Show Its It's really about 08 Nanc Nancy J 1 a Victor H. H Fazio Special to The Washington Post Nancy is on the clock elock During the 2006 congressional contest that culminated with the California Democrat becoming the first f female male House speaker initially said she would take the campaign one day at a time But Buther Buther Buther her timeframe quickly expanded into an ambitious v vision sion of what the new Democratic Congress would accomplish in its first hours After the ceremony and celebration on Thursday must not only try to make good goodon on her promises but she must do so amid the general confusion power struggles and even the smell of fresh paint that prevail whenever Congress changes hands has pledged that the first working hours of the Congress will pass measures such as and ethics reform lobbying a wage minimum increase you pay-as-you-go budgeting budgeting- expanded federal funding for embryonic stem stern cell research lower interest rates on student loans adoption of the 9 11 commissions commission's recommendations changes to allow Medicare to directly negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies and reduced dependence on foreign oil But the speaker the Democratic leadership and new lawmakers will face practical challenges in navigating this list For Fora a new Congress January normally is a time for members to be sworn in work the district or perhaps travel overseas until the presidents president's State of the Union address later in the month For freshman members these first few weeks can be especially chaotic as a's they focus on establishing offices and hiring staff staffin in Washington and their home districts Fresh from their victories members frequently face the dizzying challenge of finding a home in Washington and possibly relocating their families This time is a whirlwind of exposure to new committee assignments delegations and caucuses Oh and new members have to learn the administrative and practical skills they'll need as the business of making laws gets underway These hours will also include the first time that some members will address the House a moment every lawmaker recollects That first address is rarely ones one's finest performance even performance even the most experienced member can be unnerved by the realization that not only the public but also House colleagues will listen to what they have to say My first first address address was on the rice industry- industry a key concern of my constituents constituents and and a subject I knew much more about when I left the House in 1999 than when I first took the floor in 1979 Not everyone will be f learning anew this week has sought to engender some bipartisan goodwill by authorizing severance pay for newly unemployed Republican staff members Likewise she has sought to preserve continuity by retaining existing staff in the parliamentarians parliamentarian's office and other administrative positions including the sergeant at the clerk of the House and the House historian In 1994 when Newt Gingrich became speaker the leadership fired everyone except the parliamentarian In contrast to that with off-with- their-heads their attitude has more respect for the administrative framework of the House Perhaps most important she reached out to John Boehner R-Ohio R who was House majority leader on transition issues such as the schedule oversight on intelligence and fixing the Congressional page program strategy reflects an understanding that progress depends on bipartisan agreement though it may also reveal an effort to take advantage of President Bushs Bush's declining popularity popularity and and the potential willingness of some House Republicans to distance themselves from the White House First Hours initiative has drawn some comparisons with the Republicans' Republicans 1994 Contract With America a package that sought to bring about major policy change over over days But for the effort is less about radical p policy shifts than about bringing policy in line with what Democrats believe is common wisdom to Americans Stem cell funding which has passed once and enjoys bipartisan support is the quintessential example However even pay-as- pay you-go you budgeting garners gamers support on both sides of the aisle including from Sen John McCain R and former fonner Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan Perhaps most significant there has been bipartisan of proposals for lobbying reform the wage minimum-wage increase the 9 11 commission recommendations and Medicare drug pricing Of course no matter how carefully has selected the issues for her first hours the legislation tion will not necessarily steamroll through Congress unquestioned Though lobbying reform and wage minimum-wage proposals could pass easily there may be differences between the House and Senate that could lead to conflict in conference committees There are early indications that issues such as adopting the 9 11 commission report and the Medicare drug proposal may face some opposition both within and beyond the Democratic ranks The I Democrats' Democrats proposal to require offsetting revenue i. i or savings whenever any tax cuts or spen spending d. d increases occur will wil present challenges to the Congress as it attempts even the least expensive initiatives This you pay-as-you-go proposal may be especially problematic for Democrats in dealing with funding the Iraq war for which less than half of the total anticipated cost has been incurred so far Just as elements of the Contract With America erica failed to pass in the Senate or get signed into law the term long-term prospects of the hours laO legislation outside the House remain uncertain However if the speaker can shepherd her initiatives through Congress she will have established herself and her Democratic caucus caucus as advocates for the middle class as well as the poor- poor and her party as one that keeps its word This message will be especially important as the 2008 presidential contest unfolds and Democrats seek to campaign in opposition to the political quagmire foreign and domestic that has plagued the Bush administration 1 r I It t 4 r t |