Word: sununu
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Despite the arm twisting, the defections mounted. In fact, they were fueled to some degree by resentment of Sununu's strong-arm tactics, which some Republicans derided as "all stick and no carrot." The Democrats had no more success in keeping their members in line. At a White House meeting, Bush and Foley agreed that the Speaker could offer the Democratic majority a carrot: assurances that the most objectionable details in the plan could be changed in the next two weeks, before the final legislation was to be passed. Foley took this word to the Democratic caucus, along with...
...call from the White House congressional liaison office inquiring about his position on the budget plan. "Leaning against," he replied. His tickets were canceled. New York Congressman Gerald Solomon complained that Bush had telephoned him at his home at 6:45 a.m. to solicit his support and that Sununu made a follow-up call two hours later. "They're threatening me," said Solomon, "and they better not." Like Regula, Solomon voted against the plan...
...times the Sununu-Darman duet sounded discordant, but it was almost always planned. Their relationship had become the most powerful axis in the White House. Each gave the other what he lacked: Sununu provided Darman with access to Bush; Darman provided Sununu, a Washington neophyte, with a knowledge of the workings of Congress, government and Washington. The two men meet each morning at 7:15 and speak by telephone 20, sometimes 30, times a day. Both possess quick, assertive minds; both have a weakness for pranks and practical jokes. And both men are fighters. But where Sununu wrestles, Darman boxes...
Thus Bush's reversal on taxes required delicate handling. By the beginning of 1990, many Administration officials openly acknowledged the need for taxes. These included Darman and Sununu, aides to each explained, though neither admitted it publicly. And Bush? No one is sure, but those closest to him suspect that the President accepted the need for a tax hike gradually, not at some specific moment. The real question was, When should the U turn take place? Wait until 1991 and the reversal could damage Bush's 1992 re-election campaign. Wait until late 1990 and it might overshadow the budget...
...When Bush asked Foley to suggest such a statement, one observer said, "a lot of jaws in that room dropped." Foley dictated a version off the top of his head. Darman said it would take only a few minutes to draft, and began writing. He showed the draft to Sununu, who passed it to Foley. After a few changes, Bush looked it over, called in press secretary Marlin Fitzwater, and told him to release...