Letter from Washington

The new game in town is called Turnover. Reagan’s turnover. Who will stay and who will go at midterm. The conjecture has taken on special zest since the President hinted in an interview with Marvin Stone in the October 25 U.S. News & World Report that the turnover will be more extensive than observers had hitherto thought.

At the Republican National Committee, the odds-on (about 4 to 1) favorite to succeed Richard Richards as chairman is Paul Laxalt, who would serve in that office while retaining his seat in the Senate, as Bob Dole did, creating a small obstacle that White House savants have already figured out how to clear. After Dole left the RNC chairmanship, the committee passed binding rules requiring future chairmen to be full-time, salaried employees of the RNC. To alter these rules requires plenary convention action. This being the case, Laxalt would be named not chairman, but general chairman. Under him would be a full-time, salaried executive chairman, thus meeting the RNC requirement. It would be Laxalt, though, who would call the important shots.

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The new game in town is called Turnover. Reagan’s turnover. Who will stay and who will go at midterm. The conjecture has taken on special zest since the President hinted in an interview with Marvin Stone in the October 25 U.S. News & World Report that the turnover will be more extensive than observers had hitherto thought.

At the Republican National Committee, the odds-on (about 4 to 1) favorite to succeed Richard Richards as chairman is Paul Laxalt, who would serve in that office while retaining his seat in the Senate, as Bob Dole did, creating a small obstacle that White House savants have already figured out how to clear. After Dole left the RNC chairmanship, the committee passed binding rules requiring future chairmen to be full-time, salaried employees of the RNC. To alter these rules requires plenary convention action. This being the case, Laxalt would be named not chairman, but general chairman. Under him would be a full-time, salaried executive chairman, thus meeting the RNC requirement. It would be Laxalt, though, who would call the important shots.