The Terminator's Man On The Hill
GOP Rep. David Dreier was not in his accustomed position this week at the helm of the House Rules Committee. Instead, the panel chairman remained in his home state of California to tend to the pressing demands of his equally busy post as co-chairman of Arnold Schwarzenegger's bid for governor.
Although the confident campaign may have been set back by Thursday's lengthy report in the Los Angeles Times detailing six incidents during the past three decades in which the actor groped or had other inappropriate contact with women, Dreier's performance as a close adviser and surrogate speaker has provided the campaign vital experience and links to the state and national Republican establishment. The 12-term House member has insisted that he is seeking no personal gain, and that his chief goals have been to turn California from its fiscal train wreck and to restore life to the floundering state party, which has no statewide elected officials. But it is a good bet that Dreier -- who has long had close connections to President Bush -- will gain personal mileage from his efforts. "Dreier deserves credit for helping to elect Arnold," a Capitol Hill Democratic strategist said this week.
After Schwarzenegger made his surprise announcement to Jay Leno on the "Tonight Show" two months ago that he would run for governor, assuming that voters recalled Democratic Gov. Gray Davis, he called Dreier to seek his support and experience for the campaign. Although he initially opposed efforts to force a recall vote, Dreier -- a close ally of former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, who had been expecting to run -- was said to be the only elected official whom the actor called that night. Since then, Dreier has worked virtually non-stop for the campaign. He developed the campaign's strategy to confine Schwarzenegger to one debate with the other leading contenders, and negotiated the terms of that event, which appears to have been a turning point. Dreier -- the Claremont College graduate known for his free-market economic advocacy and moderate social views -- has given credibility to the candidate on policy issues. In the face of the conservative challenge of GOP state Sen. Tom McClintock, Dreier also won for Schwarzenegger the support of 15 of the 20 House Republicans from California; the other five -- mostly ardent conservatives -- have remained neutral. And Dreier has been at the candidate's elbow during key campaign events, including during the past week. "He's unifying the party and bringing it back," said a source close to Dreier. "Previously, it had no pulse."
So, what is in it for Dreier? Although he was instrumental two years ago in negotiating the state's bipartisan redistricting deal, he appears to have little interest in serving in Sacramento or in running statewide. His third term as Rules Committee chairman seems to require that he step down next year under GOP Conference rules, but the speaker's power to appoint members to that panel might create an exemption. Dreier has expressed interest in returning to the Financial Services Committee, from which he took a leave of absence; conceivably, he would be in position to succeed Rep. Michael Oxley, R-Ohio, when he steps down as its chairman. Dreier also could take on more prominent roles on behalf of the GOP and Bush.
