Word: lott
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1990-1999
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...instance, he opposed a Reagan-sponsored tax-reform bill that would have closed certain special-interest loopholes. That same year, Lott and Congressman Jack Kemp persuaded Reagan not to support the Republican Senate's efforts to reduce the cost of living allowances for Social Security, and the measure failed in the House. Two years later, Lott joined with Democrats to override Reagan's veto of a pork-larded highway bill, explaining that he wanted some of that spending for his district. And in 1990 he opposed President Bush over a deficit-reduction package that included both spending cuts...
...Lott's rationale for his new low-risk behavior cleverly marries today's mechanistic, poll-driven politics to an older philosophy that politicians shouldn't get too far in front of their constituents. Whenever a legislator votes differently from an informed majority of his constituents--as measured by Dick Morris or some other pollster--"your constituents are usually right," Lott says, "and you are wrong...
...When Lott became Senate majority leader last summer, he found a new model of pragmatism in a slim volume called First Among Equals, which included a chapter on Robert Taft, the Ohio Republican who led the Senate during the Truman Administration. Like Lott, Taft was a staunch conservative who forcefully stated his views and didn't compromise on matters of principle--but who also worked to achieve the best deal available. "You can't usually get 100% of what you want in politics," Lott says. "But if you can get 80%, or most of what you want, that's usually...
Which helps explain why Clinton and Lott regularly meet and talk on the phone and enjoy the easy rapport of two pros at the top of their game. Leon Panetta, who recently resigned as Clinton's chief of staff, said the two "like playing with each other, trying to find out as much as possible while giving as little as possible away." As in any productive negotiation, both Lott and Clinton will occasionally say, "Now, if I were to do X, what would be your response? Could you do Y?" Each man is also listening for clues to the same...
...Lott wonders how much Clinton's dealmaking will be constrained by the President's desire to help Vice President Al Gore in the Democratic primaries of 2000. Almost any compromise with Lott and his Republicans is sure to bring Gore under attack by House Democratic leader Richard Gephardt and others on the left of the party. For his part, the President wonders whether Lott is positioning himself to run for the G.O.P. nomination in 2000. Clinton knows Lott keeps an active fund-raising schedule...