The Wall Street Journal
House Democrats Try Softening Their Tone
Lawmakers Seek Republican Votes Amid Veto Threats
By DAVID ROGERS
November 13, 2007; Page A8
WASHINGTON -- Down in the polls, House Democrats are showing a little more finesse as they try to move their legislative agenda around the wall of veto threats thrown up by President Bush. Cute is out; conciliation is in. Late-night talks with Republican moderates intensified last week on the Democrats' signature health-care initiative -- extending coverage to millions of working class children. Staff negotiations continued during the holiday weekend, and Georgia Rep. Nathan Deal, a Democrat-turned-Republican with expertise on health and welfare issues, has been invited in by both sides as a broker.
House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D., Wis.) last week abandoned a confrontational plan to pair defense and education budgets, which would have dared the president to veto both. Instead the two bills were sent separately to Mr. Bush, who could veto the education measure as early as today. Looking ahead to the override vote, Mr. Obey took care to preserve House Republican provisions regarding abortion, child vaccines and abstinence education. The House is scheduled Thursday to take up an antipredatory lending bill that is a showcase of cooperation between the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, Rep. Barney Frank (D., Mass.) and his ranking Republican, Rep. Spencer Bachus of Alabama.
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A year after returning to power, House Democrats are at a crossroads. The party's early agenda -- tougher ethics rules, a minimum-wage increase and more aid for college students -- is largely in place. To go further, the majority must overcome not just presidential vetoes but the often-crippling partisan bitterness left from 12 years under Republican rule. The war in Iraq, which permeates Washington and again divides the House this week, makes that cooperation harder. As the president lays down vetoes, he seems to prefer a divided Congress that poses less of a challenge. And the Senate's filibuster rules, which require a 60-vote supermajority just to get a bill to the White House, are an added frustration for House Democrats.
Allies of Ms. Pelosi said she could do more to take the lead and soften the tone in the House by using her power over the Rules Committee to allow more Republican amendments. Last month's floor fight over the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act -- a controversial arena relating to the government's wiretapping activities -- is a case in point. The Rules panel disallowed all 27 Republican amendments. The minority retaliated with a procedural motion that successfully forced the bill to be withdrawn, and it still hasn't come back up for debate.
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Going into 2008, the Californian said her party is well positioned on the issues most important to voters. Democrats think the child health-care fight is a long-term winner with bipartisan appeal. Party polls show her next priority, an energy bill that demands that cars be more fuel efficient, would appeal to independent voters. And tougher safety standards for imports from China is a third bipartisan issue that Democrats hope will improve Congress's image and is a reminder of Ms. Pelosi's early human-rights record on China.
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