Archive: GOP Leaders
Tom Cole Watch, Day 1
UPDATE 2 PM EST: At the Republican Conference meeting this morning, NRCC Chairman Tom Cole reportedly accepted blame for the party's loss last night in the Mississippi special election. But in a conference call with reporters a short while ago, Cole seemed to indicate that the blame lay elsewhere. Asked...
By Ben Pershing | May 14, 2008; 11:30 AM ET | Comments (29)
Fossella and Fay's European Vacation
The latest New York Post report on the saga of embattled Rep. Vito Fossella (R-N.Y.) caught Capitol Briefing's eye this morning. Fossella, of course, is on resignation/retirement watch after being charged with drunken driving and admitting that he has a three-year-old daughter with Laura Fay, a retired Air Force colonel...
By Ben Pershing | May 13, 2008; 12:15 PM ET | Comments (1)
McCain Has Plan to Help House Republicans
Two senior aides to Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) presidential campaign met this afternoon with the House Republican Whip team, telling the assembled members that McCain is committed to helping the party win House seats in November. Today's meeting in the Capitol basement -- which was attended by more than 20...
By Ben Pershing | April 15, 2008; 06:19 PM ET | Comments (9)
Boehner Looks Ahead Through Rose-Colored Glasses
At a luncheon with reporters today organized by the Christian Science Monitor, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) declined to echo the electoral pessimism voiced of late by many of his GOP colleagues. "I think this is going to be a far better Republican year than most people in this...
By Ben Pershing | April 3, 2008; 04:57 PM ET | Comments (9)
The Rise and Fall of Tom Reynolds
New York Rep. Tom Reynolds announced today that he is not running for reelection in November, capping off a congressional career whose arc neatly mirrors that of the GOP majority he helped lose. Elected near the apex of Republican power in 1998, Reynolds rose quickly on the strength of his...
By Ben Pershing | March 20, 2008; 12:30 PM ET | Comments (26)
Rep. Tom Reynolds to Retire
Sources have told the Associated Press that Rep. Tom Reynolds (R-N.Y.) will retire. A news conference to make the announcement is reportedly scheduled for noon. Capitol Briefing will have more on this later in the day....
By washingtonpost.com Editors | March 20, 2008; 10:13 AM ET | Comments (2)
NRCC Scandal: How Did It Happen?
Greg Walden had a problem. The Oregon Republican lawmaker was serving as the head of the National Republican Congressional Committee's audit committee, and he had been badgering the NRCC's treasurer, Christopher Ward, to set up a meeting with the committee's accounting firm. "I sought for several years to meet with...
By Ben Pershing | March 14, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (22)
NRCC Suspects 'Several Hundred Thousand Dollars' Stolen
National Republican Congressional Committee officials acknowledged publicly today that they have found discrepancies in their books of more than a million dollars and evidence that the NRCC's former treasurer, Christopher Ward, made "several hundred thousand dollars" worth of unauthorized wire transfers out of the committee that appear to have ended...
By Ben Pershing | March 13, 2008; 04:00 PM ET | Comments (40)
Renzi Move a Mixed Blessing for GOP
Indicted Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.) yesterday announced his decision about his future in the House: He's staying -- for now, anyway. And while Republican leaders may not be outwardly pleased with that choice, it could actually help them as much as it hurts. Renzi was charged last week by a...
By Ben Pershing | February 26, 2008; 08:29 AM ET | Comments (26)
GOP's Earmarks Crusade Has its Limits
Anti-earmark crusader Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) lost his bid for a seat on the House Appropriations Committee Thursday, and the conservative blogosphere is not happy about it. This Red State post was typical of the reaction. Under the heading, "House Republicans Aren't Serious About Earmark Reform," blogger Bluey wrote, "Just when...
By Ben Pershing | February 15, 2008; 10:55 AM ET | Comments (25)
Oh Boy, More Debates!
Just what this town needs in the middle of a heated presidential campaign: more debates. Perhaps Congress is jealous that the White House contenders have already had 83 or so debates, and that Hillary Rodham Clinton has challenged Barack Obama to one face-off a week until we all beg for...
By Ben Pershing | February 8, 2008; 04:53 PM ET | Comments (8)
Tom Davis and the 'Dying Breed' of Moderates
Last September, when centrist Rep. Jim Ramstad (R-Minn.) announced his plans to retire, Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.) was asked why so many of his fellow moderate Republicans seemed to be heading for the exits. "I think some of them are just tired," Davis told Roll Call, adding that the coming...
By Ben Pershing | January 30, 2008; 01:20 PM ET | Comments (5)
House GOP Backs Away From Real Earmark Moratorium
House Republicans wrap up their three-day retreat at the Greenbrier resort today having taken only modest steps toward their biggest goal for the gathering -- a bold, consensus earmark reform plan that the party can use to invigorate its disillusioned base and paint Democrats as soft on the issue. Coming...
By Ben Pershing | January 26, 2008; 11:40 AM ET | Comments (10)
Events Move Forward as GOP 'Retreats'
LEWISBURG, W.Va. -- Greetings from snowy Lewisburg, one town over from where House Republicans are gathering at the Greenbrier resort for their annual retreat. While members (and reporters) were traveling here today, two important things happened back in D.C. that will affect the retreat agenda -- a stimulus deal and...
By Ben Pershing | January 24, 2008; 04:51 PM ET | Comments (1)
Getaway Day for the GOP
Today is a travel day for Capitol Briefing as he journeys to White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., to cover the House GOP's annual retreat at the lovely Greenbrier resort. The event will run from today through Saturday. These gatherings allow members to relax a bit -- many bring their families along...
By Ben Pershing | January 24, 2008; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (3)
Will Bush Have to Buck His Own Party on the Stimulus?
As Capitol Briefing wrote yesterday, some conservatives weren't thrilled with all the happy talk about a bi-partisan stimulus package. Today the conservative Republican Study Committee unveiled its own stimulus package in hopes of influencing the current debate in a direction more amenable to the right. The plan, dubbed the Economic...
By Ben Pershing | January 23, 2008; 01:44 PM ET | Comments (7)
Will Stimulus Train Leave Conservatives Behind?
Listening to the continued bipartisan rhetoric coming from both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue, it would be easy to think that Congress and President Bush are on the glide path toward agreeing on an economic stimulus package that will pass both chambers with nary a dissenting voice. But listen a little...
By Ben Pershing | January 22, 2008; 05:45 PM ET | Comments (25)
Despite Blog Support, Flake Bid a Long-shot
Every so often, the liberal or conservative blogospheres will get excited and mobilized to make something happen that probably never will. Such is the case with the growing movement to get Arizona Rep. Jeff Flake (R) onto the House Appropriations Committee. Flake -- the House's best known scourge of spending...
By Ben Pershing | January 21, 2008; 07:40 PM ET | Comments (7)
Alexander's Victory Not Necessarily a Win for Moderation
By a nearly 2-1 margin today, Senate Republicans cast their lot with a colleague preaching a message of reaching out to centrist/independent voters -- a person who openly bragged about his bipartisan relationships with Democrats and who presents an older, gentler face to the nation. The new minority whip, Sen....
By Paul Kane | December 6, 2007; 01:57 PM ET | Comments (9)
Alexander Is the New Senate GOP Conference Chair
Sen. Lamar Alexander (Tenn.) won a resounding 31-16 victory over Sen. Richard Burr (N.C.) to become Republican Conference chairman, the No. 3 post on GOP leadership team. Sen. Lamar Alexander, right, talks with Democrat Barbara Boxer. (Getty Images) Running a more moderate campaign based on reaching out to centrist and...
By Paul Kane | December 6, 2007; 11:04 AM ET | Comments (5)
Senate Republicans Face Leadership Choice
In less than 48 hours the Senate Republicans will gather in an ornate room just off the chamber floor to hold their secretive internal caucus leadership elections. Though incredibly arcane to outsiders, these races are the congressional equivalent of papal elections -- intramural affairs that often define the future direction...
By Paul Kane | December 4, 2007; 01:20 PM ET | Comments (6)
Update: Lott Announces Retirement
Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) announced Monday that he will retire from the Senate effective late next month or early January, stunning Republicans who had only last year reinstated Lott to their leadership ranks. "It's time for us to do something else," he said at a press conference in his hometown...
By Paul Kane | November 26, 2007; 01:29 PM ET | Comments (321)
Congressional Thanksgiving: So Much to Do, So Little Time
Casting a flurry of votes on both ends of the Capitol last night and this morning, the House and Senate have now adjourned for a two-week Thanksgiving recess that leaves them with an overwhelming amount of work left to finish. Lawmakers will return to Capitol Hill in early December for...
By Paul Kane | November 16, 2007; 03:06 PM ET | Comments (6)
Hastert's Farewell: 'My Heart is Still Here'
Note: Please upgrade your Flash plug-in to view our enhanced content. var thisObj = "flashobj111507_9v"; var so = new SWFObject("http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/mmedia/player/wpniplayer_blog.swf", thisObj, "454", "305", "8", "#ffffff"); so.addParam("allowScriptAccess", "always"); so.addParam("swfliveconnect", true); so.addVariable("thisObj", thisObj); so.addVariable("vid","111507-9v_title"); so.addVariable("playads", "yes"); so.addVariable("adserv",""); so.addVariable("autoStart", "no"); so.write("flashcontent111507_9v"); Speaking from the well of the House for the last time,...
By Paul Kane | November 15, 2007; 04:45 PM ET | Comments (13)
Cheney, House Republicans on Different Money Paths
Once popular enough to charge donors $4,200 for a handshake and a photo, Vice President Dick Cheney has become a much less sought-after fundraiser among House Republicans. Almost 10 months into the year, Cheney has headlined one fundraiser for an incumbent House Republican, Rep. Sam Graves (Mo.), who is facing...
By Paul Kane | October 11, 2007; 07:00 AM ET | Comments (28)
GOP Leaders Hesitant to Endorse Doolittle
With fresh subpoenas landing in the office of Rep. John T. Doolittle, a pair of leading House Republicans declined to say yesterday whether they would endorse the veteran California Republican for re-election. Doolittle was already forced off his key assignment on the Appropriations Committee in April after the FBI raided...
By Paul Kane | September 4, 2007; 08:32 PM ET | Comments (9)
Putnam's 11, Seeing 'Red'
Let's call them "Putnam's Eleven." They're the 11 House Republicans who collected $2,500 checks each for their campaign accounts from "Red PAC" the political action committee run by Rep. Adam Putnam (R-Fla.), who, as chairman of the House Republican Conference, is the third-ranking GOP leader in the chamber. Contributions from...
By Paul Kane | April 6, 2007; 09:30 AM ET | Comments (8)
Emotional Moments in the Debate on Iraq
With the Senate unable to get enough votes to formally debate the House's anti-surge resolution, the two chambers are at odds over their formal stances on President Bush's decision to send more than 20,000 new troops into Iraq. This is a trend that liberals will begin to hate more and...
By Paul Kane | February 18, 2007; 04:35 PM ET | Comments (8)
SOTU, Take Two
CAMBRIDGE, Md. - State of the union, take two. In a speech meant to help rally his House Republican troops, President Bush rehashed much of his address from earlier this week for a about 160 members of the GOP conference as they are wrapping up a 48-hour retreat with an...
By Paul Kane | January 26, 2007; 01:48 PM ET | Comments (13)
House GOP Retreats ... to the Eastern Shore
Capitol Briefing is on the move this morning, heading down to Maryland's Eastern Shore for the House Republican Conference's retreat, the first such meeting for most of these GOP lawmakers where they'll be convening as the minority party. It should be an interesting couple days as Republicans mull over their...
By Paul Kane | January 25, 2007; 05:00 AM ET | Comments (4)
