10-03-2005
HOUSE RACES - Reynolds, Emanuel Spar Over Political Impact Of
DeLayMark Wegner
© National Journal Group, Inc.
The chairmen of the two House campaign committees looked back to election cycles for signs of how the indictment last week of Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, might affect the 2006 midterm elections. Sparring Sunday during a joint appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press," Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Rahm Emanuel of Illinois promised Democrats would offer "big ideas" for voters in 2006. He noted DeLay's indictment came 11 years after Republicans unveiled their "Contract With America" blueprint that helped them win control of Congress in 1994. National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Thomas Reynolds of New York vowed Republicans would beat a midterm election curse, in which the party in the White House loses congressional seats in its sixth year in power. Reynolds pointed to 1998, when Republicans unsuccessfully attempted to capitalize on the pending impeachment of then-President Clinton with a national ad campaign. "We lost six seats. And Bill Clinton is the only president who has actually gained seats in a second-term, mid-term election since 1854," Reynolds said. "So we're going to stay with the ground game that builds them from the ground up."
Emanuel said DeLay's troubles, combined with the ethical woes of other Republicans, require an institutional solution. "What we have to do is pass lobby and ethics reform that changes the way the people's business gets done," he said. Reynolds questioned whether the DeLay indictment was politically motivated said DeLay should remain in Congress. "I think he'll beat that indictment," he said.
Challenged to articulate issues for 2006, Emanuel offered "five quick ideas," including universal college education, a budget summit on deficit reduction, a 10-year energy policy that leads to less dependence on foreign oil and more hybrid cars, the creation of a national institute for science and technology and a universal healthcare system. Emanuel did not explicitly call for tax increases, but said the current tax system rewards a "culture of cronyism" at the expense of the middle class. He called for greater accountability and standards for judging progress in the war in Iraq, instead of withdrawing U.S. troops. Reynolds responded to the five proposals by calling it a liberal agenda. "Bigger government, raise more taxes to pay for it," he said. "That's the failed liberal policies. The last 40 years, the Democrats were in control of the Congress."
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