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UNEASE OVER GINGRICH LINGERS IN HOUSE GOP UNITED FRONT: YOUNG CONSERVATIVES STILL FEEL BETRAYED BY CONCESSIONS.
San Jose Mercury News (CA) - Saturday, July 26, 1997
Author: DAVID HESS, Mercury News Washington Bureau
House Republicans would have people believe the turmoil is over — that they're united, focused on legislation and rallying behind House Speaker Newt Gingrich following the abortive coup attempt against him.
But beneath the public declarations of harmony, there remains a lingering sense of unease over Gingrich ‘s leadership style and the party's purpose.
Rep. Lindsey Graham , R-S.C., a ringleader in the putsch attempt, is still telling colleagues that Gingrich ‘’must lead or get out of the way.’’ He and his conservative soul mates have convinced themselves that they can impose their legislative agenda if they just hang tough against President Clinton and ignore the transitory hits they might take in the polls.
Skepticism remains
Another conservative, Rep. Tom Coburn , R-Okla., said he will hold his fire for awhile but remains skeptical about whether Gingrich is up to taking on the president. ‘’I'm taking a wait-and-see position,’’ he said, expressing concern about what he sees as Gingrich ‘s propensity to deal away too many cards to Clinton in negotiations over taxes, spending and other issues.
He and other like-minded members feel betrayed by what they consider backsliding by the speaker on conservative principles. Mostly they are sophomores who came to Congress in 1995 as acolytes of the then-fiery Gingrich , who boasted of leading a revolution against big government.
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The speaker's retreat this spring on a flood relief bill to help California and other states also was seen as a needless surrender of principle to Clinton, and it continues to gall the back-bench conservatives who anguish over Gingrich ‘s leadership style. Republicans had wanted to add riders to the flood relief bill to give them more leverage in budget negotiations with Clinton.
‘’The diffusion of federal power, the downsizing of the federal government, the devolution of federal programs to the local level — that's what Republicans should be about,’’ said one Southern conservative dissident, who asked not to be identified for fear of appearing out-of-step with the upbeat mood of the moment. ‘’I'm not sure that Newt is still on board. I'm not surewhere he's leading us.’’
Even Majority Whip Tom DeLay, R-Texas, who confessed he had plotted with dissidents to bump Gingrich but has since made his peace with the speaker, conceded that the ‘’problems that created this ( coup attempt) are still there.’’
But, in Gingrich ‘s defense, DeLay said the junior members must learn ‘’they can't just get up and rant and rave on an issue’’ and expect to prevail. ‘’They've got to learn to work with others to get things done.’’
The GOP conference chairman, John Boehner of Ohio, among the Republican leaders who apologized to Gingrich for flirting with the coup conspirators, said the dissidents ‘’must learn that we often have to take a series of smaller steps to get where we ultimately want to go.’’
One of his [Newt] key insights was to recognize that the two-dozen Northeastern moderates and liberals in the GOP caucus held the balance of power -- we didn't have 218 safe conservative votes in the House. Gingrich needed to avoid them playing off the GOP against the Democrats, which is what such a faction in any congressional party normally tries to do. Rather, he wanted them to feel fundamental loyalty and value in sticking with the GOP working majority. To do that, they had to get some of the provisions that they wanted in bills, often enough that they would stick with the conservatives on other issues.
This required a lot of maneuvering by Gingrich.
Oops, meant to ping you to post #69.