Here’s how to figure out the likely winner in Tuesday’s struggle for control of the U.S. Senate: Check the pulse of K Street to see if lobbying firms are building up their corps of Republicans.
It turns out that lobbying firms not only are hiring Republicans, but some have been signing up former top aides in anticipation that the GOP will take charge.
“Yes, any lobby shop which does not have a Senate GOP former senior staffer is trying to find one,” said a Republican lobbyist. And those with the biggest checkbooks are reaching to “actual former GOP senators,” though the best are already on staffs or have opened up their own lobbying offices.
Having a Republican lobbyist who is friendly with GOP senators and staffers could be key since the GOP’s leaders have promised to quickly take up stalled legislation advancing tax reform and the Keystone XL pipeline if they take over.
“I would not be surprised to find a dozen or so senior Senate GOP staff lured off the Hill to law firms, associations, corporations, boutiques, etcetera,” said another top Republican lobbyist.
But those who are just beginning the search for Republicans to fatten their lobbying staffs are already behind the curve.
Consider the firm headed by former House Democratic leader Dick Gephardt. It began hiring top Republican staffers two years ago in what one insider called “a forward-thinking move.”
Former Republican staffers Rob Epplin, Scott Brenner and Tom Blank are “well positioned to boost the firm’s bipartisan credentials in a majority Congress,” an associate said.
Other top K Street firms are touting their GOP “rainmakers” who likely already have good relationships with the House Republican leadership.
GOLDWATER FOR PRESIDENT, STILL
It has been 50 years since Republican Barry Goldwater’s momentous presidential campaign, and now those influenced by what is considered the birth of the modern-day conservative movement are planning to celebrate his 1964 bid.
Organizers tell the Washington Examiner that they plan to hold a Capitol Hill forum and dinner in Goldwater’s honor Nov. 18. It will include comments from Goldwater’s family and former campaign insiders, and also likely compare the conservative leader’s outlook to the current president.
Longtime conservative author and publisher Alfred Regnery, head of the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund, told the Examiner, “Barry Goldwater was a Westerner and a patriot. If elected he would have done his best to keep America American. President Obama is doing his best to take everything American out of America.”
Funds raised from the events will be used to help install a new statue of Goldwater in the U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary Hall, where one of Goldwater’s proteges, Ronald Reagan, already has a prime piece of real estate.
TWITTER FOR BLACKS, FACEBOOK FOR WHITES
Political activists looking for ways to reach young blacks and whites should look deep inside a new Harvard University poll of millennials because it pulls back the cover on their favorite social media outlets.
The school’s Institute of Politics survey of 2,029 young adults aged 18 to 29 revealed that white kids prefer Facebook while African-Americans like Twitter.
Said the survey: “White millennials are substantially more likely than African-Americans to use Facebook and Snapchat, and are more than twice as likely as African-Americans to use Pinterest. African-Americans, on the other hand, are more likely than whites to prefer Instagram and Twitter.” Unfortunately, Harvard didn’t say why.
TAILOR: OBAMA PREFERS SOFT ITALIAN SUITS
Martin Greenfield has been making suits for presidents and Hollywood stars such as Leonardo DiCaprio for decades, so when it came time for the Obama White House to look for a presidential tailor, he was the obvious pick.
In his new biography, “Measure of a Man: From Auschwitz Survivor to Presidents,” Greenfield wrote that Obama aides brushed aside his request to measure the president, and instead shipped him an old suit to copy.
“Martin Greenfield doesn’t copy anybody’s suits. Everybody copies Martin Greenfield’s suits,” he said in the book provided to the Examiner.
Greenfield eventually was invited to the White House, where he found President Obama smiling and charming. “He’s built like a fitting mannequin, a 40 long with an impressive 33-and-a-half waist, which makes dressing him extremely enjoyable,” said Greenfield, who also dressed Bill Clinton.
He said Obama knew what he wanted. “The president showed us a fine Italian-made suit jacket. ‘Feel this jacket. It’s soft and feels really nice. This is the kind of thing I would like you to do for me,’ ” Greenfield said. Obama preferred his suits in charcoal gray and navy blue.
The tailor added a special touch: Red, white and blue hand stitching on the interior.
“We’ve made many suits for President Obama. In fact, virtually every suit he’s worn since February 2011 has been one of ours,” Greenfield said.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
