Jon Kyl suited for whip post, prof says
November 26th, 2007, 4:29 pm · Post a Comment · posted by Paul Giblin
Jon Kyl (second from left) and Trent Lott (right) in the Senate
Sen. Jon Kyl’s likely ascension to the No. 2 leadership position among Senate Republicans finally will push Arizona’s junior senator out of Sen. John McCain’s shadow, according to Brooks Simpson, a history professor at Arizona State
University.
If Kyl suceeds Sen. Trent Lott in the position, and that seems to be a given at the moment, he’ll get plenty of prime-time air time.
“It does potentially a great deal for Kyl’s career because then he would become one of the talking heads all the time, instead of the second choice. He would become much more of the image of the Republican Party than he had been up to now. And I think this does allow him to establish nationally – not just among Republicans, not just in the Southwest – an identity apart from McCain,” said Simpson, who has studied the
U.S. presidency.
In fact, Kyl is better suited than McCain to become minority whip, because Kyl is widely viewed as a party loyalist.“Kyl wants to establish his own reputation independent of McCain, and that’s perfectly understandable. Kyl isn’t nearly as concerned about winning the label ‘maverick’ or attracting voters who are undecided, independent, or even some marginal Democrats, the way McCain is,” Simpson said.
“If you look at what we identify with McCain in terms of what he’s done as a senator, it’s stuff that’s bipartisan. What you want from your minority leader and whips and things like that are party loyalists who are negotiating always from a position of strength. It seems to me that McCain, since 2000, always has seen himself more of a national figure than as a representative Republican, whereas Kyl has embraced the image of party workhorse. And that’s what gets you rewarded in terms of party leadership positions,” Simpson said.
And not to be overlooked, the increased national stature that comes with the whip position will make Kyl more appealing for a GOP presidential nominee to tab him for the No. 2 slot on a presidential ticket in 2008 or 2012, Simpson said. In that scenario, Kyl could be expected to pick up the conservative branch of the party if a moderate ends up with the nomination; or he could be expected to attract Western voters if an Easterner wins the nomination. Or both.
One problem with the idea of Kyl as veep, at least from my observations covering Kyl’s 2006 Senate re-election campaign, is that he’s genuinely uncomfortable on the campaign trail. And that was just a statewide election. The job may appeal to him, but the process to get the job will not.
In the meantime, Kyl’s presumed new clout as whip will make McCain and Kyl the most influential pair of lawmakers from Arizona to serve together since the 1970s when John Rhodes Jr. served as House Republican whip while Barry Goldwater served in the Senate, Simpson said.
For more on Kyl’s flirtation with the whip post, read my story in the Tribune here: http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/story/1…
