Capitol Journal
Capitol Journal
WETA "CAPITOL JOURNAL" IN 16.37.45-Panel Discussion of Partisanship and Parties in Congress; part of symposium on the history and evolution of Congress in honor of the 200th anniversary of the Constitution. Features Rep. TOM FOLEY, Rep. ROBERT MICHEL, former Rep. BARBER CONABLE. Tom Foley discusses reforms in party leadership, making the Congress more democratic and taking power out of the hands of a small leadership clique, but making the Speaker stronger. Now new members are more able to get positions of influence in committees. Foley says the public no longer wants hierarchical power structures in Congress. 16.42.04-moderator introduces former Rep. BARBER CONABLE, who is about to take over as president of the World Bank. Conable discusses leadership in Congress, says there is no formula, but leaders must have patience and organization. Must be articulate and pragmatic. A leader needs to be willing to take the heat for decisions and explain them publicly. Leaders need to adapt to the times, discusses the different styles of past leaders in the Ways and Means Committee as the role of parties has declined and Congress has come to include more diverse agendas. 16.53.42-moderator introduces former DNC chairman John White. Says that party leaders have always felt that their parties were undisciplined and intractable, yet on major issues, party votes still seem to come through. Discusses continuities in the composition and operation of Congress. The main difference is that Congress has to deal with many more issues and the role of money and TV in getting elected. 17.02.25-moderator introduces congressional scholar Norm Ornstein. Ornstein says that Congressional leaders in the past were not as all-powerful as is believed. Discusses past leadership and party discipline, contrasts to current. If Congress sometimes seems fractious and indecisive, it may be because the public is deeply divided and uncertain on the important issues. Suggests that it's a good thing to have majorities in House change hands periodically so that both parties are familiar with the obligations of being the minority and the majority party.