the following:
although you couldn't mistake the festive air in Jim
Paul Manafort, who rounded up delegates for
Baker's quarters. Someone yelled, One down, two to
Jerry Ford in 1976, is tentatively set to run the
go" - meaning, presumably, that Jim Watt and Ray
president's re-election committee next year.
Donovan would be next.
Everyone in the Executive Mansion was
But unlike Watt and Donovan, Burford had
nervous when the president chose to lay his prestige
refused to work with conservative organizations all
the line, defending the withholding tax on
along. So, when the ordeal began, she had hardly
savings and dividends. Casting about for villains,
anyone to turn to for help. More than one New Right
most fingers finally pointed at Assistant Treasury
leader went to great pains to explain this in the past
Secretary Buck Chapoton, who hasn't a supply-side
week.
bone in his body. They say he was the one who
The real story, however, may not be Burford
conned the president into sticking his neck out and
herself, but rather President Reagan and how little
take that decidedly un-Republican position.
he knew about the whole affair. Examples:
Congressman Bill Dickinson was the star of the
On March 7, the Washington Post ran a story
show when the president hosted conservatives to
outlining senior staff strategy for getting rid of
discuss the nuclear freeze movement a few days ago.
Burford. As condensed for the daily White House
After Jerry Falwell and others wasted precious
news summary (said to be the main source of media
time telling Reagan how great he is, Dickinson had
information for the president), it read like a love
the guts to look the president in the eye and say he
letter to Burford with everyone trying to help her
is in deep trouble on the issue. That's why the White
make the right decision. There was no mention that
House now says Reagan may go on television to take
Jim Baker and Dave Gergen were telling the press
his case against the freeze directly to the people.
she must go, or that Dick Darman sacrificed a
weekend away in order to gin up support for her
The author is a political insider who must remain
ouster.
More than a week before Burford resigned,
anonymous in order to tell tales out of school.
counselor Ed Meese was circulating the name of a
possible successor, a Californian working at the
Pentagon. At almost the same moment, Reagan was
in Klamath Falls pledging complete support for
Burford.
As late as noon on the day she resigned,
Reagan, in a speech to the National Federation of
Republican Women, delivered another glowing
tribute to the EPA director - - hardly the kind of
statement one would make if he knew his aides
were minutes away from forcing her resignation.
Ultimately, the job of telling Mrs. Burford she
had to go fell to Meese. But he chickened out and
called on long-time conservative leader Joe Coors
(Burford's original sponsor) to do it for him. Coors
understands the hurt this administration can inflict
on loyalists. He and other members of the Reagan
Kitchen Cabinet have been subjected to endless
humiliations by the senior staff. But he called
Burford anyway - not to say she must resign, but
rather to convey the fact that Meese wanted her to.
On Capitol Hill, Sen. Steve Symms noted the irony
of loyalist Burford being forced out on the very day
that Margaret Heckler (who had the worst record
of support for Reagan programs in the House of
Representatives last year) was being sworn in as
Secretary of Health and Human Services. Another
senator suggested that Anne's husband, Bob, be
selected as her replacement. Others were urging
Mrs. Burford to consider a senatorial race against
Gary Hart in 1986.
In the end, Anne Burford discovered that loyalty
to Ronald Reagan isn't enough in this administration,
especially when the president hardly knows she is
in trouble.
WASH. TIMES : 3-1-83
ALICE
IN POTOMAC LAND
Administration fiddles,
Bilandic Byrnes
Michael Bilandic tried, without success, to win the
Democratic nomination for mayor of Chicago in
years gone by. But in 1981, Bilandic, a fiscal
conservative, found himself captivated by the early
months of the Reagan administration. He began
toying with the idea of running again for mayor in
1983, but this time as a Reagan Republican. He
reasoned that he could attract enough ethnic
Democrats to the Republican banner to make victory
possible.
A close friend, highly placed in the corporate
world, contacted the Republican National Commit-
tee in Bilandic's behalf and was stunned to find that
their open door policy doesn't extend to Chicago
Democrats. So, he turned to Paul Weyrich, the most
prominent of New Right leaders, for help.
Weyrich called several key administration sources
- Rich Williamson, Ed Rollins, Sen. Paul Laxalt -
and found a lot of enthusiasm for the outrageous idea
of electing a Republican mayor in Chicago. But
suddenly the White House balked at inviting Bilandic
to meet with President Reagan. Finally, Williamson
conveyed the bad news: A deal had been cut with the
unbeatable Jane Byrne. How can the administration
work with her and set up her opponent at the same
time?
Well, as everyone knows, the unbeatable Byrne was
beaten in last week's Democratic primary, losing to
Rep. Harold Washington. The Republicans are not
only caught without a deal to their name but are
stuck with only a token candidate to challenge
Washington. Bilandic now denies he was ever
interested in converting to Reaganism. And the
administration's understanding of the ethnic voter
has been exposed once again as little more than a
Polish joke.
Post-Mortem
The irony of Reagan aide Mike Deaver using
"that phrase" in Time magazine to express his
contempt for some of the president's key
supporters has not been lost on conservatives on
Capitol Hill. After reading the Time article, one
Southern Republican congressman said, "The
Reagan Revolution is dead. What we are seeing at
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. is a few little guys
administering power."
The author is a political insider who must remain
anonymous in order to tell tales out of school.
ALICE
Washington Times
February 22, 1983
IN POTOMAC LAND
Finding the right target
Michael K. Rasputin
So, Sen. Alan Cranston, who is running for
president, wants Ken Adelman, the president's
As we recall, the influence of Rasputin on the
choice for ACDA director, to come back before his
Czarina and Nicholas II gradually wore away the
committee for another headline-hunting question-
government's credibility with its natural supporters.
apswer session. And Haynes Johnson, the
Keep in mind those words, "natural supporters,"
and read on.
celumnist, wants the president to pardon Frank
Wills, the security guard who stumbled into the
Mike Deaver, who keeps a watchful eye on the
Watergate break-in and who was arrested a few days
president's schedule, reluctantly agreed recently to
ago for shoplifting. And then there is Rep. James
an appointment in the Oval Office for the Rev. Jerry
Falwell, the fundamentalist minister. But Deaver
Scheuer: after the administration settled its dispute
with Congress over which EPA documents it would
got even. He slyly told the media that Falwell had
see, Rep. Elliott Levitas said the House would see
been invited over for couple of drinks." Falwell is
"everything," but everything turned out to be not
a teetotaler, of course, as are most of his followers,
enough for Scheuer who said he wants more.
all of whom are upset about the national publicity
given the slur.
I don't know how the Democrats expect the rest of
Mike Deaver did, on the other hand, arrange for a
us to take them seriously.
presidential audience with the Rev. Billy Graham.
To begin with, Adelman received his diplomatic
The purpose was to present Graham with the
training at the hands of UN Ambassador Jeane
Presidential Medal of Freedom. At any other time,
Kirkpatrick, and that ought to be enough for anyone.
this would have been welcome news to the
If you want to worry about a Reagan nominee, you
conservative religious community, except that right
might look instead at Linda Chavez Gersten, the lady
now they are at odds with Graham for his "hear no
chosen to be staff director of the Civil Rights
evil, see no evil, speak no evil" statement following
Commission.
a tour of the Soviet Union.
Most of Mrs. Gersten's career has been devoted
Mike Deaver has also urged the president to lash
to furthering the labor union movement. She was a
out at his conservative friends for being critical of
lobbyist for the National Education Association and
administration inaction on its promises to the right.
then an official of the American Federation of
Instead, he suggests confrontation with those who
Teachers. Jimmy Carter used her as a consultant on
compose Mr. Reagan's natural supporters.
his OMB reorganization project. Mrs. Gersten is
It is possible to argue that Deaver has lost all of his
affiliated with the Committee for a Democratic
political marbles. He has promoted a Bush advance
Majority, which seeks to keep Congress in
man, Fred Ryan, to be director of presidential
anti-Reagan hands. Her selection constitutes
scheduling And we hear he has been feuding with
another example of the death wish this administra-
Bay Buchanan, the Treasurer of the United States,
tion has placed on itself.
over whether Armand Hammer should get the
- As for the EPA dispute, all of the talk has been
contract to produce the Olympic commemorative
about Director Anne Gorsuch carrying out the
coin.
wishes of the president. It's hard to believe no one
Mr. Deaver's natural supporter is, of course, the
has questioned the ethical posture of Hugh
president, just as Mr. Reagan's natural support
Kaufman, the agency's professional whistleblower.
originates among Moral Majority types. Nevertheless,
Mr. Kaufman's statements to the press often begin
the president's left-hand man has been heard to
with, "I have documents in my possession One
claim there is a right-wing conspiracy against him.
cannot help but wonder if the moral corollary to the
That's ridiculous. Everyone knows it's really the
shredding machine is the employee who copies
other way around.
selected documents for the media.
The reasoning behind the plea for a pardon of Mr.
Wills seems to be that Richard Nixon owes the
government back taxes. Why should one suffer
retribution and not the other?
Those who insist there is no such thing as "the
liberal press" would do well to ponder why the
media is more concerned about Adelman than
Gersten, Gorsuch than Kaufman, Wills than, say,
Stephanie Roper.
WASH. TIMES: 2-15-83
ALICE
IN POTOMAC LAND
From Russia with love
At taxpayer expense
Will the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
White House aide Mike Horowitz was trying to
finally hold its oft-postponed hearings on
write OMB's new regulations prohibiting the use of
chemical/biological warfare? Chances are the
federal funds for lobbying the government. But a
decision will depend in great measure on whether
steady parade of worried visitors - the
everyone promises not to say that the State
bureaucratic equivalents of the Ghost of Christmas
Department has known for over a year that Cuba is
Past - kept intruding. Everyone from Dancers for
producing yellow rain.
Disarmament to Rockwell International executives
No one wants the word to get out because those up
wondered how these rules would affect them.
in '84 - the president and the chairman of the
In a way, their complaints were proving Mike's
committee, for instance - think they need an arms
point, namely that many recipients of the federal
treaty signed before the next election rolls around.
dollar use at least part of the funds to promote a
So, it's very unfashionable these days to admit that
political cause or obtain a government contract. Not
the Soviet Union isn't man's best friend. That
everyone objected, understand. The Farm Bureau,
requires having some patience with Cuba as well.
having suffered the federally funded abuses of
The yellow rain debate will just have to wait until
Caesar Chavez these many years, can't wait for the
1985, when a nice international crisis would probably
regs to go into effect.
help the whole Reagan program through Congress.
So, the proposed regulations were published in the
Alice is somehow reminded of the day, long since
Federal Register on Jan. 24. The left had alerted its
past, when the queen kept yelling, "Faster, faster."
troops, of course, since the rules would force them to
But for the life of her, the faster Alice would run, the
go out and earn the dollars with which to fight the
more she stood still.
administration. What Horowitz wasn't prepared for
were the howls of anguish from the business
"Action-forcing" events
community, and the fact that the howls were being
orchestrated from another corner of the White
House by presidential assistant Wayne Vallis.
Ed Meese tells the world there is no conflict
between him and his White House counterpart, Jim
Evidently Vallis subscribes to the Rita Lavelle
Baker, and that the lines of authority are carefully
school of political theory. Despite the fact that the
drawn. Baker administers the place. Meese handles
proposed regulations had the approval of every
policy - but which policy?
big-wig in the administration (even Ed Meese), he
Sunday's Washington Post shed a little light on how
took it upon himself to organize the opposition.
communications policy evolves each day. The
In this administration, biting the hand that feeds
particularly touchy issues become the bailiwick of a
you is no crime. Fighting official policy is no sin.
small group of senior staffers - Baker, Darman,
But the honor of being the first to break the new
Gergen, Deaver, etc., but not Meese.
regulations (Vallis' salary is, after all, paid by the
Back when the papers were heralding the advent
taxpayer) may prove to be too dubious even by
of a Social Security compromise, we heard endlessly
Reagan White House standards.
how the tense negotiations were masterminded by
Baker and OMB Director Dave Stockman. Meese was
never mentioned, perhaps to his credit.
Last week, Jim Baker was compromising policy
again. This time he joined the fight to slap down
EPA, calling congessional leaders and promising to
turn over most of the Superfund documents the
Democrats have been hollering for. The documents
today, Anne Gorsuch's head tomorrow, no doubt.
What with Baker wishing at the turkey blind he
could fire Meese's staff, Meese seems to be not only
fresh out of policies but of collegial respect as well.
Nevertheless, Ed insists that the door to the Oval
Office is always open to him. Surely he must know by
now that policy in the Reagan administration is
seldom made there.
WASH. TIMES: 12-21-82
Budget mania
ALICE
Panic is said to have set in at the White House
where the days until a new federal budget is
supposed to be unveiled dwindle down to a precious
IN POTOMAC LAND
few. At one recent high level meeting, options under
consideration ran from the bizarre to the ridiculous,
from declaring a national economic emergency to
not submitting a budget at all.
His girl Friday
OMB Director David Stockman demonstrates the
Alice entertained serious thoughts about applying
futility of it all to visiting congressmen by asking
for the job of executive secretary with one of the
them to cut the budget anywhere they want to. He
new Republican senators. The way it all turned out,
runs those figures through the computer and then
we're just as glad we didn't.
tells them how big the deficit still is. California
Pete Wilson, the California Republican, wanted to
Congress man Bill Danneymeyer, whose conserva-
tive credentials are the ones by which most of the
serve all of the people, he said, so he hired as his
rest of us are measured, cut everything in sight, then
executive secretary Bobbie Dono. She's the girl
who perfomed similar duties for Democrat Harrison
sat back dismayed when Stockman told him there
was still a deficit of $130 billion. Little wonder that
Williams before he was excommunicated. Bobbie,
fired by the same bipartisan spirit, now wants
it's panicsville at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
someone from Senator Hayakawa's office to be her
Congressman Newt Gingrich thinks he knows the
answer. The Georgia Republican wants to freeze
secretary, because, as she explains, she doesn't know
every single federal program, including defense and
how to keep books in a Republican office. (Bobbie,
Social Security, right where it is for two years. He
honey, there is a distinct possibility that no one keeps
also would freeze income tax rates for two years. He
books like they did in the Williams office.)
claims this will get the deficit down to $39 billion,
Paul Trible's search for the perfect secretary
which, all things considered, is beginning to look like
ended when the wheel of fortune pointed him in the
direction of Debbie McPherson. The Virginia
peanuts.
Last week, Gingrich took his plan to Sen. Paul
conservative was naturally attracted to her when he
Laxalt, whose lot it is to go through life known as
learned that she had once assisted Nelson
Rockefeller and Walter Mondale, among others.
the president's best friend. Laxalt liked the idea well
Experience wins again.
enough, but warned that Cap Weinberger won't.
However, most of the Republican leaders in the
Nevada's Chic Hecht played it safe. To make sure
House - even Jack Kemp in a mild sort of way -
that he hired a secretary with views compatible to
are willing to pursue the Gingrich plan even if it
his own conservative Republican instincts, Chic
means kicking the Pentagon around in the process.
turned to the White House for help. And presidential
aide Jim Baker made the sacrifice. Now, one of his
assistants, Margaret Glascock, will be Mr. Hecht's
executive secretary.
The toy tax
Prediction: About a year from now, there will be an
The boys were whooping it up down at the
article in the Conservative Digest. Great things had
Treasury Department one night not long ago, telling
been expected of the three new Republican senators,
the kind of jokes that make economists laugh.
it will say, but somehow things didn't turn out that
Finally, two of the congressional liaison aides, Dennis
way. They no longer listen to their friends, the ones
Thomas and Bruce Thompson donned perfectly
who helped get them elected. Sound familiar?
straight, supply-side faces and began a merry game.
Remember, you read it here first.
They were searching, they said, for any group in
today's society that is not already taxed to death.
Ultimately, they decided it was children, and the
idea for a toy tax was born.
Holiday frivolity notwithstanding, a reporter in
the room took the discussion seriously. They next
day, he made an appointment with Marty Feldstein,
the chairman of the President's Council of Economic
Advisors. When the question was put to him.
Feldstein categorically denied that a toy tax was in
the works.
Undaunted, our journalist friend headed for
Capitol Hill where he ran into Sen. John East,
R-N.C., in the press gallery. Would he support a
special tax on toys? The senator was asked. East
slammed his first onto a nearby table with such
ferocity that the Capitol dome shook. This
administration has gone too far, East retorted, if it
thinks it can balance the budget on the backs of
little children. And right before Christmas, too.
Well, they are still chuckling about it down at
Treasury where the nonexistent plans for a toy tax
have been shelved until next year's Christmas
party. You will note, however, that Toys-R-Us is
dickering a contract with lobbyist Bill Timmons,
just in case.
The author is a political insider who must remain
anonymous in order to tell tales out of school.
WASH. TIMES 12-14-82
ALICE
IN POTOMAC LAND
The Legal Services Corporation has been a pain in
the corpus to Ronald Reagan since he was governor
of California. He was determined to close it down
once he got to Washington, but Congress wouldn't
go along with the idea. So, the president nominated a
governing board made up of moderate-to-hard-core
conservatives. Senator Kennedy threatened to filibus-
ter the two nominees with, shall we say, killer
instincts. So, conservative senators balked at
confirming the rest.
Last week, Senator Howard Baker scheduled the
nominees for confirmation, but said he would skip
over those candidates that proved to be excessively
controversial - meaning the two that Kennedy
objected to. He also neglected to inform the White
House. At the last minute, Reagan aide Ed Meese
heard about it, and a letter was hastily drafted
withdrawing all nominees. Dick Darman, the
president's resident liberal, was dispatched to
deliver it to the Hill. But traffic must have been
atrocious that day, because the letter didn't arrive on
time.
Just as Baker was ready to call up the nominees,
he got a frantic phone call from Helene von
Damm, director of presidential personnel. She
explained that the president did not want the board
confirmed. and that stopped the matter there. Now,
the White House is drawing up a new list of
nominees to submit for confirmation, a list that will
singe Mr. Kennedy's hair. Phyllis Schlafly is said to
be on it, and the message to the senator from
Massachusetts is this: The names will keep getting
"tougher" until the Senate is willing to accede to Mr.
Reagan's wishes.
The ways of the Democratic Caucus in the House
of Representatives offer us a lesson in how
democracy really works, the kind of lesson not
taught in Political Science 101.
Last week, the Caucus voted to bind all Democrats
to support the decision it was about to make. Then,
to be certain that all Democrats stay in line, Speaker
Tip O'Neill delayed formal adoption of committee
assignments in the House until the rules changes
are officially approved in January. In this way, any
Democrat who votes his conscience can be punished
immediately.
Thus, with as few as 158 Democrats approving
them. last week's Caucus was able to bind all 435
members of the House of Representatives to rules
changes designed to stifle conservative initiatives.
It was a major victory for the pro-abortionists who
lost a series of right-to-life votes in recent years
when they were attached to appropriations bills.
Such amendments are virtually impossible to offer
under the new rules.
Advocates of school prayer and a balanced
federal budget have suffered similarly. Efforts to
overturn forced busing practices and to remove
restrictions on firearms are also doomed to failure.
Over in the Senate, Bob Packwood and company
will filibuster any such moves there. So, for all
practical purposes, the social issue agenda is dead
for the next two years.
Largely overlooked in the flurry of rules changes
was one to punish any Democrat who aids a
Republican at election time.
This is a new party rule, and the penalty for
breaking it is to throw the offender out of the
Democratic caucus. That may not sound like much
to the uninitiated, but the way the House is being
run these days. any Democrat who violates the rule
might as well be a Republican.
This rule is a direct slap at Congressman Berkley
Bedell, a Democrat from Iowa who came to the aid
of Tom Evans. R-Del., last fall, and at Bob Edgar, the
Pennsylvania Democrat who gave a hand to Claudine
Schneider, R-R.I.
The author is a political insider who must remain
anonymous in order to tell tales out of school.
WASH. TIMES 11-30-82
The issues that won't go away
ALICE
News that the social issues died a quiet death in
the midterm elections is premature to say the least.
Consider:
IN POTOMAC LAND
Of Dave Durenburg's Senate victory in
Minnesota, the Minneapolis Star and Tribute wrote
that the abortion issue affected one voter in four,
with the impact working in Durenberger's favor.
Baker's Umbilical Cord
Dick Davis, who lost the Virginia Senate race to
Presidential adviser Ed Meese may have an ace
Paul Trible, complained that pro-lifers passed out
leaflets associating him with abortion advocates at
up his sleeve in his never-ending struggle with
Chief-of-staff Jim Baker for control of the White
Catholic churches throughout the state.
House. Like everything else in the government, the
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch that similar
White House is operating in the red. And, as with
literature placed on the windshields of cars in
everything else, red ink worries the conservative
church parking lots throughout Missouri provided
Meese more than it does the moderate Baker.
the margin of victory for Senator John Danforth.
The real culprit is 26-year-old John Rogers,
On the other hand, Senator Jack Schmitt's
Director of White House Administration and a
re-election defeat in New Mexico is at least partly
Baker protege. Rogers' credentials for his position,
attributable to his signing of a letter on behalf of
Planned Parenthood.
where he is in charge of everything from paper
clips to toilet installations, can best be understood by
Much as the liberal press sought to dismiss the
noting that he ran errands in the Ford White House
issue, the issue simply won't be dismissed. And now,
and then worked as an intern in the Senate GOP
a report on the current meetings of the United States
Policy Committee.
Catholic Conference is circulating Capitol Hill,
Last summer, UPI correspondent Helen Thomas
giving new insights into the political power of the
wrote that Rogers' high-handed manner had
right-to-life issue.
sparked a staff uprising at 1600 Pennsylvania
This study makes the point that liberal Catholic
Avenue. She said he had eliminated a vending
bishops seek to combine the nuclear-freeze
machine room in the West Wing, leaving the staff
movement with the anti-abortion issue. The goal is to
without a place to buy a candy bar. That, they say, is
redefine "pro-life" to include disarmament. The
more reminiscent of LBJ's turning off the White
bishops would then "settle" for the so-called states'
House lights than of Reaganomics.
rights approach to abortion, which is opposed by so
Rogers is said to have vetoed advance payments for
many members of the New Right. This would enable
staff traveling with the president, eliminated inside
Senator Kennedy to be as pro-life as Senator Helms,
parking for the press, and tried to firea beauty shop
and it might halt the drift of Catholic voters toward
employee because the hairdresser didn't "take care
conservative candidates.
of important enough people." John knows who the
So, it boils down to this: The abortion issue won't
important people are. Himself, for one - he once
get last rites if it is successfully merged with the
insisted that his name be included on the state dinner
freeze movement. And if it elevates Senator Kennedy
guest list. And Jim Baker, for another. There is a
to the presidency, liberals won't mind being
saying at the White House that if you follow Baker's
"pro-life" one bit.
umbilical cord far enough you are sure to run into
The right to bear arms is another matter on the
John Rogers.
social agenda that proved that conservative issues
That is why Rogers' handling of White House
can make the difference in otherwise close contests.
finances is not only an embarrassment to Baker. but
Everyone knows that opponents of gun controls won
in the view of many Reagan staffers, and example
a big victory in California - and in the process
of the cause of justice served.
brought to the polls voters who helped elect the more
Ed Meese's associates know the frantic juggling
conservative candidates in races for governor and
that Rogers resorted to in order to keep the White
senator.
House from going nearly half a million dollars in
What may have escaped your attention is that in
two other states voters were offered a referedum on
the hole during fiscal 1982. And they could hardly
hide the smirks when told that Rogers has already
inserting a right-to-bear arms clause into the state
used up his first quarter funds for fiscal '83.
constitution. In New Hampshire, the pro-gun forces
Jim Baker spent week before last in Texas,
won a whopping 72 percent to 28 percent victory. A
fueling speculation that he would retire soon to the
Republican just happened to be elected governor
banking community there. What this does to the
unexpectedly at the same time. In Nevada, it was
future of John Rogers is problematical. All we know
much the same thing. The proposal there carried by
is that last week he turned to a secretary and
a 71 percent to 29 percent margin and conservative
sighed, "I'd rather go to the CIA than Houston." As
Chic Hecht's Senate campaign was the beneficiary.
the word spread, more than one insider said he
doesn't care where Rogers goes, just as long he goes.
Over and out
Speculation about staff changes at the White
House continues unabated. Beleaguered Reaganites
on the premises insist that almost any change
would be an improvement.
That's not so in the case of Helene Von Damm,
who is expected to leave the presidential personnel
office to become Ambassador to Austria. Her
replacement will likely be young Bob Tuttle. He is
the son of Reagan Kitchen Cabineteer Holmes
Tuttle and is already receiving on-the-job training.
The early betting on who takes Mike Deaver's
place focuses on super lib Dick Darman, director of
legislative strategy for the president. Darman has
quietly assumed the role of chief adviser for
domestic policy in recent weeks when nobody was
looking. He accompanied Deaver to South America to
make initial preparations for Mr. Reagan's trip
there. Two presidential aides on that level wouldn't
go on such a trip together unless one of them was in
training.
The author is a political insider who must remain
anonymous in order to tell tales out of school.
WASH. TIMES: 11-9-82
ALICE
Everyone knows that White House Communica-
tions Director Dave Gergen is packing his bags. But
IN POTOMAC LAND
what you may not know is that the Reaganites
have UPI reporter Helen Thomas scouring the
countryside for a replacement. And the latest
You know it was an unusual election when Republi-
word on Mike Deaver has him joining up with
cans take a beating and yet chortle that the
Armand Hammer. We don't know who searches
Democrats muffed it. Conservatives had mixed
for his replacement, good domestics are so hard to
feelings about the results, and they tell it this way:
find these days.
The big winners were the media and the
Rich Williamson may be reorganized into some
unions. The liberal press proved its power again,
sort of White House public relations czar. One
hammering away at Social Security and unemploy-
plan has him heading up not only his own
ment until even those with the most secure jobs felt
intergovernmental affairs office, but also the
threatened. Labor put together the old coalition
communications and public liaison offices as well.
of minorities and blue-collar workers that served
Rich would chuck it all, however, if someone
the Democrats so well over the years. There was
would offer him Ed Rollins' job as White House
no better example of this than in the 6th District of
political wizard.
Alabama where Congressman Albert Lee Smith
There will be many new faces in the adminstration's
lost. The usual voter turnout in a midterm election
various congressional teams. Dennis Thomas
there is around 40 percent. This year it rose to 78
(Treasury) and Powell Moore (State) will form a
percent, almost all of the increase due to union
political consultancy. while Bob Thompson (White
activity.
House) and OMB economist Larry Kudlow plan
Conservatives had their moment of glory, however.
very respectable careers as investment bankers.
Right-to-lifers claim credit for the margin of
victory in Paul Trible's Virginia race. Their help
Shakeup at the Chamber
promted Democrat Dick Davis to charge that the
Not all of the changes brought about by the
Senate contest boiled down to "a race between Jerry
election will occur in the government. A shake-up at
Falwell and me." And the Committee for the
the Chamber of Commerce headquarters is on
Survival of a Free Congress filled the breach when
tap for this week. Dick Lesher, the chamber's most
Chic Hecht's Nevada campaign was faltering,
respected president ever, is in dutch with the
providing field men and organizing the troops.
chamber's chairman Paul Thayer. And all because
Surprisingly, the feminist groups took it on
Lesher stuck by the orgaization's official stance
the chin. Neither the National Organization for
in opposing last summer's tax hike legislation.
Women nor the National Woman's Political Cau-
Thayer wanted the bill passed, probably because
cus dislodged a single incumbent targeted for
Ling-Temco-Vaught. which he heads. was one of
defeat. The girls lost credibility when they
beneficiaries of the tax leasing provisions. Now
refused to endorse either Millicent Fenwick or
that business-oriented candidates have taken a
Margaret Heckler on the ludicrous grounds that
beating in the elections, Lesher may be on his
they weren't sufficiently pro-women. (You can imag-
way out, too.
ine the snickers in the crowd when Barney Frank
said, "I am the women's candidate, not Mrs. Heckler.")
And on The Hill
John Maxwell. the Iowa campaign guru,
proved again that trends make no difference if a
Flushed with victory, Democrats on Capitol Hill
campaign is managed properly. John, you may
see no leadership changes emerging in the next
recall, masterminded the election of Senators Grassley
Congress. One never knows about the Republicans.
and Jepsen. He did it again this year, helping
So, for what it's worth:
Terry Branstad win the governor's race and Congress-
The Republican Congressional Campaign Com-
man Cooper Evans retain his seat in the House.
mittee tried to raise money by letting contributors
Iowa Republicans now heave a sigh of relief that Mr.
vote on various plans for altering the Social
Jepsen's 1984 re-election bid appears much more
Security System. thereby spawning all of those
safe.
last-minute Democratic television commecials.
Democrat Herb Harris may have lost his
Now. a number of Republican congressmen want to
much-publicized race against Stan Parris over in the
cast a vote, too. Specifically, they want to vote
Virginia suburbs. But conservatives think the
Chairman Guy Vander Jagt out of office, and almost
real loser was State Senator Richard Saslaw. The
anyone else will do, they say.
Harris people claim that Saslaw sat on his hands
Senator Bill Armstrong called Senator Ted
thoughtout the fall in the hope that he could run
Stevens last week to confess that he once lusted
against Parris two years from now. One of Herb's
after the post of majority whip. But Armstrong
closest friends said on election night, "Two can play
promised to do nothing more than lust for it,
that game."
which cinches Stevens' re-election to the Republican's
The off-year elections are just the beginning of a
second-highest post.
lot of changes that will occur on the local scene.
There will be no challenge for the top Republi-
The White House now occupies stage center, and
can spot in either the House or the Senate,
these are the stories we hear coming out of 1600
although some conservatives feel there are grounds.
Pennsylvania Avenue.
When it appeared that Bob Michel, the House
Jim Baker's friends insist that the White
GOP leader, might lose last Tuesday night, Tip
House chief of staff is going home to Texas where
O'Neill took to the airwaves with a glowing
he will join a prominent banking firm, presuma-
eulogy of his Republican friend, and worrying that a
bly as something more than a teller. Baker would
Michel defeat would put House Republicans in
like to return to Washington in 1985 as the junior
the pocket of the "far right" - meaning Trent Lott
Senator from Texas, but John Tower stands in the
and Jack Kemp, one supposes. But Michel went
way. Tower wouldn't however, stand in the way if
on to win - putting the leadership back in Tip's
someone were to dangle the job of Secretary of
pocket, one supposes.
Defense in front of him. And Baker just might be
in a position to arrange it.
The author is a political insider who must remain
anonymous in order to tell tales out of school.
WASH. TIMES 10-26-82
ALICE
IN POTOMAC LAND
Reagan's Perle Mesta
Helene von Damm, the White House Personnel
Bottom lines
Director, longs to be ambassador to her native
Austria. And with her close ties to Ronald Reagan,
Conservatives are urging Senator Jesse Helms
the job is Helene's for the asking, all denials
to challenge Howard Baker for the job of Senate
notwithstanding.
Majority Leader. If the midterm elections go
She turned the ambassadorship down once before
badly for Republicans, they think Senator Baker will
because Helene - loyal to a fault - felt her place
have to shoulder part of the blame for delaying
was here. Now, all that is changing. Any doubts about
consideration of social issues (abortion, school
taking the post were resolved in the past few days
prayer, etc.) until it was too late for any of them to
as chief-of-staff Jim Baker continually whacked
pass. Senator Helms refuses even to talk about it, but
away at Helene's already meager staff. One aide
then he always does at first.
in the personnel shop complains that it is no longer
Jeff Bell, the young Reaganite who has tried twice
possible to do the job with so few people there.
for a New Jersey Senate seat, will now take a
Helene's instructions in the beginning were to find
different route to Congress. He has been asked to
qualified Reagan supporters for administration
join Congressman Jack Kemp's staff as director
posts and to hang tough against unreasonable
of the House Republican Conference, which Kemp
demands from congressional Republicans. So,
chairs.
Helene resisted pressure from Senator Howard
Last week, we reported on the mounting
Baker who wanted a neighbor (and a Democrat)
excitement surrounding the British movie, "Who
appointed Caribbean regional director of the Peace
Dares Wins," a film that takes a strong stand against
Corps. Having prevailed in that battle, she found
the nuclear-freeze movement. Well, someone got a
herself refereeing a fight with Senator Bob Dole.
little too excited. One of the two copies in this
Dole wanted his legislative assistant Mary Wheat
country was found shredded - giving new
named to a top vocational post at the Department of
meaning, one supposes to the expression, "winding
Education despite Mary's outspoken views on
up on the cutting room floor."
expanding welfare programs - a decidedly
Recent meetings by New Right activists with
anti-Reagan stance. The fur is still flying on that
Jewish leaders and neoconservatives have found a
one.
common thread. Regardless of how they may view
According to White House intimates, Helene
other matters, one and all are united in their
figures it this way. Mr. Jim Baker and friends think
determination to get the United States out of the
she has been too much of a Reaganite in
United Nations. Which proves one should never
administering her job. They want her in Vienna, not
throw away an old bumper sticker.
Washington, and applied the pressure by cutting
Wondering if the fundamentalist minister in
the staff. Those fights with Capitol Hill gave them
Nebraska who refused to close his church-run school
the excuse they were looking for.
remains in jail? Put your mind to rest. More than
Helene sees the handwriting, and she knows how
1,000 ministers from around the country dropped by
the game is played. A European diplomatic post
for Wednesday prayer meeting last week. That
doesn't sound so bad after all. So, pals bet she heads
was enough to convince the judge that the Rev.
for Austria around the first of the year.
Everett Sileven is less of a menace to society out
of jail than in. Prompted by more than 6,000 phone
calls to the White House, President Reagan issued
Flying high in Texas
a statement expressing delight that the matter is
well on its way to a happy ending. We'll see.
That's rather smelly stuff being flung in the
Texas comptroller's race this year. The incumbent,
The author is a political insider who must remain
Bob Bullock, stands accused of having a switch
anonymous in order to tell tales out of school.
installed in an airplane leased by his office that turns
off the flight-hour meter at will. The current
guessing game is why.
Bullock's pilot dismisses it as just a way of
getting around the FAA safety inspections, an excuse
that probably hasn't endeared him to any of the
'plane's recent passengers. Newspapers in Austin,
Dallas, and San Antonio have run stories on the
matter, and Bullock's Republican opponent, Mike
Richards, hints at darker things afoot. He has
made the safety violation a campaign issue.
A former secretary in Bullock's office spilled
,the beans, although she was kidnapped, held
overnight and beaten by unknown assailants
shortly before she was scheduled to issue a public
statement on it. Naturally, she doesn't think it was
all a coincidence, and a lie-detector test supports her
testimony.
Not much has been done in the way of an
linvestigation. Everyone assigned to the case by
the Federal Aviation Agency seems to start off with a
three-week vacation. Some Republicans have
Urged Secretary of Transportation Drew Lewis to
'undertake his own look-see. But this usually astute
politician hasn't done much about it yet either.
Although a left-winger, Democrat Bullock took
the clever precaution of endorsing Republican
Governor William Clements for re-election which
may be why not much is happening in the way of a
state-level investigation either.
Texans go to the polls in a week, and they will have
to render a verdict with only political charges to
go on, since those who should have looked into the
matter chose to look away instead.
WASH. TIMES 10-12-82
ALICE
IN POTOMAC LAND
The '82 elections: fixing the blame
One of Mr. Metzenbaum's problems is that even
Conservatives continue to grumble that both the
the Democrats are unenthusiastic about his re-election,
liberal press and the Reagan administration may be
or soit seems from a story making the rounds on
setting them up as the fall guys if the November
Capitol Hill. During the last week of the recent
election results show a big shift to the Democrats.
Senate session, the air was thick with Metzenbaum
The administration will decry the emphasis on
oratory. Senator John Glenn, the other senator from
school prayer and abortion in the closing days of the
Ohio, walked over to Majority Leader Howard
Congress, and the press will say, "I told you so."
Baker with a tongue-in-cheek offer: If Baker would
For their part, conservative leaders insist that in
get the Senate intoits fall recess by the end of
those primaries where voters had a clear-cut
September, Glenn would then lead a bipartisan group
philosophic choice, the candidate on the right usually
of 99 senators to Ohio to defeat Metzenbaum.
prevailed. They point to the Democratic
Baker said that would be quite an incentive, and he
gubernatorial primaries in Georgia and Alabama
almost made it. The Senate recessed October 1.
where the ultimate winners had been floundering
The Senate race in Virginia is said to be one which
until they appealed to the religious right and started
both candidates are determined to lose. Last week,
talking about social issues. Some further
it was Richard Davis' turn to be embarrassed. The
examples:
Mortgage Bankers Association sent out a fund-
In Florida, the charge against Democratic
raising letter for the Democrat. One of the surprised
Congressman Bill Chappell was that he supported
recipients was Anthony Valanzano, a Republican
President Reagan too often. He found himself with
staffer with the House Agriculture Committee. Since
a liberal primary opponent and his own party out to
the letter was mailed to him at his office in the
defeat him. So Chappell appealed to conservatives
Rayburn Building, Valanzano somewhat gleefully
for help, to such groups as the American Security
pointed out that this is a violation of a federal
Council, the gun lobby, and the Committee for the
statute making it unlawful to solicit contributions
Survival of a Free Congress. Chappell called CSFC
from a government employee in a federal building.
Director Paul Weyrich personally, and Weyrich not
The White House isn't winning any popularity
only sent in dollars but also experienced campaign
contests either. All Republican candidates for the
personnel. The situation reversed itself and
Senate were invited to write their own endorsement
Chappell won with 54 percent of the vote.
letters, which President Reagan would sign. The
Not even the national conservative groups
idea was to provide each candidate with a strongly
could save Congressman Billy Lee Evans in Georgia.
worded letter that he or she could use to solicit
He faced a well-financed liberal opponent in the
campaign contributions. However, Reagan aide Mike
Democratic primary. When it became apparent that
Deaver thought this wasn't "presidential" and had
Evans would lose the bitterly fought contest, one
all of the letters rewritten in a more bland fashion.
would have expected the Republicans to field a
Deaver told his staff that they must not let Reagan
credible candidate of their own. Instead,
get tainted with the inevitable losses.
Republicans were pouring their resources into the
fight to unseat Larry MacDonald, a Georgia
Those "inevitable losses" were on the mind of
Democrat whose record of support for Reagan
Terry Michael, press secretary to Democratic
initiatives is better than most Republicans. The
Rep. Robert T. Matsui of California. In anticipation of
administration has thus come within an eyelash of
last Friday's announcement of double-digit
losing two reliable - albeit Democratic - - votes
unemployment, Michael wrote to all Democratic
in the House of Representatives.
press secretaries in the House of Representatives.
As for the liberal press, conservatives roll their
"Arrange for your boss to appear at the local
eyes when someone mentions the David Broder
unemployment compensation office to talk with
column summarizing the September 14 primaries.
those who are the ultimate victims of Republican
Broder called it a "day of victories for moderates
policies" he urged. "Your local TV stations and
and liberals." He reported - inaccurately, as it
photo editors for your local newspapers can replace
turned out - that the Democratic nominee for
their stock shots of unemployment lines with
governor in Minnesota would be Warren
pictures of your boss talking with the unem-
Spannaus, a political protege of Walter Mondale.
ployed Nothing like the misery of others to
Later, when the rural precincts were heard from
prop up a sagging campaign.
and the absentee ballots tallied, it turned out that the
primary winner was Rudy Perpich, who had
campaigned as a conservative on the social issues,
Hero worship
particularly on abortion.
A new political hero may be in the making. The
And still more on the elections
New Right has discovered a fundamentalist
minister in Nebraska who was taken from the pulpit
Conservative leaders have yet to arrive at a
to jail because the church school he runs refúsed
consensus on what will happen in the mid-term
to hire teachers certified by the state. You'll soon be
elections. In Senate races, the predictions run from
hearing how the Faith Baptist Christian School in
Terry Dolan's two-seat gain for Republicans to
tiny Louisville stands padlocked and how Rev.
Paul Weyrich's warning that Democrats could re-take
Everett Sileven sits in his cell as a matter of
control.
principle.
Most seem to agree that the candidacies of
Conservatives are quite serious that this is
Republicans Dave Durenberger (Minnesota), Robert
going to spark a fresh look at religious freedom in
Stafford (Vermont) and Millicent Fenwick (New
America today.
Jersey) have lost momentum. But, then, so have
Democratic incumbents Robert Byrd (West Virginia),
The author is a political insider who must remain
Lloyd Bentsen (Texas) and Howard Metzenbaum
anonymous in order to tell tales out of school.
(Ohio).
WASH. TIMES 10-5-82
ALICE
Closing down shop
As the 97th Congress ground to a halt last week,
several adjournment stories may have escaped your
IN POTOMAC LAND
attention.
When it came time for the House to vote on the
balanced budget constitutional amendment, the
Divine intervention fails
halls of Congress were quite literally so clogged with
labor union lobbyists that members of congress
Those of you who have followed the saga of
could hardly get to the floor. The unions were out to
Senate confirmation of Robert Gray and Norman
kill the amendment. And when the House reached
Terrell for top jobs at the Arms Control and
the magic number for defeating it - 145 - the
Disarmament Agency will be interested to learn that
cheers outside were so loud they could be heard in
the drama isn't over, merely postponed until
the chamber.
-Congress returns in November.
Only a few days ago, they were saying it would
The way most of the media treated it, you
take an Act of God to get the two gentlemen
probably got the impression that the only
confirmed, and then something very close to that
amendment offered to the continuing appropria-
occurred. Sen. Paul Laxalt intervened. He contacted
tions resolution in the Senate was the Kennedy jobs
the 12 Republican senators who have "holds" on
proposal. Actually the Senate adopted 28
amendments and rejected seven others. One
the nominations and who threaten to filibuster them
to death. He worried that unless they cave in,
particularly interesting amendment was proposed
by Don Nickles of Oklahoma, to reform the
ACDA Director Eugene Rostow might resign. Nine of
Davis-Bacon Act. Davis-Bacon is a creature of the
the 12 reportedly said this was such good news
Depression and permits the government to
they would redouble their efforts. All in all, a nice
ploy, and since Rostow (like Gray and Terrell) is a
determine the prevailing wage rates in any
liberal Democrat, it was no mean accomplishment
community where federal construction is underway.
getting the President's best friend to swing into
For years, Republicans have been trying to change
action.
the law, insisting that it forces construction costs up
Next to bat came Jim Baker, White House
and is inflationary. The Nickles amendment lost,
chief-of-staff. He had his aides calling Republican
but won a moral victory nonetheless, getting a
surprising 44 votes.
senators in the waning hours of the session,
urging them to get Majority Leader Howard Baker to
Sen. Warren Rudman may have saved his country
roll the holds. Well, as any crap-shooter can tell
a cool one billion bucks. That is what the Viper
you, 12 is a difficult number to roll. So, the whole
anti-tank weapon would probably cost over its life
matter was left on the back-burner until
cycle. Rudman, a pro-defense senator who is
November.
dedicated to eliminating useless and ineffective
Meanwhile, someone up there may be looking
weapons systems, made a clean kill in the Senate
out for Mr. Terrell. Friends say he has been quietly
Appropriations Committee. However, in the House,
promoted to a level 6 in the Senior Executive
Congressman Joseph P. Addabbo, who is heavily
Service and given an $11,000 bonus. Not bad for
supported by General Dynamics (five grand the last
someone in an "acting" position.
time around), continues to push for the system.
The gentlemen from Ohio
Jimmy's birthday
Some of the boys down at the office were
Alice confesses to letting Sept. 28 slip by
betting last Tuesday how Sen. Howard Metzenbaum
without reminding you that it was the 10th
would try to delay Congress from going home this
anniversary of Jimmy. You remember him, the
year when word arrived that they should get over to
8-year-old heroin addict whom Janet Cooke said in
the Energy and Natural Resources Committee to
the Washington Post "lives for a fix." Since Jimmy
watch their hero in action.
turned out to be a figment of Janet's imagination, it
The committee was trying to put finishing
might be argued that Jimmy is really only 2,
touches on Sen. Hatfield's timber bill. Having
having actually been born on that September morn
arrived late, Mr. Metzenbaum tried to make up for
when his story hit the streets.
lost time by using every dilatory tactic in the
Since then, a lot has been said about public trust in
parliamentarian's book to delay a vote on a bill
the media, and surveys show it to be at or near an
that apparently was part of the American tragedy. At
all-time low. The Cooke story contributed a lot to
one point, he walked out the door shouting, "Now,
those statistics, of course, but so did many others.
you don't even have a quorum." Nya, nya, nya.
The Post lost a libel suit to the president of Mobil Oil.
Alas, another senator entered the room. A
Two CBS documentaries one on former
quorum was again present and a vote was taken on
Vietnam commander William Westmoreland, the
the Hatfield motion to cut off the Metzenbaum
other on the effects of the Reagan tax cuts on the
filibuster. It was a measure of the Ohio senator's
poor came under particularly heavy fire. We've
popularity, one assumes, that no dissent was
learned that John F. Kennedy wasn't a saint after
heard, not even from his fellow Democrats.
all and that three consecutive presidents sought
Afterward, one worried committee aid warned
Richard Nixon's views on foreign policy, despite
that Metzenbaum staff that Republican senators
Watergate.
were so angry they might take it out on the
However, it was Jimmy who somehow tied it all
Portsmouth, Ohio, nuclear project, the biggest
together. So, Sept. 28 was a day to celebrate the truth,
nuclear facility of its kind. "If it were located in
a day worth remembering.
another state, he added, "Metzenbaum would call it
a boondoggle anyway."
The author is a political insider who must remain
anonymous in order to tell tales out of school.
WASH. TIMES 9-28-82
ALICE
Bottom Lines
State Department officials have found a novel
way of promoting the nomination of Richard Burt to
IN POTOMAC LAND
be assistant secretary of State for European
Senate aide as the leak of classified information a
Affairs. One of them has threatened to finger
A meeting of gentlemen
Burt once printed when he was a New York Times
reporter if the aide doesn't call off the dogs.
Reed Larson is the mild-mannered director of the
House Minority Leader Bob Michel's little-noticed
National Right To Work Committee. Howard
break with President Reagan over pipeline sanc-
Baker is the mild-mannered leader of the United
tions is dictated by hometown election concerns.
States Senate. Jesse Helms is the mild-mannered
Unemployment at Caterpillar evidently outweighs
loyalty to the president, and Mr. Reagan told Michel
senator who authored legislation to prohibit the use
he understands. Which is why you heard more.
of compulsory union dues for political purposes.
about it in Peoria than Washington.
One can imagine how courteous a meeting of these
Organizers of the School Prayer Day rally on the
three gentlemen would be. Such a meeting did
Mall last weekend put part of the blame for the
take place a few days ago, but we regret to inform
disappointing turnout on Gary Jarmin of Christian
you that it wasn't pleasant.
Voice. His public statements downplaying the event
For background, you should remember that the
gave the impression that prayer advocates were
prohibitions on political activity for unions aren't
divided on how best to overturn the Supreme Court
decision banning prayer in schools.
as strict as they are for the rest of us. Senator Helms
wanted to attach his proposal to a bill extending
Senator Bob Kasten has made the decision. He will
the life of the Federal Election Commission. And
challenge Bob Packwood for chairmanship of the
Larson wanted to help so much that he persuaded
Republican Senatorial Committee. White House aides,
Congressman Jim Jeffries to send a letter to top
much in the manner of Winston Churchill upon
Republican contributors suggesting that they urge
hearing that the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor,
Senator Baker to schedule the FEC bill.
considered passing around cigars and opening the
champagne.
The letter was written in Right-To-Work's usual
style: one of the people preventing freedom-
You've got to hand it to the environmentalists.
loving citizens from reducing the inordinate
As soon as ecology stops bringing in the dollars, the
special power of the union elite is Senate Majority
liberals turn their attention to something that will.
Leader Howard Baker Well, you get the
This year it's the nuclear freeze. So, Friends of the
picture, and evidently so did those who received the
Earth have scheduled a Fate of the Earth confer-
letter.
ence in New York City, subtitled "Conservation and
Security in a Sustainable Society." The usual will
The three men met in Baker's office, and the
be there - Father Drinan, Richard Barnet, and the
majority leader got things off pleasantly by
rest. If successful, look for future conferences on
wondering why there was so much concern over "a
such topics as "Conservation and Reaganomics" or
trivial matter." It went rapidly downhill from
Conservation and Abortion."
there.
In Mississippi, a joint appearance between Senator
After 20 minutes, Senator Baker had become so
John Stennis and his Republican opponent, Hailey
angry that he uncharacteristically stomped out of the
Barbour, was originally billed as "the first in a
room, which is a shame because Larson was just
series." The debate only served to raise the age
getting to the part about Republicans living up to the
issue, so all future meetings were cancelled. One
official at the Democratic National Committee
promises made in their platform. Well, perhaps he
can save that one for another day. And it will
told us that as far as he is concerned, the only way
probably take another day, because the Senate
Stennis can hang on to his Senate seat is by
adjourns this week and the FEC bill isn't on the
spending the fall in Washington.
last-minute agenda.
Staff changes: Analeise Anderson is leaving the
Executive Office Building where she was a top aide
With the fall elections only a few weeks away, there
to OMB Director Dave Stockman and will join
are signs that President Reagan may be ready to
husband Marty in what they call the real world.
talk with leaders of the New Right on election
Impending motherhood, not the tax bill, is the
.strategy. During a recent meeting of consevative
reason given by Jan Olsen for departing Jack Kemp's
leaders, Paul Weyrich, director of the Committee for
staff. Les Rosen, longtime administrative assis-
the Survival of a Free Congress, was called from
tant to Senator Dan Quayle, is also folding his tent
the session because Mr. Reagan was on the phone.
and slipping silently away.
Weyrich had sent the White House a memoran-
dum on possible tactics for the election, and Reagan
Why on earth is Drew Lewis naming calves, born
was so pleased with it that he had to call Weyrich
on his Pennsylvania farm, after White House
to tell him they were going to use much of it.
staffers? Is this the first clue that he might replace
Jim Baker as chief of staff?
Weyrich returned to the meeting understanda-
bly pleased. Other conservative leaders, however, are
worried about a showdown with the administra-
tion just the same. They sense that the sudden
The author is a political insider who must remain
cooperation with the New Right on such social
anonymous in order to tell tales out of school.
issues as school prayer and abortion is really a
set-up. They figure it this way. The senior staff
has finally let Reagan get out front on these issues so
that they can blame conservatives for whatever
goes wrong on election day.
One put it this way: "Conservatives live in the
worst of all worlds. If we help the administration win
some elections, they will take the credit. But if a
lot of their candidates lose, the New Right will get
the blame."
WASH. TIMES 9-14-82
ALICE
Overriding the veto
Don't expect recriminations in the wake of the
House and the Senate overriding the President's
IN POTOMAC LAND
veto of a budget-busting (sort of) appropriations bill
last week. The White House will round up the
usual suspects, but frankly the President's men are
Congress go home
relieved that Congress got revolt out of its system.
- But they spell relief differently on Capitol Hill.
Around this time of the year, the office pool
Through some perverse sort of reasoning that
suddenly surfaces. On Capitol Hill, however, they
only they really understand, a few House
aren't wagering on the Redskins. There, the
conservatives - still smarting from arm-twisting
guessing game is when Congress will close up shop
& the tax increase bill - voted to override as a way
and go home.
of sending a message to the President that in the
House Majority Leader Jim Wright and Speaker
future defense has to take its share of the cuts, too.
Tip O'Neil are simply no help this year. Wright
Now, let's see - if conservatives are voting to
increase taxes and cut defense, what on earth is
wants the house to adjourn October 2, while O'Neill
there left for the liberals to do?
predicts it will be October 8. The Majority Leader
reflects the desire of his colleagues to get back to the
In the Senate, Majority Leader Howard Baker may
have finally gone one step too far in his efforts to
campaign trail. Redistricting put many of them
appease everyone. Baker scheduled the vote at the
into unknown territory that they haven't had time to
convenience of Senator Mark Hatfield, leader of
visit yet.
me anti-administration forces. The trouble is that
Speaker O'Neill, on the other hand, wants that
Hatfield's convenience turned out to be a time
extra week to pass a parcel of bills aimed at the
when many other Senators who normally support the
unemployed, the aged, and those other special
Administration were away, Senators like Lugar
interest groups that the Democrats like to pamper.
and Quayle (attending the funeral of Congressman
Of course, it would be too late for the Republican
Benjamin), McClure (constituenting in Idaho), and
Senate to pass any of them, thereby staking out a
Tower (attending the Texas Republican convention).
few issues for the congressional campaigns.
The Majority Leader's hopes of sustaining the
Besides, Tip reasons, the longer Congress stays
President's' position rested on a belief that Democrat
in session, the less the chances of President Reagan
Senator David Boren would vote with him. Some
calling a special session to force passage of a
Senators feel that Baker's reliance on the opposition
constitutional amendment to require a balanced
to bail out the President was just poor judgment,
Federal budget. Evidently, he got wind of the
but more of them will tell you that the Leader didn't
senior staff meeting at the White House last week
really care which way the vote went. "Let them
during which a legislative strategy was devised to
get it (the vote against Reagan's position) out of their
make the amendment a major issue in the campaign.
system." he said as the vote was being taken.
Over in the Senate, there is also talk of a special
The only sour notes came from Baker's press
session, only in this case it is Howard Baker
secretary, Tom Griscom, and from the President's
suggesting that it begin January 3 and be devoted
Director of Congressional Relations, Ken Duberstein.
to the solvency of the Social Security System. Some
Griscom tried to put the blame for the President's
tactless Baker associates note that Congress
defeat on the absence of Senator Tower, ignoring all
reconvenes then anyway and wonder what is so
of the other Republicans who were also away.
special about that. Phony as it all may sound,
Duberstein thought sustaining the President's veto
Baker has at least succeeded in putting Tip O'Neill in
was so certain that pressure on the Hill wasn't
a bind. The Speaker can't fight congressional
necessary. So, he spent part of the week at the
attention to Social Security without damaging the
Farnborough Air Show. Ironically, with Tower.
Democrats' ability to use it as a campaign issue.
As chairman of the Finance Committee, which has
jurisdiction over Social Security, Bob Dole is free
The weekly Jim Baker story
to say whatever he wants on the matter of a special
session. At the very least, it adds to the image that
Jim Baker has been job hunting. No, not that
he is running things anyway.
Jim Baker. This is his son, fresh out of law school
If Alice were a betting girl, she'd probably
and wanting to find a position "on his own." Well,
wager a day's pay that Congress will still be in
as if it weren't confusing enough with two Jim
session in December, interfering with the
Bakers to sort out, young Jim had to go and join
Christmas spirit as usual.
Howard Baker's staff. It doesn't stop there either. Of
the five men who already served on the staff of
the Senate Majority Leader, three bear the name of
"Jim." One of them said it was getting so
confusing that each will now be required to wear dog
tags with name, rank, and serial number to help
sort out which is which. What with all of the John
Smiths available to him, one can only conclude
that there must be some special reason why the
Senator wanted a Jim Baker around.
The author is a political insider who must remain
anonymous in order to tell tales out of school.
WASH. TIMES 9-7-82
ALICE
IN POTOMAC LAND
The laboring man at ACDA
The isolation of RR
Alice wanted to be topical this week and bring
"It gets lonely in the White House" is the first
you a working man's story for Labor Day. So, we
line in an old Irving Berlin song. The tune is being
trotted down to the Arms Control and Disarma-
revived at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue this year.
ment Agency to see what is going on. You remember,
It all started in the spring when Chief of Staff Jim
of course, that some of the old Carter Gang is
Baker issued a memo to those working in the West
holed up there, forced to put the word "Acting" in
Wing who might be tempted to say more than a
front of their titles because the Senate keeps
cheery "Good morning" to the president. The
forgetting to confirm them.
notice complained that staff "have been stopping the
Well, the situation grows tense. Only one month
president as he moves to and from his office" and
remains before Congress adjourns for the year.
worse still, "engage him in conversation."
Confirmation seems no closer than it did last
The memo went on about the inappropriateness
spring. And, as everyone knowns, failure to confirm
continued. of it all and implied that steps would be taken if it
means that the boys at ACDA won't even be
"Acting" after Dec. 31.
Now, word reaches us of a new development. The
So, Norm Terrell has decided to do the only
same Baker has supposedly drawn up an access
sensible thing under the circumstances. He assumes
list of those allowed to walk into the Oval Office
the worst and will devote his few remaining days
without being buzzed in. This list of the elite
there to feverish completion of the agenda. He has
includes Secretary of State George Shultz, Dick
started by trying to abolish the technology
Darman, Dave Stockman and, of course, Baker.
transfer division, thereby thumbing his nose at those
Those who have to be approved first are said to be
who wonder if an "Acting" can abolish anything.
mostly the long-time Reaganites, including Ed
Norm may tell you that technology transfer as an
Meese. Everyone will deny it naturally.
issue is about as passe as Billy Beer. Strange that
We hate to speculate on what might happen
the word hasn't reached President Reagan, who
next. Security checks for the First Family? Secret
seems to be steamed up about Dresser Industries
corridors known only to senior staff? Thank
helping the Russians build that pipeline.
Human Events.
heavens friends still sneak in his weekly copy of
It has become Sen. Roger Jepsen's lot in life to
keep an eye on ACDA, to scrutinize those named to
Bottom lines
its highest posts and to try to maintain some
semblance of the Reagan agenda in its activities. He
is likely to be especially hurt that Norm waited
The American Conservative Union wants President
until the senator was in Iowa for the August recess
Reagan to bring Congress back into special
before moving to shut down the tech transfer
session later this year for the purpose of taking final
division, all of which may mean that we are in for a
action on a constitutional amendment requiring a
lively September after all.
balanced federal budget. The amendment has passed
the Senate, but is apparently stalled in the House.
Moynihan reports home
The ACU's ambitious plan is to get 200 members of
Congress to sign a letter to the president
The congressional newsletter is always a source
requesting the special session.
of controversy. Chances are if you like the
For awhile, it looked as if Larry Hogan's Senator
congressman, you like the way his newsletter says
race would have to be waged without a campaign
he is living up to the promise. If you don't like the
manager. However, they heaved a sigh of relief
congressman, you probably see his report as an
when George Nesterczuk signed on. The temporary
abuse of the franking privilege and "why isn't
chairman had been Mary Hasenfus, on loan from
something done about it?"
Sen. Bob Packwood. But Mary's political views were
Over in the Senate something may be done about
more in tune with Packwood than Hogan, and her
one of them. Newsletters there are printed in the
background, prior to joining the Senatorial
service department. A recent report to constituents
Committee staff last year, was mostly secretarial.
by Sen. Daniel Moynihan had the whole place up
Conservatives feared she might stay on and hire the
in arms. They claimed that the mailing labels were
staff, should Hogan win. As we all know, more
supplied by an outside organization that looked
elections are lost on the day the staff is hired than on
suspiciously like a PAC. In an unusual move, a
the day we go to the polls.
complaint was lodged with the Senate Ethics
Transitions: Deputy Secretary of Defense Frank
Committee by service department personnel.
Carlucci has decided that the Executive Office
Since we aren't on the senator's mailing list, we
Building is not for him and will go instead into the
can't speculate on the legitimacy of those labels. But
world of business when he retires from the
if Moynihan has to pay the postage for what went
Pentagon at the end of the year. His letter of
out on the frank, the cost could be considerable.
resignation has already gone to the president. And
Mailing to constituents in a big state like New
Robert D. Hausenfluck will soon be exiting the White
York can be a lot more expensive than mailing to
House Personnel Office. it has been his task to
constituents in, say, Delaware.
bring bona fide Reaganites into the administration.
Meanwhile, two Republican primary candidates for
Now, word has it that the job is being abolished.
the right to oppose Moynihan in the November
Which reminds of that Pen James and Jim
election may file complaints of their own. They say
Cavanaugh, former director and deputy director
that the newsletter sounded a lot more like
of the personnel office, still return frequently to the
campaign fodder than a legislative report.
scene of the crime as "consultants." If everyone
If nothing else, the current edition of Dan
who leaves the administration gets to be a part-time
Moynihan Reports is well on its way toward being
a
consultant, no wonder they have such a hard time
collector's item.
balancing the budget.
WASH. TIMES 8-24-82
ALICE
IN POTOMAC LAND
The administration even got Federal Reserve
The way we were in '72 and '82
Chairman Paul Volcker into the act. Maryland's Rep.
Marjorie Holt said it was Volcker's 11th hour phone call
Shades of Ehrlichman and Haldeman! Just look at
that persuaded her to cast her vote in favor of higher
how protective Mike Deaver and Jim Baker are
taxes. One colleague noted ruefully that there are laws
Betting of their boss, the President!
to protect the Fed from congressional interference, but
Dave Fischer, a nice young man who works in Mr.
unfortunately there are no laws to protect Mrs. Holt
Reagan's outer office, clipped Stan Evans' article - the
from the Fed.
one in which he hinted that some presidential aides
. Congressman Bob Badham, chairman of the
were out to embarrass Ed Meese - from The
Republican Study Committee, originally opposed the
Washington Times and took it into the Oval Office.
bill and directed the staff to prepare a paper listing
While the President was reading it, Deaver walked in.
arguments against it. Later, Badham had a change of
Reagan wanted to know who is doing all of those
heart and came out in support of higher taxes. So,
horrible things to Meese. We don't know how Mike
Congressman Mickey Edwards stepped in and asked if
replied, but we do know that he marched out to
his American Conservative Union could publish the
Fischer's desk and ordered him never to give the Chief
staff report. When Badham found out that the report
Executive another piece of paper unless he, Deaver,
had gone to Edwards, he fired the study committee's
approves it first.
staff director, Richard Dingman. Well, news of this sort
The following day, Baker called Fischer into his office
travels faster than a page on an errand for Senator
and said, "There is a right-wing plot in this town to get
Proxmire. Soon, many on Capitol Hill were wondering
me," adding that if this incident with the President
if passage of the tax bill was to be a prelude to civil
were to occur again, young Dave might find himself
war. Other Study Committee members were so
looking for employment elsewhere.
outraged that Dingman was rehired a couple of days
If all of this has a familiar ring to it, chances are
later. But the committee, which supposedly coordinates
you've been in town for at least a decade. You might
conservative activity in the House, has been torn apart
even be tempted to remark, "This is where I came in."
by the passions generated by this bill.
Post tax mortems
Not everyone in the administration is happy over the
outcome. One high presidential appointee said, "The
Never has the tax structure inspired so much
cretins who sold the President this poison are fighting
merriment as it did after the House and Senate voted to
for their political lives and will sacrifice anything and
increase our taxes last Thursday night. Yet, in the
anybody to win another victory."
hours before the spirits were consumed, when the
The next "victory" may well be in the planning
outcome was still in doubt, a more sobering drama took
stages already. Immediately after the tax vote, the
place:
Treasury Department's congressional liaison chief,
Congressman Trent Lott, the Republican Whip,
Dennis Thomas, turned gleefully to a Jack Kemp aide
made a fervent plea to the White House to delay
and said, "Now, we go after indexing."
announcement of the communique with Red China
So much for the citizen presidency. So much for the
regarding the future of Taiwan. He didn't want to anger
independence of the Fed. And so much for supply-side
any of his colleagues unnecessarily. But administration
economics.
officials, bewildered by the connection between China
policy and taxes, went ahead and issued the text of the
To pray or not to pray
communique anyway. Rep. Gerald Solomon immedi-
Conservatives are planning a rally on the Mall in late
ately jumped into the "no" column.
September to demonstrate support for a legislative
Lott knew what he was doing in other respects, too.
remedy to the Supreme Court decision banning prayer
He solicited - and got - a presidential letter
in schools. President Reagan is invited to speak and
containing a threat to veto the supplemental
church bells across the country are invited to ring.
appropriations bill, another measure before Congress
Leaders, however, suspect it will be easier to coordinate
last week, and one that was nearly $1 billion over
simultaneous bell-ringing in thousands of communities
budget due mostly to Democrat pork-barrelling. This
than it will be to get the President to walk down the
air of frugality on the part of the chief executive was
street long enough to address the throng.
sufficient to convince a number of wavering
Mr. Reagan's advisers are said to be of two minds on
Republicans that the President really meant it about
the matter. Some see it as a means of making amends to
holding the line on spending, so they stuck by him on
the conservatives who have been forced to swallow a lot
the tax vote. The only trouble is that the White House
of non-conservative ideology from their President
was also working the other side of the street, promising
lately. Others contend that Mr. Reagan has gone about
Tip O'Neill that the appropriations bill would not be
75 percent of the way toward getting the New Right off
vetoed if a majority of the Democrats in the House
his back. A refusal to pray with them in September
supported the tax hike.
would probably terminate the relationship once and for
The Tip-off came right after the vote when a
all.
Republican asked Majority Leader Jim Wright what the
It is always a pleasure to report it when the
House would do if the appropriations bill were vetoed.
administration is basing its decision on principle and
The prospect of a veto, Wright replied, "contradicts my
the merits of the issue.
understanding of the situation."
The author is a political insider who must remain
anonymous in order to tell tales out of school.
WASH. TIMES: 8-17-82
As one young turk put it, "If Bob Michel wants to
drum up support for higher taxes, let him get his time
from the Democrats."
ALICE
If Michel doesn't understand that an uprising is in
the making, Treasury Secretary Don Regan probably
does. He spent nearly an entire day on Capitol Hill
IN POTOMAC LAND
recently, met with nearly 100 House Republicans
before it was over and found only 10 who would commit
their support to the tax measure.
Where all of this will end is anyone's guess. If the
Tax revolt in the House
White House twists enough arms to get the bill through,
Gingrich and his compatriots still intend to wage all-out
All of the Republicans in the House of Representa-
war against the arrogance of the White House staff,
tives got together last Friday for a closed-door,
particularly Jim Baker.
slam-bang, get-it-all-out-on-the-table conference on the
Bob Michel is likely to be challenged for the position
tax hike. It began with Jack Kemp's gentlemanly plea,
of minority leader next year. Most of the young
"Let's not get mad," and ended with bewildered
Republicans will insist that position be filled by a solid
congressmen openly wondering if their leaders have
conservative unafraid of White House pressure, like
lost touch with those they lead.
Gingrich or Michel's fellow Republican from Illinois,
In between, it became increasingly clear that this is
Henry Hyde.
more than a debate over supply-side economics. Half of
For the president, a victory on the tax bill will
the Republicans in the House are serving either their
probably mean a severe loss of credibility among
first or second terms, and most of them-are committed
House Republicans. They will note the irony of Ronald
conservatives. They are saddled with leadership from
Reagan putting more money to jingle in the pockets of
the old school, leaders who may be conservative, but
the Federal bureaucrat than in the private sector. And
who learned over the years that the way to get things
they will likely tell the White House to look to the
done is to make a deal. Minority Leader Bob Michel is
liberal establishment in the House of Representatives
as confused by talk of "commitment" and "principle"
if they want support for anything else.
as the young turks are with his willingness to do the
bidding of the White House. More than one
congressman was heard to say, "We elected Bob Michel
to be our leader, not Ronald Reagan's."
Bottom lines
As the conference progressed, the pent-up emotion
Just when we all stopped laughing at those "Let
began to roll out. Congressman John Rousselot spoke of
Reagan Be Reagan" buttons, someone had to show up at
forgotten promises, Ed Bethune warned of defections
the White House with a button which said, "Let Kemp
by traditional Republican voters, Bill Archer accused
Be Reagan." Even Ed Meese is getting into the act. He
the bill's sponsors of setting a booby-trap and Bob
came to a senior staff meeting wearing one that
Livingston worried about the effect all of this dissent
proclaimed "Unmuzzle Rollins" a reference to
will have on Ronald Reagan's leadership.
efforts to depoliticize Ed Rollins, the White House
political adviser.
Representative Newt Gingrich complained that the
administration negotiates with the Senate and then
Bill Timmons, the congressional relations expert
forces their decision on the House. (Even Barber
from Nixon-Ford days, says he knows where all of those
Conable, usually loyal to a fault, shares these
ideas in the tax increase bill came from. Would you
sentiments. He tells colleagues privately that all
believe Lyndon Johnson? Well, not exactly. During
decisions on last year's tax bill were forced on him by
LBJ's tenure, the Treasury Department put together a
the White House-Senate coalition.)
bureaucratic wish list of changes in tax policy. Lyndon
found it too controversial to be taken seriously, as did
Gingrich's biggest salvo was saved for the White
all of his successors, until the Reagan White House in
House senior staff. They think of House Republicans as
an extension of themselves, he argued, whereas House
its desperate search for a way to cut the deficit
stumbled across it. That, according to Timmons, is how
Republicans are actually the constitutional equivalent
of the président. Furthermore, the senior staff is
the largest tax bill in history was written overnight.
playing dirty pool.
You remember the joke that ends, "If it weren't for
As if to underscore Gingrich's thesis, at that very
the honor, I'd just as soon decline?" Well, the punchline
moment a memorandum was being distributed to all
is still around, but it has a new beginning.
Cabinet officers instructing them that in accepting
Congressman Mark Siljander, won his primary with
invitations to speak on behalf of congressional
56 percent of the vote. This, by the way, is the seat Dave
candidates they are to take into consideration how the
Stockman vacated when he became OMB director.
incumbent voted on the tax increase.
Siljander suspects that his primary opponent received a
lot of aid and comfort from Stockman aides who hail
The House Republican dissidents are particularly
from Michigan and find Siljander too conservative.
outraged by the attitude of Bob Michel and Republican
Now, he learns that Eleanor Smeal has made him
Whip Trent Lott.
NOW's first post-ERA candidate targeted for defeat.
They warned Lott that if he uses his Whip
As they say, "If it weren't for the honor
organization to whip up support for the tax bill, he will
The White House will deny it, but some of its own
pay the price in next year's leadership contests.
estimates on the cost of the Federalism program show
As for Michel, who apparently thinks the intra-party
a budget overrun of $30 billion in the first year alone,
opposition consists of "three or four clowns," he has
and growing rapidly after that. This is one reason why
been put on notice that opponents to the tax hike want
the final version won't be unveiled until next year.
complete control over all debate time reserved for the
Some of those who have to adminster it worry that
Republican side when the bill comes up.
Federalism could become the excuse for the next tax
increase.
The author is a political insider who must remain
anonymous in order to tell tales out of school.
WASH. TIMES 8-3-82
Baker and company will be telling Tower to
concentrate his efforts in the next two years on winning
ALICE
a tough re-election battle in Texas in 1984 and to forget
about policy.
As chairman of the Senate Budget Committee,
Domenici would be expected to turn the Policy
IN POTOMAC LAND
Committee into a subsidiary, churning out position
papers to justify its budget decisions. Another senator
confirms to us that Domenici has already sought his
support for the chairmanship.
Jewish community and the New Right
Nevertheless, it will be highly surprising if Tower
willingly steps aside for anyone whose commitment to
The New Right is everywhere these days. Yesterday,
rebuilding the nation's defense system is less than his
it was in Annapolis, conferring with some of the
own - especially if there is any truth to all of those
nation's most respected Jewish leaders. As if that
rumors that Cap Weinberger may leave the Pentagon
weren't enough of a surprise, the biggest shock wave
after the November elections. The Texas senator quite
came when participants discovered they had so little to
properly takes the credit for having held defense cuts
argue about and so much to agree upon.
to a minimum in the past few months. Besides, he has
Jewish leaders have been leery of the New Right for
always been a closet Bush supporter.
some time, most recently because of conservative
support for the sale of AWACS planes to Saudi Arabia.
So. the Baker presidential train pulls out of the
station much as it did in 1980, with much the same
Any lingering hostilities were laid to rest when the
crew and much the same sense of mission.
conversation turned to mutual opposition to the United
Nations.
The cast of characters included Gerry Strober,
prominent Jewish writer; Harry Torczyner, past
A taxing time in the House
president of the Zionist Organization of America: Gary
Ratner of the American-Israeli Public Affairs
The journey of the tax reconciliation bill through the
Committee, and businessman Kenneth Smilen. From
House of Representatives has been, well, taxing. And it
the New Right came Richard Viguerie, Paul Weyrich,
isn't over yet.
Ed Feulner, Jerry Falwell and Interior Secretary Jim
A good way to measure conservative wrath there is to
Watt.
follow Congressman Newt Gingrich around the House
If you harbored any doubt that the political landscape
floor. And he was knee-deep in wrath last week as the
is changing, this meeting surely lays it to rest.
House tried to decide what to do about the
Senate-passed tax measure. Then, Congressman
Rousselot offered a motion, which Gingrich supported,
to send the bill back to the Senate.
Baker for president revisited
Rousselot's motion was proving a little too popular
for nervous Republican leaders: Gingrich begged for an
Is that the scent of 3-in-1 oil in the air? Must be time
additional hour of debate, but was turned down. Newt,
to crank up the old Baker-for-president machine again.
in his best Georgia drawl, yelled, "Fir you try to seduce
The word came tumbling down last week as Senate
me. Then, you want to rape me. I don't think I want to
Majority Leader Howard Baker moved to alter some of
date you anymore."
the Senate leadership posts in the upcoming 98th
Meanwhile. down at the White House, they are telling
Congress. The plan envisions Indiana's Dick Lugar
about another kind of wrath, this one being
heading up the Senatorial Committee and New
presidential. Mr. Reagan is said to be chafing at the bit,
Mexico's Pete Domenici chairing the Republican Policy
because none of his confidantes told him this bill,
Committee. Both are experienced hands in the Baker
which the president publicly endorsed, would
presidential dream, having been aboard in 1980.
constitute the biggest tax increase in history.
There is more to these changes than merely keeping
Communications Director Dave Gergen is getting the
one's friends close by. There are also stumbling blocks,
blame for neglecting to point it out.
namely Bob Packwood and John Tower. present
And over at OMB, the early draft of the 1984 budget
occupants of those posts, who might not be eager to
- the one that deals with big numbers and program
sacrifice the title of leader or the weekly meetings at
direction - includes still another tax increase. This is
the White House.
why Treasury Secretary Donald Regan, who opposes
Someone close to the M. L. reasons it this way: The
such a notion, used "Meet the Press" as a forum for
Senatorial Committee is the campaign arm of the
declaring there would be no more tax hikes in this
Senate Republicans. Its chairman must travel the
administration. The real message was to OMB Director
country far and wide on behalf of candidates for the
Dave Stockman - get off the tax kick.
Upper Chamber. Naturally, he comes into frequent
contact with those local Republican officials who
always end up as delegates to the party's national
convention. Not a bad place in which to have a friend if
Only one per person
one harbors presidential ambitions.
Of course, Sen. Packwood has always been a member
The Sacramento Union reports warfare on the White
of the Baker team, too. But everyone agrees that his
House grounds. Incredible as it may sound, the paper
public tiffs with the president make his re-election as
claims that each of the president's top advisers - Ed
chairman less than likely.
Meese, Jim Baker and Mike Deaver - has
The plans for changing the Policy Committee are
commissioned national surveys for their own private
even more fascinating. The Tennessee senator sees
use. All want to know how the public really feels about
balancing the federal budget as "the" issue in 1984, and
Reagan policies. Elsewhere, we learn that the three
he seeks to position himself as the man who finally
pollsters are Richard Wirthlin, Bob Teeter and Art
whittled the deficits down to size. However, Baker also
Finklestein. I suppose others would be taking surveys,
feels that the budget can't be trimmed unless you cut
too, only they ran out of poll-takers.
the defense budget. And you're not going to cut defense
as long as Sen. Tower pleads the case for the military at
those weekly leadership meetings with President
The author is a political insider who must remain anon-
Reagan.
ymous in order to tell tales out of school.
ALICE
Washington Times
July 13, 1982
IN POTOMAC LAND
The Big Three
Peter McPherson probably won't be going anywhere
Discount those reports that Mike Deaver won't be
although just about every conservative one talks to
leaving the Executive Mansion after all. He has found
grows misty at the thought. It's all over the White
David Rockefeller's offer irresistible and will join some
House that Peter may sacrifice his post at AID and
yet-to-be-named Rockefeller enterprise around the first
move to the EOB as a replacement for the president's
of the year. Or he may function as David's Man in
legal adviser, Fred Fielding. One hates to use such
Washington. In any event, those who must remain
terminology in this instance, but the administration is
behind in the White House chuckle at the thought of
said to be offering all of those involved in the Donovan
Mike setting up trilateral meetings.
investigation a deal they can't refuse.
Jim Baker has written a secret memo to the White
House personnel office so hush-hush that Pen James
was even forbidden to reproduce the document for
Dave's Sleight-of-Hand
Helene Von Damm. The memo waives political
Just why Dave Stockman is the man to balance the
clearance procedures on any government employee
federal budget can be seen in his balancing act on
detailed to the White House if that individual was
Capitol Hill. Dubbed the Magician of Numbers,
recommended by either Mr. Baker or his aide John
Stockman gave the House assurances that budget cuts
Rogers. Suddenly, the personnel office staff is scanning
in the Postal Service would not harm rural post offices
all lists of detailees trying to figure out just who Mr.
or mailings by charitable organizations. Congressmen
Baker is sneaking in.
turned their attention elsewhere, only to find that
Ed Meese, speaking to Capitol Hill interns last week,
charities and rural stations were affected after all.
promised flat out that the secretary of state-designate
Confronted with the evidence, Stockman quickly added
can replace every Haig appointee at the department if
the needed dollars to the deficit. A few days later, when
he wants to. And the feeling was strong that he might
the supplemental appropriations bill was up, Stockman
want to.
sent different signals to House and Senate leaders. The
House, acting first, followed Stockman right down the
Moving Up, Down, In, Out
line and then left town for the Independence Day
recess. Meanwhile, Dave was telling Senators to
Elizabeth (Mrs. Bob) Dole, head of the White House
change that awful House bill or he would recommend a
public liaison office, is now the leading contender to
become the next secretary of energy. Around Labor
veto, and of course they did. The Michigan Magician's
Day Gary Bauer is no longer under Ed Meese's
pals on the Hill still have faith in their old colleague,
but you'll notice they always keep their hands in their
watchful eye. He moves to a top spot at the Department
pockets when he's around.
of Education. His replacement at the White House
office of policy development will be Steve Galeback,
who wrote the original Human Life Amendment for
Smile When You Say That, Partner
Sen. Jesse Helms.
Not quite out, but certainly down for the count of
The House of Representatives will soon give Sen.
nine, is former Conservative and Assistant Secretary of
Proxmire its own Golden Fleece award. In gratitude for
Education for Research Don Senese. His crime, was
the Wisconsin Senator's success in killing the tax
suggesting that the government figure out a way to
advantages which Congress voted itself in lieu of a pay
computerize the classroom with a curriculum written,
raise, the House will now take a look at Senate-only
produced and directed by bureaucrats. That's not
"perks." There is the $75-per-day that Senators get
exactly what the president had in mind when he
when home during vacation periods as well as
promised to close down the Department of Education.
limitations on outside earned income. One House
Don's plan for getting back into favor is highlighted by
leader says flatly that the Hart Senate Office Building
a plea to conservative brewery magnate Joe Coors to
will not open as scheduled in January in retaliation. It
write the president endorsing the whole thing, a plea
should be noted, however, in fairness to Mr. Proxmire,
that remains largely ignored. Conservative hearts do
he has succeeded where Tip O'Neill failed. He has
mend slowly.
brought the House together at last.
The Rockefellerization of Reagan
Who's Sorry Now?
Former Rockefeller aide, Joe Canzeri, who resigned
Eyebrows rose when Democratic Congressman Ron
from his duties in the Reagan White House after we all
Mottl opposed the administration's recent budget
learned that he had inadvertently submitted identical
proposal. You see, only a few days earlier Mottl lost his
expense claims to the Republican Party and the federal
bid for re-election when Ohio Democrats rebuked him
government, is back in Washington. And at the
for having supported the Reagan budget last year.
Republican National Committee, of all places. The
Having nothing further to lose, why wouldn't Mottl
Reagan people have put him in charge of preparations
support the president again this time? The con-
for the 1984 Republican Convention in Dallas. As Ear
gressman explains it this way: Facing a narrow defeat,
might say, watch those vouchers.
he had asked the White House to help him get
Bill Hyland, whom conservatives somewhat derisively
Republican signatures on a discharge petition to force
label A Kissinger Person, almost got the job of Bill
his anti-busing bill out of the Judiciary Committee. But
Clark's deputy at the National Security Council.
the president's aides thought that might risk a racist
Actually, there are two deputy slots, the other one filled
image for their man and they refused. So, Ohio
by Bud McFarlane, who got his appointment as part of
Democrats taught Mr. Mottl something about loyalty,
the talent exchange when Clark took over the NSC.
and he in turn taught the same lesson, in a manner of
Hyland pals around with McFarlane. Bud thought
speaking, to the president.
having his buddy around the White House would be
great fun, and even got Hyland's employment papers
moving. But Clark quashed it. Now, other buddies
The author is a political insider who must remain
worry that with Haig gone, can Bud be far behind?
anonymous in order to tell tales out of school.