Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.news From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: GOP senators vie for leadership posts Date: Tue, 10 Nov 92 15:13:22 EST Message-ID: \SE A;NATION \HD GOP senators vie for leadership posts \BY Ralph Z. Hallow \CR THE WASHINGTON TIMES Senate Republicans may add intellectual firepower to their leadership in elections scheduled for today. In a contest between two conservatives known for their well-thought-out political philosophies, Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky is challenging Sen. Phil Gramm of Texas, the incumbent National Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee chairman. Mr. McConnell, who won a zero rating from the liberal Americans for Democratic Action, coined the phrase "sewer money" for the funds that labor unions gather from members' dues to pour into the campaign chests of friendly candidates. "Mitch didn't play footsie with the Democrats on the [1990] budget compromise either," said a Republican admirer in the Senate. Mr. Gramm is given the edge, however. Colleagues appreciate his fund-raising ability as campaign committee chairman. They give him some credit for the outcome of last Tuesday's election, which saw Republicans hold their 43-seat minority status in the Senate or at worst lose one seat - the Georgia race will be decided in a runoff. Some conservatives believe their party's cause would be well served if Mr. Gramm keeps the chairmanship because it will provide a leadership test for the future. The test is whether Mr. Gramm, freed from his obligation to serve a White House he privately disagreed with, would become the effective spokesman for conservative GOP positions on economics and crime that many once believed he could be. Some conservative activists hope the contest for Senate GOP Conference secretary could thrust into the leadership Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi, another articulate conservative described as having both "presence" and "gravitas." Sens. Kit Bond of Missouri and Frank Murkowski of Alaska are competing with Mr. Lott for the conference slot being vacated by Sen. Bob Kasten of Wisconsin, who lost last Tuesday. Friends worry that Mr. Bond is ill-suited for the job at this point because of some personal problems. Mr. Murkowski is not given much of a chance. Self-described activists and party builders say they don't have a horse in the race between Sen. Alan Simpson of Wyoming and Sen. Slade Gorton of Washington for minority whip. Mr. Simpson, a close friend of President Bush's, is the incumbent. Senate Conference Chairman Thad Cochran of Mississippi is not being challenged. As of yesterday, Senate Republicans did not see a problem in the possibility that Mr. Lott's election would result in two members of the leadership hailing from the same state. A pre-presidential-election challenge to their minority leader, Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas, never materialized, despite criticism by some Republicans. Their gripe was that Mr. Dole, 69, was not much of a national party spokesman for conservative ideas and that the party consistently lost Senate seats under his tutelage. Most of all, they complained that his propensity for one-line partisan zingers is no substitute for presentation of a coherent party vision. Republicans who tried to persuade Mr. Gramm to run against Mr. Dole for minority leader months ago argued that the party needed, in the words of one GOP loyalist, "a visionary with commanding presence as national party leader." Instead of being challenged, however, Mr. Dole is riding high now. He won re-election to his Senate seat by an impressive margin. And like Mr. Gramm, he has been freed from having to marshal support for Mr. Bush's policies. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM