Dems Rebuild Party on 'Change' Theme
Hurricane Haley Storms Washington
Here are two more reasons why Republicans are buzzing about Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour 's chances for higher office. First, the Republican Barbour and some Washington pals hastily organized a bipartisan Hurricane Katrina fundraiser at the Chamber of Commerce HQ last week. The take: $1 million. Next, at a private lunch with GOP senators, he urged spending restraint, even decrying Washington's $200 billion hurricane relief as bloated.
College Picking 101: Get the 'Feeling'
Being an education secretary with a college-age daughter, Margaret Spellings knows exactly what parents go through picking a university. You research schools, visit campuses, and size up the costs. Then your kid ignores it all and makes a gut call. It happened with her daughter. "It's a highly confusing process," Spellings reports. "It's one of the most important decisions a family is going to make," she says. "How did we do it? She got 'the feeling.' " Spellings's idea for easing the decision: She's created a commission on higher education that will report back next August on ways to help families pick schools and judge if they're worth the price of tuition.
It's 15 Years for the Networker-in-Chief
Kathy Kemper might be the most important Washingtonian you've never heard of. A tennis coach to the important and famous, she parlayed those connections into a networker's dream and this fall celebrates her 15th year hosting a regular power-broker meeting she calls the INFO Breakfast. Her goal: Bring politicians, newsmakers, business people, even reporters, for an off-the-record exchange of ideas. She's held 160 so far. For her anniversary gaggle, held last month in the Capitol, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg regaled the group with insider tales of how judges host yummy potluck lunches for birthdays and play bridge together. "She described it as the most collegial court in 100 years," said Kemper.
Time for a Revival on Foreign Policy
Looks as if President Bush needs to host a good old-fashioned revival, this time on foreign policy, or face losing core constituencies. GOP pollster Tony Fabrizio tells us that he just completed a poll on the president's foreign policy and found that 41 percent of born-again Christians, 34 percent of conservatives, and 44 percent of voters concerned about terrorism feel Bush is on the wrong track. "To have over one third of your base saying we are on the wrong track on one of your core issues is problematic," says Fabrizio.
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With Edward T. Pound
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