As a long-time observer of our two
U. S. Senators and one U. S. Congressperson, it would seem to me that today we
have a chance to have more clout in Congress than ever before.
Senior Sen. Mike Enzi is one of the
most effective bill-passers in the Senate and holds powerful positions. He is widely respected and has been in
Congress long enough that when he talks everyone listens.
Junior Sen. John Barrasso has
chosen a path climbing up the power pole in the Senate and currently is the
third-ranking senator behind majority leader and whip.
Our representative Liz Cheney is
brand new but is already passing bills.
As daughter of a former Vice President, she is already listed as one of
the 30 most powerful Republican women in the country.
So, could this be the most powerful
trio in our history, when it comes to influence?
A third of a century ago, Wyoming
had Senators Al Simpson and Malcolm Wallop plus Rep. Dick Cheney in place. They were arguably the most influential trio during
modern times.
So I asked Simpson, who is retired
and lives in Cody, what he thinks?
“They have the
potential to out-do us if they can get their own party’s problems resolved,” he
says. “Back there, it is chaos. It is toxic. It is like sulphuric acid. It is
unbelievable. Unless Republicans can get past social issue schisms in their own
caucuses, they will never achieve their potential.
“It is valid to say to compare these
folks with our team. Cheney was third in
leadership and I was second in the Senate. Wallop was carrying the ball for
President Reagan for Star Wars.”
A somewhat
different view came from Rodger McDaniel, a pastor and author, in Laramie, who
said:
“These three
do indeed have the potential to be most effective, but it is a potential they
show no sign of fulfilling. Instead they have devoted themselves entirely to
partisanship.
“These three are quite a distance
from the Gale McGee-Cliff Hansen-Teno Roncalio trio or the
Wallop-Simpson-Cheney days, but then so is American politics.
“These three could help change the
current dynamic if they decided to be genuinely bipartisan but John is tied to Majority
Leader Mitch McConnell’s hip. Mike found out that bipartisanship was not welcomed
in the current GOP. Mike once touted his ability to work with folks like Ted
Kennedy. It’s been a long time since he mentioned his 80-20 theory. That
stopped when Liz pounded him over the head during the 2014 primary for compromising
with the Democrats.”
Former Lovell and Thermopolis
newspaper publisher Pat Schmidt, now of Cheyenne, does not think the current
group compares to some of the other trios.
“I`d put it somewhere in the Cliff Hansen-
Teno Roncalio-Simpson- Gale McGee days when they accomplished so much. A high
point was on the date they got through the increase in mineral royalty payments,
which has put billions into the state`s coffers. That bunch had the ability to
go across the aisle.
“Second I would put the Simpson-Wallop-Cheney
trio up there. Despite all Republican, they worked across the aisle well.
Simpson was a powerful Senate leader until archconservatives replaced him with
Trent Lott. Cheney was close to the House speakership. Wallop was effective;
just look at the 1981 Wallop-Breaux Act that is still benefitting outdoor
recreation with a fee on the sale of sporting goods.
Going back to statehood, historian,
author and attorney John Davis of Worland says: “Wyoming had vastly more clout
when Francis E. Warren was a powerhouse in the U. S. Senate.”
Historian and University of Wyoming Professor Phil Roberts, of
Laramie, is pessimistic: “They have no clout whatsoever. One never has clout if
(s) he is a rubber-stamp. That`s why the only times Wyoming members had clout
was when 1) they represented both parties; 2) they chose to work together on a
Wyoming problemnot some esoteric ideologically-driven knee-jerk question. 3)
They clashed with their own President when it was necessary.”
Publisher and former State Representative
Dave Bonner of Powell echoes the same theme: “I would agree with the summation
that there is unrealized potential in today’s trio. I would like to see Enzi`s
serious approach to budgeting gain traction on both sides of the aisle.”
Based on some comments here, it
appears that most agree Wyoming has an extraordinary opportunity in Congress
right now with these three but the toxic atmosphere may very well leave most of
their potential unrealized.
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