Freshman GOP congressman has fans on both sides of aisle

WASHINGTON — On March 3, 2005, one of the newest members of Congress took the floor of the House, and was given 60 minutes to speak.

Dave Reichert, the freshman Republican from Auburn, used them all.

"My first address is on a very serious note, but I think it is a necessary one for us to talk about because it affects and impacts the young women and children in our community. It is the future of our country," Reichert began.

The subject? The infamous Green River killer.

The former King County sheriff not only detailed the 19-year case that made him famous but also addressed domestic violence, alcohol abuse and the history of the Rolodex.

"Sometimes it takes me almost three hours to go through this, but I have only an hour, so you will get a brief overview of this case," Reichert warned, as his sparse audience slipped away.

As painful as it was to deliver — and to watch — there was a reason for this exercise.

Reichert and his staff had decided that he needed to face his first floor speech by talking about something he knew well.

He wandered and stumbled, but survived.

That first speech is emblematic of how Reichert, a nervous and novice lawmaker, has dragged himself up a steep learning curve, prodded by a loyal staff, and emerged as one of the GOP members to watch in Congress.

His is a coming-of-age story in D.C., featuring mistakes, small victories and old-fashioned grit.

He's attracted fans on the Hill in both parties. "Dave reached out to us in the minority, and he treats us with respect," said Rep. Bill Pascarell, D-N.J.

Far from perfect, but a perfect gentleman, his admirers say.

In the face of a tough re-election fight against newcomer Democrat Darcy Burner, that may not be enough. His detractors portray him as in lockstep with an unpopular president. They say he's voted against his district's interests and thrown away chances to make a difference.

Reichert, attempting to balance the divergent interests of voters at home and GOP leaders in D.C., points to his anti-administration positions as acts of courage.

But many Democrats say they are just an act.

Late finding his "voice"

Reichert, 55, arrived in Congress in January last year as the 8th District winner against radio talk-show host Dave Ross.

Tall, with a strong resemblance to actor Leslie Nielsen, his demeanor reflected "suave" and "aw, shucks" simultaneously. Capitol Hill papers called him a potential star.

"He's right out of central casting," Peter King, R-N.Y, said.

But Reichert's shiny finish began wearing off almost as soon as he was sworn in.

He was late setting up his office, and finding advisers and issues — not to mention his "voice." He religiously attended the weekly GOP caucus meetings but kept his mouth shut.

Reichert landed good committee assignments: Transportation, Homeland Security and Science.

But GOP aides said that was partly to place him near strong leaders who would keep him on course.

One of Reichert's first votes supported controversial changes to House Ethics Committee rules that gutted the panel's ability to investigate members, including then-Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, who had given Reichert's campaign $20,000.

The rules were quickly reversed in the wake of public outrage, but Reichert kept the money.

In March 2005, though, Reichert made the first of several decisions that bucked his leadership. He voted against a bill aimed at keeping Terri Schiavo, a severely brain-damaged Florida woman, alive through tube feeding. The legislation was pushed by GOP leaders, but he cited his family's decision to let his grandmother die with dignity.

"Congress overstepped itself here," he said.

He also began talking at the GOP caucus. He waited so long, he explained, because he is basically a cop. "Law-enforcement people listen first. Then they ask questions. Then they speak," he said.

Then Reichert turned on the charm. After an emergency evacuation of Congress in May last year, he spotted a pink shoe in a corridor.

The owner turned out to be Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California, who had lost her slipper in the frenzy. The photos of Reichert on his knees with her shoe, playing Prince Charming to Pelosi's Cinderella, made national TV.

Crossing the aisle

At House hearings, members usually don't stay for the entire sessions. They have little time to read reports beforehand, often ask grandstanding questions and then skip out.

Not Reichert.

"There was always one guy you could count on in these hearings, sitting there start to finish, and taking notes," said King, the New York congressman and chair of the House Homeland Security Committee.

Reichert also learned a bit about backroom politics.

Carefully and quietly, he supported King in the contest for chairman of the Homeland Security Committee last summer.

King won and made Reichert the first freshman in the 109th Congress with his own subcommittee chairmanship — the Emergency Preparedness panel.

Certain events have helped paint Reichert as bipartisan. When the Veterans Administration came up short of money last July, Reichert proposed that the Washington delegation sign a joint letter to the VA about the problem.

He crossed the aisle into the Democratic cloakroom to ask longtime Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Bremerton, to read his letter, make suggestions and sign it. Politesse matters and, Dicks said, "Dave was pretty smart."

As Reichert left the cloakroom, he said he heard another Democrat whisper, "Isn't that the SOB who found Pelosi's shoe?"

"I just turned towards him," Reichert said, "and I smiled."

But is he really bipartisan? Portland Congressman Earl Blumenauer, a Democrat who sits on the Transportation Committee with Reichert, thinks not. He says Reichert has missed opportunities to help the Northwest in the name of GOP unity.

Last year, for example, Reichert voted against an amendment to restore critical funding to Amtrak. "The Cascades service is crucial to our region," Blumenauer said. "I was shocked that a guy from this area would vote against this."

Blumenauer noted that Reichert's district is somewhat progressive, but Reichert voted against funding for stem-cell research. "Even putting aside the moral imperative, look at the economic possibilities for the research firms in his area," Blumenauer said.

For Reichert's part, he acknowledged in a recent speech that he has on occasion voted with the GOP because of pressure to preserve a Republican majority.

That's not the sort of admission the Democrats will ignore.

"Way out of step"

Reichert, who ran in 2004 as a conservative, was named this year one of the few congressional "centrists" by the National Journal magazine in its annual vote analysis.

He voted 45 percent "liberal" and 55 percent "conservative," the Journal reported.

He "boldly defied President Bush and GOP leaders last year," Reichert's own press release boasted.

But both Vice President Dick Cheney and, just this month, President Bush have visited the state to raise money on his behalf.

Reichert also has taken positions on social issues that Karen Cooper, ProChoice Washington's state executive director, said are "way out of step with his district." In one case, she said, Reichert opposed a bill to allow women in the military to get abortions in U.S. hospitals, even if they pay for the procedure themselves.

Still, there are Reichert fans among Democrats. Pascarell, the ranking member of Reichert's Homeland Security subcommittee, thinks Reichert is terrific. "Good to work with, and he's trustworthy," Pascarell said.

In March, Reichert charmed one of the toughest Democrats in Congress, Jane Harman of California. He was chairing a hearing, but many Democrats had to leave for a floor vote.

"It's part of the gamesmanship to keep the other side from asking questions by shutting off a hearing if they don't have members available to speak," said Mike Shields, Reichert's chief of staff.

Harman was waiting for Dicks or Pascarell to return before she left to vote.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Harman," Reichert told her. "I'll keep the hearing open for you."

Surprised, Harman patted him on the shoulder. "You're such a nice guy," she said.

There have been missteps, Reichert acknowledges. He says he should have handled an amendment to pay for his beloved law-enforcement grants differently last year.

He went to the floor and demanded funding, angering fellow Republican Frank Wolf of Virginia. Wolf torpedoed Reichert's request in minutes.

"This year, I'm working with Congressman Wolf in advance, and by the time I go to the floor, it will be to talk about the consensus," Reichert said. "I have learned."

Well, on some levels.

Last month, Reichert spoke before the state GOP convention in Yakima, and again the Green River killer came up.

A pro-Reichert blogger, Orbusmax, critiqued the moment.

"I have hard time following him when he speaks ... ," the blogger wrote. "He mixed and mingled three stories of WTO rioting, riding with Ron Sims in the town car, and chasing down crooks that got filmed on TV.

"Sometimes I can't figure out what his point is."

Alicia Mundy: 202-662-7457 or amundy@seattletimes.com