Perspective—or flattery—is just one tool four-term Louisiana congressman and House Majority Whip Steve Scalise deploys as the Republicans’ vote-counting whip, perhaps the hardest job in Congress these days given the sometimes bitter split between conservatives and GOP leaders over difficult legislation.
As The Associated Press reports, Scalise, his whip team and their powers of persuasion face their biggest test yet when the GOP budget proposal—representing the party’s priorities—comes before the House today.
“This is our broad vision document,” Scalise, who was voted whip in July last year, said during an interview with The AP on the eve of the budget vote. “It’ll be a good week this week. We’ll do some big things.”
House Speaker John Boehner and his leadership team, which includes Scalise, have struggled through the first months of the new Congress to show they’re really in charge. Though Boehner has a near-historic number of 245 members, it’s still not enough to ensure he can line up a majority on any given bill. Again and again, on issues like immigration, education and abortion, House Republicans have split, generally over the question of whether to compromise for the sake of passing legislation. GOP leaders have had to postpone votes, recount members for and against, and call last-minute meetings to prevail, when possible.
Much of the responsibility for showing the nation the GOP can govern falls to the 49-year-old Metairie native and his political power tools. In many ways, it’s a tougher job than it’s ever been. Congressional leaders no longer can dole out pork-barrel projects, or earmarks, which for decades were powerful incentive to move undecided lawmakers from “nay” to “aye.”
But Scalise has an array of other approaches, from his “Lincoln Room” office to his friendly manner and Whip It Good, a joint campaign fundraising committee that he unveiled over the weekend with chief deputy whip Patrick McHenry.
Scalise’s style, Republicans say, involves more charm and pragmatism than, say, that of former whip Tom DeLay, the Texan whose nickname was “the Hammer.”
