Tom Cole’s Survivor Story
From article: It’s a survivor’s story that Boehner can appreciate after his own ups and downs. And one that captures Cole: the old-school party man with a gift for history and an optimism that things can get better — within limits.
Tom Cole’s bullish budget reality
By David Rogers, Politico
Rep. Tom Cole’s adopted role in the Republican House is the friendly uncle sent out to smoke a cigar and explain to the neighbors what all the noise is about in the basement.
It’s a part the 64-year-old Oklahoma lawmaker plays easily. And after a lifetime in politics, Cole’s gift for the seasoned quote is catnip for reporters off the floor of the House, much as Leon Panetta did for Democrats as a young California congressman in the 1980s.
For sure, there are risks: Cole’s growing clips in the liberal, upscale New York press are resented on the right. But he also helped the conservative cause by smoothing the edges of the government shutdown and debt ceiling fights. And if it’s easy now for the White House to diss Congress, it will be harder to do the same to Cole, an important arbiter in upcoming budget talks.
“He is not someone who just talks in headlines. He sees history. He has context,” said Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.). “He can have a good conversation about options. He gets a pretty quick read, and you’ll get that smile out of him with a quick informed assessment.”