Word: lameduck
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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Democrats have dominated Congress for so long that only two Republicans, Senator Barry Gold water, 71, and Congressman John Rhodes, 64, have ever served in a majority status. Heady with power, a few of the Republicans who arrived in Washington last week for the brief lameduck session of the outgoing Congress had truly feverish ideas. House Republicans talked about wooing 26 Democratic conservatives away from their party and thus voting Democratic Speaker Tip O'Neill out of his position. On more sober reflection, they decided that was, of course, a pipe dream...
Meanwhile, there were political games aplenty being played last week by both parties in the lameduck Congress. Senate Majority Leader Robert Byrd wanted Congress to complete action on a $39 billion package of tax cuts that was pending. So did Republican Dole, who will soon chair the Finance Committee, and Reagan signaled his approval. But Carter threatened to veto any such bill. That effectively killed the legislation and left Reagan free to start anew with his own tax cut ideas in January...
...lameduck session ending on Dec. 5 was expected to pass no major new programs, although it did push through a bill long wanted by Carter to protect 104.3 million acres of land in Alaska from development. Said Laxalt of the session: "We'd like to hold it in tight and get the hell out of here...
...Democratic House. The ideas that carried Reagan to victory-his tax cut plans, energy proposals, austere budget goals-will find plenty of adherents, certainly enough to sustain any vetoes if not to pass all the new President's initiatives. This month the old House will meet in a lameduck session. But given the size of the Republican mandate, House leaders will postpone anything more ambitious than tidying up the current budget until the 97th Congress convenes in January...