For the Record

What to expect in the 98th Congress. It’s not all bad, even in the House, where every one of the 39 conservative Democratic Boll Weevils won re-election, while one-quarter of the Gypsy Moths—the liberal Republicans who sided with Tip O’Neill’s Democratic leadership—went down to defeat. The most prominent of them were Reps. Millicent Fenwick and David Emery, who ran for Senate seats in New Jersey and Maine, and Reps. Margaret Heckler (Mass.), Jim Dunn (Mich.), and Charles Dougherty (Pa.). . . . Over on the Senate side, conservative Harrison Schmitt lost, but the three Republicans who squeaked through with paper-thin majorities were all liberal GOPers: Danforth in Missouri, Chafee (R.I.), Durenberger (Minn.). . . . Kevin Phillips, hardly an admirer of Reaganomics, doesn’t think much of the Democratic victory in the House. “Never before in the post-1954 competitions has the party out of power—either one—scored such [historically] piddling gains in the face of massive and increasing unemployment,” says Phillips. . . . The count is finally in on how some of the minor parties made out: Barry Commoner’s Citizens Party won ballot status statewide in Pennsylvania, getting more than 2 per cent of the vote in one race; Dr. Benjamin Spock’s old Peace and Freedom Party will stay on the ballot in California; the Socialist Party made it on the ballot in Wisconsin.

Rep. Phil Gramm of Texas, one of the most prominent and, easily, the most caustic of the Boll Weevils, is facing disciplinary action when the Democrats organize the 98th. If he should lose his slot on the Budget Committee, Gramm might switch teams. He has pollster Lance Tarrance checking out a possible switch on his constituency back home. . . . The really bad news is that Democratic Rep. Ron Dellums is slated for a subcommittee chairmanship on House Armed Services Committee next year. Dellums is against B-l, MX, Pershing, Trident, neutron bomb, and the Rapid Deployment Force. . . . On the Republican side Sen. Richard Lugar (Ind.) is quietly polling his colleagues. He’d like to replace Sen. Bob Packwood (Ore.) as chairman of Republican Senatorial Committee. . . . The Washington gag-of-the-week award goes to writer Bob Orben. When told that Ronald Reagan intended to crack down on the Mafia, he commented, “That’s good. After all, he’s put everything else out of business.”

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What to expect in the 98th Congress. It’s not all bad, even in the House, where every one of the 39 conservative Democratic Boll Weevils won re-election, while one-quarter of the Gypsy Moths—the liberal Republicans who sided with Tip O’Neill’s Democratic leadership—went down to defeat. The most prominent of them were Reps. Millicent Fenwick and David Emery, who ran for Senate seats in New Jersey and Maine, and Reps. Margaret Heckler (Mass.), Jim Dunn (Mich.), and Charles Dougherty (Pa.). . . . Over on the Senate side, conservative Harrison Schmitt lost, but the three Republicans who squeaked through with paper-thin majorities were all liberal GOPers: Danforth in Missouri, Chafee (R.I.), Durenberger (Minn.). . . . Kevin Phillips, hardly an admirer of Reaganomics, doesn’t think much of the Democratic victory in the House. “Never before in the post-1954 competitions has the party out of power—either one—scored such [historically] piddling gains in the face of massive and increasing unemployment,” says Phillips. . . . The count is finally in on how some of the minor parties made out: Barry Commoner’s Citizens Party won ballot status statewide in Pennsylvania, getting more than 2 per cent of the vote in one race; Dr. Benjamin Spock’s old Peace and Freedom Party will stay on the ballot in California; the Socialist Party made it on the ballot in Wisconsin.

Rep. Phil Gramm of Texas, one of the most prominent and, easily, the most caustic of the Boll Weevils, is facing disciplinary action when the Democrats organize the 98th. If he should lose his slot on the Budget Committee, Gramm might switch teams. He has pollster Lance Tarrance checking out a possible switch on his constituency back home. . . . The really bad news is that Democratic Rep. Ron Dellums is slated for a subcommittee chairmanship on House Armed Services Committee next year. Dellums is against B-l, MX, Pershing, Trident, neutron bomb, and the Rapid Deployment Force. . . . On the Republican side Sen. Richard Lugar (Ind.) is quietly polling his colleagues. He’d like to replace Sen. Bob Packwood (Ore.) as chairman of Republican Senatorial Committee. . . . The Washington gag-of-the-week award goes to writer Bob Orben. When told that Ronald Reagan intended to crack down on the Mafia, he commented, “That’s good. After all, he’s put everything else out of business.”