Posted on 01/05/2003 7:44:37 AM PST by Theodore R.
Despite long odds,Cubin runs for committee head
By Allison Fashek Published in the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle
CHEYENNE – Rep. Barbara Cubin, R-Wyo., will meet with a group of 28 members of the House of Representatives in the Capitol this afternoon to present her vision for the chairmanship of the congressional Resources Committee.
If she is named chairwoman in Wednesday’s vote, Cubin said she would work to revive energy policies, take a closer look at mining laws that need to be reauthorized and, most important, bring with her the knowledge of what it’s like to live in a state with a federal landlord.
But first she has some obstacles to overcome.
Competing for a leadership title in a race often based primarily on seniority, Cubin admits that the odds are not in her favor.
“I have to be realistic,” Cubin said. “Seniority rules 99 percent of the time. They have never gone 11 places down the line to pick a leader and I'm the 11th ranking member on the committee.”
Cubin began thinking about the position after choosing not to run for a leadership position in Congress again. She served as the Republican conference secretary in the 107th Congress.
“I enjoyed working with the president and vice president in that role, but when you’re in leadership you don’t have the latitude to push your own agenda as strongly,” she said.
When Resources Committee chairman Jim Hansen, R-Utah, announced he was retiring from Congress last year, Cubin, along with several other committee members, decided to run.
The committee’s chairman is normally a member of the majority party in Congress. The 28-member steering committee that will choose the new chairman includes House Speaker Dennis Hastert and Majority Leader Tom DeLay.
The committee has jurisdiction over issues involving national parks, recreation, public lands, forests, wildlife and ocean conservation and energy development.
Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., supports Cubin’s bid for the position but agrees that it may not be easy for her to grab the top spot.
“Frankly, I think seniority has a heavy hand in it,” Thomas said. “But having had experience in the areas the committee deals with helps and it also depends on the members of the committee and who they think represents the point of view they most nearly support.”
But the head of the political science department at the University of Wyoming, James King, thinks that in recent years Republicans in particular have gotten away from the practice of solely looking at the number of years a person has been in office to choose committee leaders.
“In the old days, when seniority ruled, you had one person controlling a committee for 20 years,” King said. “It didn’t give opportunities for others to have in put.”
King also does not think that the comparatively small size of Cubin’s constituency will affect her run.
“Population doesn’t make much of a difference,” he said. “Sure, the Republican leadership will look at a lot of things, but past chairmen have come from states like Alaska and Utah, with not necessarily huge populations.”
Whatever her chances are, Cubin plans to walk into today’s meeting and give her best pitch for Wyoming.
“I have 16 years experience in dealing with these various issues,” Cubin said. “As I look at the people who are most likely to get the job, if only seniority is considered, most of them don’t even have BLM lands in their states. I think their understanding of the issues is somewhat superficial.”
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