Behind Tom's Turnaroud [Daschle Caves]

The White House in the coming weeks plans to heavily lobby Nebraska Sen. Ben Nelson and Georgia Sen. Zell Miller in hopes of luring them over to fully supporting the Bush economic stimulus package. Hopeful of using a legislative technique that would require only 51 votes to pass the tax cut plan, the White House knows that it is at least four votes short. That's because Republicans John McCain, Lincoln Chafee, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins have already announced at least initial opposition to the Bush plan.

The White House has already begun lobbying Louisiana Sen. John Breaux, who while receptive to the discussions has made it clear the White House would have to go a long way in compromising to get his vote.

If the White House hopes to successfully get the bulk of its stimulus package through the Senate, use of the reconciliation parliamentary technique would appear to be its only alternative. But according to several White House legislative lobbyists who work Capitol Hill, the administration is ready to negotiate on the Senate side and believes that it may have to cut its dividend tax cut in half.

South Dakota Sen. Tom Daschle sure whipsawed his wife's role in his decision not to run for the presidency. Linda Daschle, a well-known Washington lobbyist, was thought by many Daschle insiders to be opposed to a run by her husband. But just two weeks ago, the current Senate minority leader was telling friends and donors that his wife was supportive of a run.

In announcing his decision on Tuesday in Washington, Daschle again invoked Linda's name, saying that after speaking with her in the past few days he had decided not to run, that his passion remained in the Senate.

Daschle was thought to be set to run. He'd brought former Clinton White House chief of staff John Podesta into his inner circle to help advise him on national political issues, and seemed to be gearing up a grass roots organization in Iowa and New Hampshire.

But according to a Democratic Senate leadership staffer, several events and meetings in the past few days seemed to pull Daschle back from jumping into the race: "He wanted to serve as minority leader for at least part of this congressional session, but members of his caucus made it clear to him in meetings that they couldn't afford a part-time leader, not now with this president and just after losing the majority," says the staffer.

With no clear national leader, Democrats in both the Senate and inside the Democratic National Committee expect Daschle to be a key fundraiser for the party, as well as a recruiter of potential Senate candidates in 2004 now that untested Sen. Jon Corzine is running the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Daschle most likely would have served as minority leader for eight to ten months, then stepped aside in fall 2003. But Democratic caucus members indicated that that plan was unacceptable, when there were at least two other Senators -- Nevada's Harry Reid and Connecticut's Chris Dodd -- clamoring to take on the leadership mantle right away.

"To walk away mid-term would have created all kinds of problems," says another Democratic leadership staffer. "Over the next year, you'd be seeing Daschle at events and fundraisers and wondering, 'Is he doing this for the party, or for himself?' Then there is time. You know he'd be spending more time on the road, and not on Capitol Hill strategizing. And then you walk away and create this fight for the job. It just doesn't work."

Daschle -- legitimately -- was also concerned about how four to five Democratic Senators could coexist on the floor of the Senate while also running for president. "You've already got Kerry, Edwards, Lieberman, maybe Graham preening for the cameras. I think Senator Daschle really believes we can do something up here if we have a strong focused caucus. With him running too, he knew we weren't going to be at our strongest," says a staffer on the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

It wouldn't be surprising if Daschle did stay on because of the size of the fight he faced. Depending on what happens with Republican popularity in the coming months, he himself may face a stiff challenge in South Dakota in 2004 from former Rep. John Thune. And Democrats are extremely concerned about losing more seats in the Senate next election cycle. Already, they are anticipating stiff competition from Republicans in New York, where Chuck Schumer may be forced to face GOP God Rudy Giuliani, South Carolina, where Fritz Hollings may retire, and in Washington state and California. The White House has already begun vetting possible candidates in all those states. "It's going to be an extremely tough two years, and I think Daschle knew that. It had to effect his thinking," says the DSCC staffer.

Perhaps also playing into this thinking was the increasing realization that he probably couldn't win in 2004. Like several other candidates, Daschle would be counting on a good showing in the Iowa caucus to move his campaign forward into the big primary season. But in the past several days, Rep. Dick Gephardt, the former Democratic House leader, made several impressive moves to solidify his standing as the frontrunner in Iowa. First he rolled out union support in the state that made it clear to the competition that organized labor was again leaning toward the man it supported and who won the caucus in 1988.

Then on Monday, Gephardt quietly announced that he had retained political consultant John Lapp to manage his Iowa race this time around. Lapp is another Democratic hot commodity, having engineered the successful gubernatorial race of incoming Gov. Tom Vilsack. While it wasn't clear that Daschle was pursuing Lapp for his own team, both John Kerry and John Edwards were heavily courting the 30-something consultant.

"The thinking was that Iowa was Daschle's best chance at really making a splash and gaining some momentum," says the DSCC staffer. "Part of his thinking may have been that he's lost out on some good talent in the one state he seemed in a position to do well in right away. Gephardt's moves may have helped make his decision for him."

I have a sneaking suspicion that Linda Dasshole had more to do with his no-go decision than this article indicates. Her job could potentially hurt his run, thus she may have to give it up if he runs. She probably makes considerably more money than Tiny Tommy. If she had to quit her job it would have a considerable impact on their cushy lifestyle.

Plus, I don't see him getting close to the nomination without full disclosure of his finances. This could lead to some White Water-like inquiries about some of Linda's deals

Also, I think it would just kill Tiny Timmy if Thune took his seat.

I'm sorry he's not running, though. I was really looking forward to him loosing.

I don't know if you saw "The Dirt on Daschle" thread Liz started yesterday. The information (dirt) she provided on the little left-leaning couple was incredible.

Liz wrote:

Sen Daschle's shocker that he will not run for president will be soft-soaped by the media.

Tommy should not worry. We will tell his story here.

The national security implications, political connections, and lobbying activities of Linda Hall Daschle, one of Washington’s most powerful lobbyists, who counts American Airlines, and Northwest Airlines among her high profile corporate clients, are detailed in the report "Fatal Neglect: The U.S. Government’s Continuing Failure to Protect American Citizens from Terrorists," which is from JW.

Questions have been raised as to whether national security in pre and post 9/11 America was compromised due to Linda Daschle’s political connections and her family's dependence on her huge income, reportedly in the millions, from the airline industry.

Her activities were also linked to Tommy's Senate position.

(1) As reported on CBS' 60 Minutes, Sen Daschle was charged with inappropriately intervening to reduce safety inspections of an air-charter company owned by a family friend after one of the planes crashed in 1994, killing four.
While at the FAA, under Clinton, Linda Daschle acted to exempt the friend’s airline from intensified safety inspections.

(2) According to a 2000 transportation budget, the FAA is forced to buy baggage scanners from one of Linda Daschle’s clients, L-3 International, despite the fact that the DOT’s Inspector General found the equipment to be substandard, some even leaking radiation.

(3) The inspector general told Congress that the FAA’s requirement to buy L-3’s machines is one reason airports will not be able to meet the new mandate to screen all luggage for bombs for many years, thus placing Americans seriously at further risk.

(4) The air transport industry donated more than $100,000 to Daschle’s campaign in the last election cycle. Linda Daschle’s client, Northwest Airlines, is the second largest contributor to the Senator's campaign in 1998.

(5) Linda Daschle was recently cited in an FAA report for failing to enforce a "zero tolerance" policy she announced in 1996 (under Clinton) while Deputy Director of the FAA against violent airline passengers, a pledge that some say could have prevented the September 11th terrorist hijackings.

(6) That means Mrs Daschle used, possibly with her husband's help, for the FAA to purchase faulty bomb detection equipment.

(7) The policy implications for post-9/11 America of Mrs Daschle, a former FAA official, taking employment with the industry she was charged with regulating while the terrorist plan was being hatched.

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests have been filed with the FAA. Efforts to uncover Linda Daschle’s role in the selection of the faulty L-3 bomb detecting equipment prior to September 11th and efforts to determine Senator Daschle’s role should be made as well.

Link: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/818468/posts

I sure would like to hear some of these points brought up by Brit Hume during his Political Grapevine segment.

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