Norquist wades into RNC race

GOP
advocate Grover Norquist has emerged as a prominent figure in the race for
chairman of the Republican National Committee, exerting his influence over the
candidates as the contest heats up.

Norquist, who heads
Americans for Tax Reform and has been a fixture in the D.C. GOP scene for
nearly three decades, wants the candidates to appeal to a wider group of
Republicans beyond the 168 members of the committee. He also wants to establish
the RNC as a body independent of future elected officials.

{mosads}He has been
effective in having his voice heard, getting candidates to commit to his
requests. Some attribute his involvement to wanting a role in everything the
party does, chalking up his behavior to “Grover being Grover.”

In early
December, Norquist summoned candidates to meet with a group of prominent
conservative activists; five of the top six candidates showed up.

And he’s managed
to get another group of conservatives to reschedule their own forum so he can
host all six candidates in a debate on Jan. 5 in Washington. Nearly half the
members of the committee had scheduled a forum on the same day in Dallas. But
when Norquist refused to reschedule his debate, the Dallas organizers agreed to
hold theirs on Jan. 6 — in Washington.

Norquist insists
his interest in the race is purely for the good of the party.

“I’m not
supporting somebody and I’m not against anybody,” Norquist said in a
recent interview. “I want a national high-profile conversation with 2
million people involved. I don’t want 168 people sitting in a room”
choosing the next chair.

Representatives
for various candidates as well as observers outside the race have largely the
same take on Norquist’s involvement. 

Norquist
“has a unique capability to insert himself into whatever the next big
thing is,” says Republican strategist Rich Galen, a former top aide to
former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.). “It’s just Grover being
Grover.”

“Grover is
one of those guys who likes to flex and get involved in these things,”
agrees Ron Bonjean, a Capitol Hill veteran who operates his own public
relations shop. “He loves to be involved and he wants to be part of the
king-making process.”

But Norquist’s
stated goal dovetails with a growing concern among RNC members. After eight
years of what he says is the RNC being run out of the Bush White House,
Norquist is also intent on creating a party that sees itself as a distinct
entity apart from any elected official.

That’s a common
concern among RNC members, who worry that Washington-based consultants meddle
in too many operations outside the Beltway, and that the party becomes beholden
to whomever occupies the White House. In short, the committee wants autonomy it
has lacked for the past eight years.

“Conservatives
want to reassert themselves,” said Craig Shirley, the Republican
consultant. “They feel like for the last eight years their positions,
pleas and their philosophies have been ignored.”

Norquist calls
his effort part of a broader four-year effort to establish the party separate
from any individual candidate.

“This is
part of a four-years-from-now project, which is to get the party to think of
itself as an institution,” Norquist said. The goal is to inoculate the institution
from particularly corrupt or simply bad elected officials, who wouldn’t be able
to take the whole party with them. 

Norquist, like
other outside groups and major figures, will have little sway over the 168
voting members of the committee, race observers say. Still, his voice is among
the considerations many members are taking.

“I don’t
think he has direct influence, but his opinion is important amongst the
conservative chattering class,” said one candidate for chairman.

The future of the
Republican Party and the future of Norquist are by no means intertwined. But
with the GOP near a nadir, Norquist’s reassertion of his interest with the
party could bolster his own brand as presidential candidates begin considering
their own moves in advance of 2012.