Half of Hill Gophas Given to Bush
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Wednesday, April 21, 2004 ROLL CALL Page 3 Half of Hill GOP Has Given to Bush By Ethan Wallison ident Bush is re-elected, Feheery said. feels very strongly about standing with Pres- ROLL CALL STAFF “Look, these [Members] have come from ident Bush, and he fully supports President Almost half of the 279 Republicans in Con- eight years of not having the bully pulpit, of Bush’s leadership and determination during a Morning gress contributed to the Bush-Cheney re-elec- not having their party in control of the White time of war,” Helvey spokeswoman Tara Sta- tion campaign through the first three months House,” said Carl Forti, a spokesman for the ley said. Business of the year. National Republican Congressional Com- The disbursement records, which are based The Members, giving either from their mittee. “They don’t want to lose that.” on campaign finance disclosures through the campaign accounts or through aligned polit- In fact, the Bush-Cheney effort has also re- first three months of this year, were compiled outh Summit. House Minority ical action committees, together have ac- ceived a considerable amount of support from by PoliticalMoneyLine.com, a political data- Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), Sen- counted for more than a quarter-million dol- former Republican lawmakers, failed candi- base. Some Members recorded contributions Yate Minority Leader Tom Daschle lars to the Bush-Cheney effort. As many as dates and current Congressional aspirants. both from their campaign committees and (S.D.) and New York Sen. Hillary Rod- 135 current lawmakers have contributed, ac- Among the former Members who have giv- their separate leadership PACs. ham Clinton will host the Next Genera- cording to committee disbursement records. en to the Bush-Cheney campaign are former The support from Members has been am- tion Democratic Summit on Capitol Hill The dollar amount itself is a pittance next Reps. Thomas Bliley (Va.), Tillie Fowler ply reciprocated by the Bush administration. today to encourage youth participation in to the $180 million-plus raised by the Bush- (Fla.) and Connie Morella (Md.) and former Vice President Cheney has devoted roughly public service and bring attention to is- Cheney campaign so far. Nonetheless, this Sens. Jesse Helms (N.C.) and Fred Thomp- half his campaign schedule to fundraising for sues affecting young people. level of financial backing from Members is son (Tenn.). Republican candidates or one- incumbents and Congressional candidates. About 15 House and Senate Members unprecedented for a presidential contest, time Congressional aspirants include Janice And in recent weeks, first lady Laura Bush and 250 students and community leaders where lawmakers typically rely on the sup- Bowling (Tenn.), Gene DeRossett (Mich.), has done her first Congressional campaigning will meet at the daylong summit, which port the ticket provides — or doesn’t provide Chuck Floyd (Md.), Louis Gohmert (Texas), this cycle, appearing at events for Bev Kilmer, will feature professional wrestlers Chris — to party candidates down-ballot. Jay Helvey (N.C.), Virginia Johnson (N.C.), who is challenging Rep. Allen Boyd (D) in Nowinski and Shelton Benjamin. John Feehery, a spokesman for Speaker Alice Forgy Kerr (Ky.), Brose McVey (Ind.) the Florida Panhandle, and Rep. Rob Sim- Gideon Yago of MTV will moderate a Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), who first encouraged and Scott Rolle (Md.). mons (R-Conn.). town hall-style event featuring discussions Members to help Bush, suggested that “team A spokeswoman for Helvey, a businessman Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the first with Members and young leaders on edu- building” is as much a goal as the contribu- who is seeking to replace Rep. Richard Burr lady, said Mrs. Bush will do a “handful” of cation, the economy and national security. tions themselves. (R-N.C.), who is running for Senate, said the events for House and Senate candidates this cy- “We are pleased to have the talent and “These are symbolic yet significant contri- candidate contributed to the Bush-Cheney cle, but indicated that long-term details were enthusiasm of young Americans across butions,” Feheery said. campaign to express common cause with the not yet available. The first lady is scheduled to the country who volunteer in their com- The donations show that Members consid- incumbent. appear at a reception in Washington this week munities to help make our country a bet- er it important for their own interests that Pres- “Jay Helvey gave the money because he for Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). ter place,” Pelosi said. Fresh Ink. With House mail delivery SUPPORTING THE DREAM ACT back on schedule, the House Administra- tion Committee will once again require genuine signatures on a range of official documents. The administration panel implemented a temporary waiver of House rules for some documents — including payroll au- thorizations, certifications or corrective ac- tion forms, as well as lump-sum payment forms, overtime pay forms and furlough authorizations — while mail-processing procedures were revamped after ricin was discovered on Capitol Hill in February. “Accordingly, effective immediately, facsimile signatures will no longer be ac- cepted ...” House Chief Administrative Officer Jay Eagen wrote in an April 15 “Dear Colleague” letter. “Each of these documents will now require the original signature of the authorizing official, i.e. Member, Committee Chair, Leadership, or House Officer.” For more information, call the Finan- cial Counseling Office (202) 225-7474 or the Payroll Office at (202) 225-2450. — Erin P. Billings and Jennifer Yachnin Correction A chart accompanying the April 20 ar- Tom Williams/Roll Call ticle “They’re in the Money” incorrectly Odeline Clerger (from left) and Mirvole Louis, both Haitian born, and Yewhoalashet Aytenfisu, who was born in Ethiopia, identified the Democratic candidate in talk to a TV reporter before a mock graduation Monday on the West Lawn of the Capitol in support of the Student Utah’s 2nd House district. He is Rep. Jim Adjustment Act and Senate companion Dream Act. The acts would help provide a pathway to legalization for U.S.-raised Matheson. immigrant students who lack legal immigration status. Ex-Hill Staffer Offers Handbook for Public Relations By Amy Keller through his stints on the staffs of four Mem- working for then-Rep. Tom McMillen (D- gressman in an editorial, Jerry gave me my ROLL CALL STAFF bers of Congress — and provides valuable ad- Md.), Fitch describes a piece of key advice he first political rule: ‘Never get in a pissing con- Former Capitol Hill aide Brad Fitch has vice for those who flack for a living. received from McMillen’s administrative as- test with someone who buys ink by the bar- done a huge favor for press secretaries and Fitch, who currently serves as the deputy sistant, Jerry Grant, a guy who he says usual- rel.’” wannabe spokesmen everywhere with the director of Congressional Management Foun- ly dressed in “casual shirts and docksiders, The 345-page book covers all the terrain — publishing of his new book, “Media Relations dation, a nonprofit group that provides train- with a good cigar nearby.” from the technical how-tos of writing press re- Handbook for Agencies, Associations, Non- ing, consulting and research to help improve “Jerry knew all the messy communications leases, backgrounders and op-eds to interact- profits and Congress.” the management of Congressional offices, ex- problems a young press secretary could get ing with Congressional campaign operations The textbook title belies a delightful im- pertly translates his own personal experiences into, and he helped me avoid most of them,” or handling communications in a time of cri- mersion into the invigorating, frustrating and into candid lessons for those pursuing careers Fitch writes in the first chapter, “First Steps.” sis. sometimes thankless world of public affairs in the field. “When I wanted to fire back at an editor who One fascinating read is the contrasting case — a world that Fitch came to know firsthand When describing his first job on the Hill (I thought) had unfairly criticized the con- See BOOK, page 22.