09-08-2001
INSIDE WASHINGTON: Inside Washington for September 8, 2001
The Capitol Hill Show: It'll Go On and On and ...
Eager for this year's Congress to ring down the curtain? Too bad. So far,
not one of the 13 fiscal 2002 appropriations bills has been sent to the
President, and only a few have made it as far as a House-Senate conference
committee. So the original target for adjournment in early October seems
highly unrealistic, especially given a report by the House Appropriations
Committee that as of September 7, a trifling eight to 11 legislative
workdays remain until the current fiscal year ends on September 30. After
the 1995 spending-bills debacle, nobody's going to let the government shut
down, so look for waves of Continuing Resolutions until Capitol Hill gets
serious. Granted, 12 months ago, Congress had completed work on just two
of the annual funding measures by now, but last year was an election year;
members had a big incentive to hit the trail. In 1999, a nonelection year,
Congress did not call it quits until November 29. Given the current gloomy
surplus forecasts, this session might run well into December.
But It's Absolutely Not a Republican Union
It's no secret that the International Brotherhood of Teamsters has
recently been demonstrating that labor unions are not unanimously
Democratic. Not only did the Teamsters put their considerable weight
behind efforts to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge-a
GOP priority loathed by most Democrats-but they also hired Greener and
Hook, a small communications firm best known for its sterling GOP ties.
Among firm principals, Bill Greener was a bigwig at the 2000 Republican
National Convention in Philadelphia; Michael Hook was a top aide to former
Rep. Bill Paxon, R-N.Y.; and John Czwartacki was a noted spinner for
then-Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss. This summer, Greener and
Hook created a 60-second radio ad for the Washington market that urged
Congress to stand tough against allegedly unsafe Mexican trucks. In a
pleasant twist for Greener and Hook, most news reports blamed the
Democrats for carrying the Teamsters' water on the Mexican-truck
issue.
Just So They Don't Resemble `Reality' Shows
If nothing else, the debate over a national energy plan has energized
scads of liberal and conservative groups to spend big money on
advertising. Now, a coalition of heavy-hitting conservatives-calling
themselves collectively the 21st Century Energy Project-plans a television
ad blitz (its second this year) to defend a dozen or so House members
whose recent votes for an energy bill, which includes opening a patch of
the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling, have been attacked by
environmental groups. The 21st Century Energy Project, whose stalwarts
include Americans for Tax Reform and Citizens for a Sound Economy, expects
to run spots this month to counter ads that some greenies (including the
Sierra Club) aired in August.
Could He (or She) Cut Gasoline Prices?
If the President refuses to help and House members balk and the Senate's
too busy bickering, who you gonna call on if you want to somehow force
American automakers to build more-fuel-efficient sport-utility vehicles?
An environmentally minded religious coalition recently settled on a way
higher authority: God. The interfaith group Religious Witness for the
Earth held a prayer meeting and rally in front of a Massachusetts auto
dealership to protest the House's August vote against stricter
fuel-efficiency standards for SUVs. They toted signs that read, "What
Would Jesus Drive?" and "Earth to Bush: Global Warming Is
Real."
National Journal
