[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 147 (Thursday, October 15, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H10986-H10987]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 THE REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP OWES AMERICANS AN APOLOGY AND AN EXPLANATION

  (Mr. EDWARDS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks and include therein 
extraneous material.)
  Mr. EDWARDS. Shame, shame, shame. Mr. Speaker, the Republican 
leadership in Congress owes the American people an explanation and an 
apology.
  In articles in the Washington Post and Rollcall newspapers Republican 
leaders are bragging that they held up two major international treaties 
in this House. Why? Because they demanded that the Electronics Industry 
Association fire its new president simply because he is a Democrat. Let 
me repeat. The Republicans in Congress held up legislation that was 
going to benefit millions of American citizens because they wanted to 
force a private association to fire a private citizen because simply he 
was a Democrat. That is wrong.
  Mr. Speaker, the American people and press should be outraged at this 
arrogant, arrogant abuse of power. In a free society to stop the 
business of this Congress to punish a private citizen for his political 
affiliation is outrageous, mean-spirited and, most likely, illegal. The 
American people deserve an apology and an explanation.

               [From the Washington Post, Oct. 14, 1998]

             No Democrat Need Apply, House GOP Tells Lobby

                          (By Juliet Eilperin)

       Electronics industry lobbyist John Palafoutas told the 
     Electronic Industries Alliance weeks ago it shouldn't hire 
     former Democratic representative David McCurdy (Okla.) as its 
     new president, but the industry association he belongs to 
     didn't listen.
       In an August meeting, Arne Christenson, chief of staff for 
     House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA.), had made it clear to 
     Palafoutas, a fellow Republican, that the House leadership 
     would not look kindly upon seeing another Democrat promoted 
     to a key job at a business lobbying group.
       ``He said, Tell EIA they ought to be careful about Dave 
     McCurdy,''' recalled Palafoutas, a lobbyist for AMP Inc. who 
     dutifully relayed the message to EIA vice president John 
     Kelly. ``It's fair [to say] that the leadership is angry.''
       In fact, House GOP leaders became so enraged when the EIA 
     announced McCurdy's selection last week that Gingrich 
     declared in a closed-door meeting that he would not discuss 
     legislation with the former lawmaker, according to 
     Republicans who attended. Gingrich and most other top 
     Republicans also instructed their staffs not to meet with any 
     EIA officials. Republican leaders, who had hoped the group 
     would select retiring Rep. Bill Paxon (R-N.Y.), also delayed 
     passage of noncontrovrsial legislation concerning 
     international copyrights, a bill the EIA supports, for four 
     days in an effort to send a

[[Page H10987]]

     message to the group. Gingrich spokeswoman Christina Martin 
     said she could not comment on private conversations but made 
     clear how displeased Republicans were with the association's 
     choice of a Democrat.
       ``Any smart business executive will tell you it is always a 
     good idea to have someone who can walk the walk, talk the 
     talk,'' Martin said. ``When dealing with a Republican-
     controlled Congress, that means hiring Republicans.''
       Rep. John Linder (R-Ga.), chairman of the National 
     Republican Campaign Committee, who confirmed that the 
     leadership was sending a message to EIA by postponing a vote 
     implementing two 1996 World Intellectual Property 
     Organization (WIPO) treaties, said Republicans want to expose 
     the hypocrisy of former Democratic staff members and 
     lawmakers now representing business groups.
       ``They whisper in the ear of the people who hire them that 
     they're with them, then they go to a Democratic prayer group 
     and meet and pray for a Democratic majority'', Linder said.
       The unusually public spat, which started Thursday when 
     Gingrich, Majority Leader Richard K. Armey (R-Tex.) and 
     Majority Whip Tom DeLay (D-Tex.) pulled the WIPO bill from 
     the House calendar, marks the latest flar-up in the 
     occasionally tense relationship between GOP leaders and 
     business lobbyists. Every since they captured the majority in 
     1994, Republicans have complained that lobbyists have failed 
     to give them either the campaign contributions or the respect 
     they are due.
       Even Republicans who made the transition from Congress to 
     the private sector say that the lobbying community is still 
     dominated by Democrats who thrived by virtue of their 
     connections to Hill barons of the past.
       ``There is still a disconnect,'' said Ed Gillespie, Armey's 
     former press secretary and now president of Policy Impact 
     Communications. ``That's a result of Democrats being in 
     control for 40 years and Republicans being in control for 
     four.''
       In the leadership meeting Friday, Republicans said, 
     lawmakers mused about how powerful trade associations were 
     savvy enough to hire Republicans as consultants but had 
     failed to install GOP stalwarts at the helms of their groups. 
     A slew of recent Democratic appointments has angered leaders, 
     including those of Thomas M. Downs as the National 
     Association of Home Builders' chief executive; John Hilley, 
     who had been White House legislative liaison, as executive 
     vice president for strategic planning at the National 
     Association of Securities Dealers; and Tim Forde, who worked 
     for Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass), as the Investment Company 
     Institute's vice president for strategic analysis.
       By appointing Democrats to such prominent posts, argued 
     Mark Rodgers, chief of staff to Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), 
     trade groups undermine their ability to forge close ties with 
     Republicans.
       ``At what point can you trust that what you're sharing on 
     inside strategy or tactics aren't going directly back to the 
     Democratic leadership?'' Rodgers said.
       The EIA says it was only trying to find a leader who 
     combined business and political experience. While some member 
     companies are considering challenging McCurdy's selection 
     when the group's board meets today, outgoing president Peter 
     McCloskey said he was confident McCurdy would win its 
     backing.
       ``The job is to be a spokesperson for the industry, not so 
     much a lobbyist for the industry,'' McCloskey said. ``I'm not 
     saying there's no political component to the job, but it's 
     not the overriding component.''
       Some Democrats openly mocked the GOP leaders' strategy. 
     Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) referred to the incident Monday 
     before the WIPO bill finally passed by saying, ``That was not 
     one of the finest hours of this institution when this bill 
     got derailed because of a dispute about a job.''
       Even some Republicans who believe the lobbying community 
     has to change its approach were leery of this open feuding. 
     Said Rep. Jim Greenwood (R-Pa.). ``You can look a little 
     power-hungry at times.''
                                  ____


                     [From Rollcall, Oct. 12, 1998]

                       GOP Feuding About Lobbyist


             boehner, delay blast each other on mccurdy job

                  (By Jim VandeHei and John Bresnahan)

       House Republican Conference Chairman John Boehner (R-Ohio) 
     and Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Texas) are locked in a bitter 
     feud over the GOP leadership's decision to demand that the 
     Electronic Industries Alliance (EIA) dump their incoming 
     President, former Rep. David McCurdy (D-Okla.).
       In their latest move to purge Democrats from leadership 
     jobs at prominent trade association and lobbying firms--known 
     internally as the ``K Street Strategy''--Republican leaders 
     are pressuring EIA to oust McCurdy, who hasn't formally been 
     installed as EIA's president yet, and hire a Republican to 
     run the group.
       While virtually every Republican leader endorsed the hard-
     line approach, including Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), 
     Boehner is furious that DeLay's operation has worked behind 
     his back to oust McCurdy in recent days, several sources 
     confirmed. Boehner, the leadership's liaison to K Street and 
     outside business coalitions, was quietly working out a deal 
     to have EIA company CEOs remove McCurdy before DeLay stepped 
     in and started busting heads.
       At a raucous leadership meeting Friday afternoon, Boehner 
     blasted DeLay for interfering in his business and striking 
     such a bellicose tone with EIA and its members. DeLay 
     defiantly demanded that Republican leaders, including 
     Boehner, needed to twist arms and play hardball in order to 
     get results, according to sources familiar with the meeting.
       The confrontation between Boehner and DeLay, whose 
     animosity toward each other is well known inside GOP 
     leadership circles, followed a scathing e-mail on Thursday 
     from Boehner's chief of staff Barry Jackson to Gingrich 
     blasting the tactics of DeLay's operation, the sources said.
       But the internal GOP leadership fight will not derail the 
     coordinated effort to once again send EIA and all of K Street 
     a clear message: Republicans won't deal with trade 
     associations and lobbying groups run by Democrats.
       McCurdy, who would not comment, could be the latest victim.
       National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman John 
     Linder (R-Ga.) said he and other leaders are pressuring EIA 
     board members and affiliated companies to reject McCurdy as 
     their new president when the board meets this Wednesday in 
     Phoenix.
       ``We think they ought to look back and see who won the last 
     couple of elections,'' said Linder, who confirmed that 
     Republican leaders held intellectual property legislation 
     favored by many EIA members hostage to ``send a message.''
       The legislation--which implements copyright changes 
     required for the World Intellectual Property Organization 
     (WIPO) treaties--was scheduled for floor action on Thursday, 
     but Gingrich, Majority Leader Richard Armey (R-Texas), and 
     DeLay decided to block the bill and spread the word on K 
     Street.
       Meanwhile, members of the leadership were instructed to 
     call EIA member companies and demand that McCurdy be removed 
     and a Republican be hired. Rep. Bill Paxon (R-N.Y.), who said 
     he interviewed for the job but was told the companies were 
     not interested in talking to incumbent Members of Congress, 
     has been mentioned as a possibility.
       ``I will be contacting companies and recommending they do 
     more interviewing before making this decision,'' GOP 
     Conference Vice Chair Jennifer Dunn (R-Wash.) said.
       Linder also has set up what one source called a ``phone 
     bank'' to help lean on EIA members. Several EIA member 
     companies bowed to the pressure and plan to call for 
     McCurdy's head at the board meeting.
       John Palafoutas, director of federal relations at AMP Inc., 
     an EIA company, is unhappy about the selection of McCurdy to 
     lead the organization.
       ``I'm concerned about the kind of reaction this is getting 
     over on Capitol Hill,'' said Palafoutas. ``Republicans are 
     sensitive to the fact that the high-tech industry has 
     supported President Clinton and the Democrats.''
       A Republican lobbyist with strong ties to EIA said that 
     some companies want the EIA board to abrogate the contract 
     with McCurdy.
       ``They have a lot of money,'' said the lobbyist. ``They can 
     do something.''
       For their part, EIA officials claim that they haven't been 
     contacted by GOP leaders about the issue and argue that they 
     plan to hire an assistant for McCurdy with strong GOP 
     credentials.
       ``No one has called us,'' said Mark Rosenker, EIA's vice 
     president of public affairs. ``We did not get a single phone 
     call here. I respect Mr. DeLay. But we did not get a single 
     official contact. No official call came . . . to anyone in 
     our leadership from a Member of Congress. That's why I find 
     this so intriguing and puzzling. This man has been out of 
     politics for four years. I just found it incredible.''
       In a related matter, Linder said he also told the National 
     Association of Home Builders that GOP leaders have less 
     interest in working with their group because they hired a 
     Democrat as CEO. ``They came to see me yesterday,'' Linder 
     said. ``I told them I am not going to get to know [new NAHB 
     CEO Tom Down]. So save your time.''
       ``They would be making a terrible mistake to [shut us 
     out],'' said current NAHB CEO Kent Colton. ``But they are not 
     going to make a big deal about that because it would be too 
     big of a mistake.''
       Colton said NAHB, which will hand out $2.4 million total 
     this election cycle, gives a majority of its contributions to 
     Republicans and that he expects the association will continue 
     to have a close working relationship with Republican leaders.

                          ____________________