Richard Gephardt

Why He Matters

A staunch ally of organized labor with three decades of congressional experience, 'Dick' Gephardt supported then-Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) in the 2008 Democratic presidential primaries. But many of his former staffers are working for President Obama and the new president is likely to seek the counsel of this old Washington hand.

Gephardt is currently employed as a high-powered lobbyist, representing The Republic of Turkey among other interests, and many think he'd be hesitant to give up the lucrative private sector. If Gephardt was to join the administration he would be surrounded by many of his former aides who began working with Obama during his campaign, including campaign manager David Plouffe,spokesman Bill Burton and media consultant Erik Smith along with several others.O'Connor, Patrick, "Six Degrees of ... Dick Gephardt?" Politico, July 24, 2008

Prior to Obama choosing Joseph R. Biden as his vice president, Gephardt’s name was floated as a possible choice—by Republicans, at least. “Gephardt is the one we're most afraid of," said one key GOP strategist."GOP Envisions Gephardt as Possible Obama Running Mate," U.S. News and World Report, July 1, 2008

Path to Power

As the son of a Teamster milkman and a secretary, it’s no surprise that Gephardt went on to become such a stalwart in the labor movement. The Missouri Democrat grew up in the all-white suburbs of St. Louis, Mo., and migrated north to Evanston, Ill., to attend Northwestern University. After graduating with a degree in speech in 1962, Gephardt went further north to the University of Michigan Law School, and graduated with a J.D. in 1965.

The Missouri boy then returned home and took a job at a St. Louis law firm while also beginning his political career, which saw him rise from Democratic precinct captain to city alderman in just a few years. In 1976, after deciding to run for mayor of St. Louis, Gephardt learned that then-Rep. Leonor K. Sullivan (D-Mo.) would retire from her 3rd district House seat. So he switched gears and entered the Congressional race in hopes of moving to Washington, D.C.

In 1977 he did just that, and once in Washington, Gephardt rose rapidly, quickly gaining seats on the potent House Ways and Means and Budget committees. Despite the D next to his name, Gephardt had a conservative streak, proposing Constitutional amendments to ban abortion except in the case of the life of the mother and  to outlaw court-ordered busing, and taking several opportunities to break with Democrats and the titular head of the party, President Jimmy Carter. But his independence never permanently distanced him from the his fellow Democrats. In 1984 Gephardt was named chairman of both the Democratic Caucus and the centrist Democratic Leadership Council.“With Second Presidential Bid Comes Personal Touch for Gephardt,” Boston Globe, October, 19, 2003, LEXIS NEXIS

In 1988 Gephardt attempted to make the difficult leap from Representative to President. His first step was moving to the left, causing some to label him a flip-flopper, especially on the issue of abortion, which he came to support in 1986. "I've had an evolution and a journey, through my wife so that I came to a different conclusion than I once had, and I think for valid reasons," he said. But his leftward shift wasn't enough to win him the party's nomination. Nicknamed "RoboCandidate" for his notoriously stiff and unnatural demeanor, Gephardt finished fourth in the Democratic primary.“With Second Presidential Bid Comes Personal Touch for Gephardt,” Boston Globe, October, 19, 2003

Despite his loss, Gephardt returned to Congress the following year as strong as ever. In 1989, he was elected House majority leader and five years later, when Republicans took over the House, ascended to Democrats’ top post as minority leader. Despite aggressive drives to retake the House majority – including the stirrings of an ultimately successful strategy to recruit more conservative Democrats tailored to their districts rather than the national party — Gephardt never made it to the post of House Speaker. His hardest push to become Speaker occurred in 1999 when Gephardt devoted seemingly all of his time to a Democratic takeover. When he wasn’t campaigning for other candidates, he was recruiting new ones, and trying to unite them under an unabashedly partisan agenda. After years of leading the minority, the importance of being in the majority was clearer than ever. "Every conversation with Dick starts and ends with regaining control of the House," said one Gephardt aide at the time.Grunwald, Michael, "Gephardt Works Tirelessly to take back the House," The Washington Post, July 12, 1999

In 2004 Gephardt ran for president again. This time the Congressman shed the uptight image he'd become known for, regularly relating the tale of his son, who nearly died at birth, when talking about health care and his lesbian daughter when talking about civil unions. But again, he was unsuccessful, dropping out after a fourth place finish in the Iowa caucuses. "Life will go on because this campaign was never about me,” Gephardt told his supporters.From CNN.com's 2004 election coverage, January 19, 2004   

In 2004, Gephardt decided not to return to the House following his failed presidential bid. Instead, he retired in January 2005 after three decades in Congress and became a lobbyist. In this time working for lobbying firm DLA Piper, Gephardt has lobbied mostly for The Republic of Turkey, which began paying the lobbying firm $1.2 million in March 2007 for its services.Thompson, Marilyn W., "An Ex-leader in Congress is now Turkey's Man in the Lobbies of Capitol Hill," The New York Times, October 17, 2007

The Issues

Over the course of his career, Gephardt’s political views shifted considerably leftward. In 1987, as he prepared to run for president, he distanced himself from his previous support for a constitutional amendment banning abortion. In 2001, Gephardt opposed George W. Bush’s tax cuts, 20 years after he voted for similar cuts under President Ronald Reagan.

When Gephardt’s name was floated as a possible number-two for Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign, it was because of his economic populism, strong ties to labor and his appeal to the type of working-class white men with whom Obama was having trouble making inroads.Linkins, Jason, "Bill Kristol Predicts Obama Veep as ... Dick Gephardt?" The Huffington Post, May 11, 2008

The Network

A presence in Washington, D.C., for more than 30 years, Gephardt has made alliances with countless politicians. Among the strongest is his tie to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, whose campaign he supported in the 2008 presidential primaries. He’s also close to many of his former aides who now work for Obama, including David Plouffe and Bill Burton, Jeff Berman, who ran delegate strategy, Matt Rodriguez, Obama’s Western regional director. Erik Smith, John Del Cecato, and Cassandra Butts, who all consulted for Obama on the 2008 race.

In 1999, Gephardt and Al Gore, who had battled for the presidential nomination in 1988, strengthened their political alliance with Gephardt campaigning hard for Gore in his attempt to win the presidency and Gore declaring that "No one wants Dick Gephardt to be Speaker more than I do."Carney, James and Tumulty, Karen, "The Al and Dick Show," TIME Magazine, February 8, 1999

Gephardt has also brought his two children, Matthew and Christy, to Washington, D.C., opening up Gephardt Group, a consultancy, with them.Birnbaum, Jeffrey H., "For Gephardt, a New Career in Lobbying — and a Lot More," The Washington Post, July 31, 2007