Moderate US House Democrats Cast Eyes On Leadership Position
Saturday November 8th, 2008 / 0h02
By Corey Boles Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES WASHINGTON -(Dow Jones)- Moderate members of the House Democratic Caucus are hoping that one of their number finds a seat around the Democratic leadership table in the next session of Congress. According to two House Democratic aides, Rep. Joseph Crowley, D-N.Y., a leader of the "New Dems" coalition and a member of the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee, is considering standing for one of the senior leadership positions that are opening up within the caucus. Rahm Emanuel's decision to leave Congress to become President-elect Barack Obama's chief of staff leaves a vacancy for the position of Democratic Caucus chairman, the fourth-ranking member of the Democratic leadership hierarchy. His current deputy, Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., vice chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, has already announced his plans to stand for the job. Larson also sits on the Ways and Means Committee. He may face a challenge from Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., who as chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has been credited with the gains the Democrats scored in the House elections Tuesday. The party increased its majority by at least 19 seats, now leading 254-173, with the results still undeclared in a further eight races. Wednesday, Van Hollen said he was resigning from the DCCC and considering his options. He wouldn't comment on whether he planned to run for the caucus chair job, as Emanuel hadn't yet accepted the White House job offer. A spokeswoman for Val Hollen didn't respond to emails seeking comment for this article. Crowley would run for the job being vacated by Larson as No. 5 in the House Democratic leadership ranks, the aides said. Having one of their own as a member of the leadership team, who would sit in on discussions about policy and spending priorities, could go a long to formalizing the moderates' presence in the House. It could also exert pressure on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., and others to rein in their spending at a time of economic uncertainty. Moderate Democrats including the fiscally conservative "Blue Dogs" coalition, and the "New Dems" coalition account for an increasingly important segment of the overall House Democratic caucus. In recent years, as the Democrats have won seats in traditional Republican territory, the members being elected are often not typical Democrats. Many are social or fiscal conservatives who agree with the party in other policy areas. The core principle of the "Blue Dogs" coalition, known as PayGo, is that every new dollar of spending or tax cuts by the federal government should be offset by revenue cuts or tax increases elsewhere in the budget. Pelosi and Hoyer have repeatedly said they favor the rule, but both have also shown a willingness to suspend the pay-as-you-go principle when it has suited them. The elections for House Democratic leadership positions are expected to occur the week of Nov. 17, meaning all those who are running will have to start canvassing their colleagues for support if they haven't done so already. Every member of the Democratic caucus gets to vote for who they think should hold leadership jobs. -By Corey Boles, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-6601; corey.boles@dowjones.com Click here to go to Dow Jones NewsPlus, a web front page of today's most important business and market news, analysis and commentary: http://www.djnewsplus.com/al?rnd=rAiNfEpL3yJaxPyClBtHeA%3D%3D. You can use this link on the day this article is published and the following day.
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