Word: wrighting
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...Wright's swift leap into a controversial issue was nothing if not characteristic. Capitol Hill observers learned long ago that the 16-term Congressman and former House majority leader never backs away from a fight. Nor did the new Speaker, a former Golden Gloves boxer and a decorated World War II bomber pilot, retreat under fire on the tax issue. "I have not called for a tax increase," he said. "I have suggested postponing any further tax decreases for the very wealthiest taxpayers." Says Christopher Matthews, a former aide to Wright's predecessor Tip O'Neill: "Wright is going...
With President Reagan weakened by Iranscam and Congress in Democratic hands, Wright is expected to seize the initiative and launch an ambitious legislative agenda. Unlike O'Neill, who was content to let his committee chairmen dictate their schedules, Wright will probably use his post to articulate and develop the party's legislative direction. He told TIME that he intends to seek quick re-enactment of the Clean Water Bill, which the President vetoed last month, push through a highway-spending bill and draft comprehensive trade legislation...
...Wright, who turns 64 this month, will have formidable help among the House leadership. Succeeding him as majority leader is former Majority Whip Tom Foley, 57, of Washington. Replacing Foley as whip will be Tony Coelho, 44, of California...
Cartoonists will undoubtedly have fun with Wright's distinctively bushy eyebrows and sharp features, but not nearly as much as they had with Tip's nose and sheer bulk. The two leaders' personal styles are as different as their physical attributes. While the bluff O'Neill could growl out a rough response to Republican policy, Wright has a well-earned reputation as the House's foremost debater, and Reagan is already feeling the sting of his remarks. "Harry Truman said the buck stops here," he said in a speech last week, "but Ronald Reagan says put it on a credit...
...Wright has no close associates in the House and prefers tending roses at his home in McLean, Va., to mixing on the cocktail circuit. Says his friend, Lobbyist Craig Raupe: "He's basically a shy man." Shy but, as with many Texas politicians, unabashedly ambitious. At 23 Wright was elected to the Texas state legislature; at 27 he became the youngest mayor in Texas. Ten years ago, Wright scored an upset in the race for House majority leader when, with some astute and quiet politicking, he beat the favorite by a single vote in an election few thought he should...