Word: wrighting
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...symposium was informal, and the alumni interjected jokes into the conversation, which spanned the protests in China, elections in Poland, the resignation of House Speaker Jim Wright (D-Tx.) and the Iran-Contra affair...
Foley would bring a very different style of leadership to the job. Where Wright tended to stake out his positions, then bend others to his will, Foley is an instinctive consensus builder. With George Bush still pledging to cooperate more closely than Ronald Reagan did with Democrats on the Hill, Foley's is a style that may be suited to the times...
Even the House pit bull, minority whip Newt Gingrich, speaks well of him: "He's easier to work with than Wright by a factor of 100. Unlike Wright, he keeps his word." If anything, Foley has a reputation among some House Democrats for being too conciliatory, bringing the Republicans into decisions too often. Even colleagues who admire him feel that Foley can be excessively cautious and prone to weigh every option...
...When you talk to Tom, you start biting your fingernails and you don't stop until you're up to your elbows," says Illinois Democrat Dan Rostenkowski. "What he does is good, but sometimes getting there is frustrating." Still, Democrats who chafed under Wright's autocratic dealing can look forward to having their views sounded out more regularly. Says a congressional aide: "Foley is good about consulting with all the barons on the committees, then deciding what...
...caucus. In one of those "accidents" of his career, he was chosen as House whip soon after, when Tip O'Neill's first two choices were not available. As whip, Foley added to his formidable reputation as a coalition builder, which helped him win the majority leader post when Wright climbed to the Speaker's chair...