Carpetbaggers.......yup they define access, "Workforce Investment Act".....Nano Modifications..........

Thursday, November 29, 2007
RedState on Hutchison and the Leadership Race

posted by Paul Burka at 7:52 AM
This report from RedState.com, sent to me by a Senate staffer, is the best piece I have read about the Republican Senate leadership race. Hutchison is prominently featured. Although RedState is no fan of Hutchison, the article views her as crucial to conservatives' long-term prospects, because (1) They don't like Lamar Alexander either -- like KBH, too moderate -- and (2) her pending departure from the Senate to run for governor will open up her leadership spot to be won by a conservative. RedState's view is that Hutchison will win the chairmanship of the Republican conference, as I reported was likely in an earlier post.

In the slow pace of the Senate, the wheels are already moving to replace Trent Lott and we could see a win for conservatives.

As it appears right now, Jon Kyl will become the Minority Whip.

Kay Bailey Hutchison will kill off challenges by both Messrs. Burr and Alexander to be Conference Chairman if she decides to run. She's still making calls and weighing options.

If KBH does run, then John Cornyn will ascend to the Policy Committee.

I expect Jeff Sessions to run and get elected as Vice Chairman of the Policy Committee Conference.

Cornyn will be a much better Policy Chair than KBH, who has excluded staffers from meetings who she deemed were too far to the right from her. She won't be Conference Chairman for long, since she's going to run for Governor in 2010.

The irony in all of this is that the fate of conservatives in the Senate rests with Kay Bailey Hutchison. We actually should support her.

While incremental, let's toy with this playing out:

After 2008, McConnell either wins or loses. If he loses, Jon Kyl will probably become Minority Leader, moving up from Whip. If McConnell wins, he might still face a coup if the GOP Senate conference feels the need to go in a new, more conservative direction after a disastrous 2008 election cycle. If the GOP does get slaughtered at the polls, it will likely be moderate Senators bearing the brunt of the voters anger, making the remaining GOP caucus more conservative and more willing to vote their own into leadership. So, Kyl might take the reins then too.

With Kyl as leader, Cornyn will run for Whip, with a reduced number of Republican Senators, but a more conservative group. Sessions will get to Policy, which is what he wants, and that leaves DeMint available to be the Party's message guy in Conference Chair. That'll leave open a slot as VP for Conference, which a good conservative could fill.

Imagine, post 2008, having the top Senate Republicans be, in order: Kyl, Cornyn, DeMint, Sessions, and an as yet to be determined conservative.

One note, just so I don't get accused of anything I don't mean -- I'm not hoping that the GOP gets wiped out in 2008. I hope, in fact, that it doesn't. But I can see the writing on the wall. And sometimes, it takes hitting rock bottom for addicts to want recovery -- especially when they're addicted to earmarks. Let's just pray to God that if we do get slaughtered that we don't fall under 41.


4 Comments:

jolie said...

back during the 2000 election cycle, burka told a class of grad students at the LBJ School that the reason texas monthly's coverage of bush was so positive - almost glowing - was to ensure their access, should bush win. precisely what access was unclear, but one can draw conclusions.

I guess he gets points for honesty.

but in retrospect, it's horrifying.
November 29, 2007 11:40 AM
Anonymous said...

Paul is letting himself slip alot these days.
November 29, 2007 11:50 AM
clayton auger said...

Another reason to make sure Cornyn never makes it back to DC as a Senator......
November 29, 2007 1:25 PM
Paul Burka said...

I don't know who jolie is, but this comment is total fiction. Well, I did teach a class at the LBJ school. That is true.

It's fair to say that our coverage of Bush was generally positive. But I wrote some tough pieces -- one when he vetoed the Patient Protection Act, one ("The Honeymoon Is Over") when Bullock came out against his property tax cut, and one, declaring the tax cut dead, that made Bush so mad that he wouldn't shake my hand in a chance encounter in the Capitol. On the whole, though, my view was, What is there not to like? He was bipartisan, he was a strong advocate for public education, he ran a squeaky clean administration (Rove was on the outside), he was a national star, he had great appointees to the Texas Supreme Court. He fought the right wing of the state party. Democrats carried a lot of his most important legislation.

It is ludicrous to think that we would base our coverage on getting access to his presidential administration. Anybody who knows anything about the media knows that nobody gets special access to the president, least of all a regional monthly publication. Once he left Texas in December 2000, we knew we were off his radar screen and vice versa.
November 29, 2007 11:10 PM

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okay.....we all know when Dick shot funeral gate's Wittington in Kenedy County and coincidently, the current creati District's Attorney appointed by the governor to not seek justice but to be on standby to PROSECUTE any and all average citizens in Kleberg/Kenedy county brother"Bo Hubert"