When John Boehner, the House Republican conference chief, informed a roomful of lobbyists of House speaker Newt Gingrich’s plan to hang tough in budget talks with the White House, he was almost immediately contradicted by Senate GOP leader Bob Dole.
Gingrich wants to put maximum pressure on President Clinton by raising the prospect of another government shutdown. But Dole, operating off a different playbook, declared publicly there’d be no shutdown. Republicans would offer a continuing resolution to avert that. The relief at the White House was palpable. Until Gingrich got in trouble over controversial statements, an ethics investigation (he’s been largely exonerated), and a Federal Election Commission suit, Dole deferred to his strategic advice. No more.
Meanwhile, Democrats continue to harass Gingrich and anyone associated with him, such as Ethics Committee chairman Nancy Johnson of Connecticut. Democratic leaderare trying to persuade Bill Curry, the centrist White House aide who lost the Connecticut governor’s race in 1994, to challenge Johnson. He lost to her narrowly in 1982, but since then Johnson has won re-election handily.
Johnson is closely identified with Gingrich’s plan to reform Medicare, a favorite Democratic target. Curry will decide by Christmas whether to run. Don’t count on it, though. He really wants to run for governor again ia 1998.
