Word: gephardts
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When control of Congress is at stake, a politician can't afford to miss even the smallest opportunity to gin up votes. That's why Dick Gephardt, the Democratic minority leader of the House of Representatives, found himself having coffee one morning last week with nine party activists at Mr. C's Family Restaurant in Knoxville, a speck of an Iowa town that boasts the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum. With embattled Congressman Leonard Boswell at his elbow, Gephardt implored the faithful to pour on the energy: "Iowa literally has the ability to tell us who will...
...ought to know. The man was House minority leader Dick Gephardt. But what Gephardt didn't explain was why Congress--for the seventh year in a row--has failed to do anything about this crisis. At a time of surging federal deficits, one reason is the price--$800 billion or more over 10 years to provide something close to coverage for all seniors. Conservatives don't want the largest expansion of entitlements since the launch of Medicare to happen on their watch...
That said, the White House knows it must do something, because the Democrats are getting saucer-eyed over November's congressional elections. According to Roll Call, House minority leader Dick Gephardt recently spoke with senior Dems about the corporate crookery, saying that "if this thing plays out right, we could pick up 30 to 40 seats." Bush is desperate to show voters that he is not deaf to their concerns, but he has not found the message. "He wrapped his arms around this market," laments a senior Administration official. "Now he owns...
...Someone who had something and lost it." For Democrats, the political beauty of the corporate scandals is that they "play into what people already believe" about Republicans--"that these guys are in the tank with corporate special interests," says Steve Elmendorf, chief of staff to House minority leader Dick Gephardt. "I don't see any downside to this for us." But when the interests of voters clash with the interests of donors, the Democrats too put on the brakes, helping kill McCain's demand that companies list stock options as expenses on their books...
...parlayed his Harken money into a piece of the Texas Rangers, which he later sold for a $15 million profit. But his political account has taken a loss. "His whole persona has been, 'I'm a straight shooter,'" says Steve Elmendorf, chief of staff to House minority leader Dick Gephardt. "He's not looking like such a straight shooter...