Engineering Inc. - January/February 2007 - 14

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CoNGREss Andy nElson/ThE ChrisTiAn sCiEnCE MoniTor/GETTy iMAGEs ACEC
Roundtable Political Climate Shifts c o l l e a g u e s and get things
accomplished. “I think the leadership in the House is committed to being
in the majority more than 24 months, so as far as the temptation to veer
hard to the left is concerned, they’re John Zogby going to fight it to
the best of their abilities.” On the Senate side, however, relations are
likely to remain as intense as ever because of the more harshly partisan
atmosphere on that side of Capitol Hill. “With retirements in 2004 and
some of the [new] people elected this time, I think the Senate Democratic
Caucus definitely moved to the left,” says Duffy. Some political
observers also believe that the political demeanor of President Bush will
dictate what Congress can accomplish. If and when Democrats promote
raising the minimum wage and other measures they pushed as underdogs, the
president could choose one of two paths—begin using his veto power or
practice the same kind of comprom i s e and across-the-aisle politics that
he touted as governor of Texas. National pollster John Zogby notes: “Will
he be the Texas Governor George W. Bush who crossed the aisle many times
and who, to use his words, was a ‘uniter,’ or is he going to be
President George W. Bush of the first six years, in which case he will
immediately go into defensive mode?” Duffy says Bush will choose the
latter. “ This is a president who hasn’t really exercised his veto
pen,” she says. “Something tells me he might figure out which drawer
it’s in before long, especially if they’re going to do things such as
try to roll back some of the tax cuts. I don’t think he’s going to be
hesitant.” 14 ENGINEERING INC. JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2007 A growing number
of Democrats lean toward the moderate side and are willing— sometimes
even eager— to work with Republicans. Many political observers predict
that the Democratic takeover will translate into a harsher, more
watchdog-like climate for businesses and industries that specifically
address social needs, such as pharmaceuticals. These industries have been
the targets of criticism by Democrats for years for increasingly charging
more to consumers, and in some cases, for ignoring the needs of seniors
and the poor. Zogby predicts there also will be a shift in the way foreign
policy is conducted as a result of the new Congress. Right now, President
Bush maintains strong control over trade, defense and other issues, which
bring the United States and other countries together. But Democrats have a
different view of foreign relations, he says. “There is a consensus among
Democrats toward a multilateral foreign policy—one that is, say, more
respectful toward allies, toward international bodies such as the United
Nations,” Zogby says. “But that also flies in the face of the White
House, and ultimately foreign policy is one of the key things that a White
House gets to control.” Other experts predict that the globalization
movement—opening up free trade between the United States and countries
with less expensive labor—now will diminish under the new Congress.
Former President Bill Clinton pushed free trade aggressively while in
office, but times have changed: “This new generation of Democrats is
anti-Clinton,” Todd says. “They’re not globalists at all.” Of
course, there is the political atmosphere over defense and, specifically,
funding for the war in Iraq. That also will shift significantly, predicts
Todd: “I don’t think every funding decision about the war is going to
just sail through anymore.” n Steve Hall vice President of Government
affairs, aCeC: “I think the changeover from Republican to Democratic
control will present ACEC and the industry with some challenges, but also
some real opportunities. Overall, I think we will see a different, more
positive perspective from the new majority on the need to invest more
resources in the nation’s infrastructure. “As we look to reauthorize
federal funding for airport construction projects in 2007, build support
for a broader program to fund water and wastewater projects, and begin the
process of shaping the next highway bill, having majorities in the House
and Senate that may be more willing to push the envelope to increase
funding will be beneficial to the industry and our clients. “At the same
time, there’s no question that we will face some obstacles, both in terms
of advancing key tax, legal, healthcare and regulatory reforms, as well as
fighting off what will be a stepped-up effort by public employee unions to
curtail contracting out. “I think our challenge and our goal in the new
Congress is to take advantage of the natural alignments and common
interests with the new majority in the area of infrastructure funding,
while also looking for running room to advance the other business issues.
Above all, we need to stay focused on a proactive agenda—not simply
playing defense.”   Warning : Unknown : The session id contains invalid characters, valid
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Engineering Inc. - January/February 2007

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