Yeas & Nays: Tuesday, Feb. 13

Jeff Dufour and Patrick Gavin, The Examiner
2007-02-13 08:00:00.0
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Jeff Dufour and Patrick Gavin cover people, power and politics in the beltway each weekday. Email them at yan@dcexaminer.com .

Sen. Schumer’s fictional characters brought to life

Sen. Charles Schumer’s, D-N.Y., new book, “Positively American: Winning Back the Middle-Class Majority One Family at a Time,” uses a fictional couple from Massapequa, N.Y., as a way to illustrate Schumer’s take on various policy issues and the state of middle-class America. So we decided to contact the real Baileys living in Massapequa and see what they think about Schumer and his book.

We were first struck by how few Baileys were either available or willing to talk. One John J. Bailey clearly must not be a fan of New York’s senior senator: “I’m not interested in talking about this.”

But George E. Bailey likes Schumer, admitting both he and his wife voted for Schumer in the last election. Thomas Bailey, on the other hand, isn’t quite sure, telling us he “believes” he voted for Schumer but couldn’t say for sure. Schumer did a decent job picking Massapequa Baileys as “middle class” for his book, as both George and Thomas said that they considered themselves “middle class.”

But, sadly, Schumer’s book hasn’t brought Massapequa Baileys any 15 minutes of fame around town: No one said they have received any additional attention around town as a result of the book’s publication.

Heinz cuts loose before weekend wedding in D.C.

Before his Saturday wedding at St. John’s Episcopal Church Lafayette Square in Washington, Chris Heinz — son of the late Sen. John Heinz and Teresa Heinz Kerry, heir to the Heinz ketchup fortune and almost first stepson of the United States — partied down with his groomsmen in Glover Park.

A Yeas & Nays spy says Heinz and his merry men began their night at Sushi-Ko before making the requisite stops at the neighborhood’s two “gentlemen’s clubs” — JP’s and Good Guys.

The group also ducked into that dive to end all dives, the Grog and Tankard, before a limo whisked them all back to the Four Seasons.

At the actual wedding, a family friend who was among the attendees tells Yeas & Nays that Sen. John Kerry rocked out on the guitar for versions of “Johnny B. Good” and “Ring of Fire.” But Kerry was upstaged by Blink 182’s Tom DeLong, a friend of Heinz, who laid down a nasty solo of his own. In the audience, Sen. Ted Kennedy was surely grooving to the music.

In other celebrity news, actor Robert Duvall and his wife, Argentine actress Luciana Pedraza, were spotted in the Acela lounge at Union Station on Sunday morning. The pair make their home in Virginia’s horse country. Duvall, in blue jeans and a baseball cap, was getting his own coffee at 9 a.m.

Finally, Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Byron Leftwich was spotted at Posh on Saturday night. Leftwich, who attended H.D. Woodson High and grew up a Redskins fan, has been the subject of rumors he might be coming to Landover next season. If he can party here, he can play here, we say.

House aide hangs it up after four decades

It’s common in Washington to refer to “longtime” aides to politicians. But this time, we really mean it.

Doug Gregory is retiring from the office of Rep. C.W. Bill Young, R-Fla., after 39 years of service to the congressman.

As first reported by the St. Petersburg Times’ “Buzz” blog, Gregory is going to join the firm of Van Scoyoc Associates as a lobbyist.

He’ll have plenty of experience to fall back on. The 58-year-old Gregory has been with Young for all of his 18-plus terms in Congress.

He was chief of staff for 24 years before moving to House Appropriations Committee, which Young chaired.

Gregory told the blog he expects the 76-year-old Young to stick around in Congress for many more years.

Bono goes one for four in Grammy picks

Rep. Mary Bono, R-Calif., should know a thing or two about music. After all, she co-chairs the Recording Arts and Sciences Congressional Caucus and was married to the late musician-turned-congressman, Sonny Bono. And of course, who doesn’t think of that U2 frontman when they say her last name?

But she didn’t fare so well in her Grammy predictions, which she gave to Yeas & Nays before Sunday’s awards ceremony in Los Angeles.

Album of the Year: Bono picked Gnarls Barkley’s “St. Elsewhere.” The Grammy went to the Dixie Chicks for “Taking the Long Way.”

Song of the Year: Bono went with James Blunt’s “You’re Beautiful.” The Grammy went to the Dixie Chicks for “Not Ready To Make Nice.”

Best Rock Album: Bono went with Tom Petty’s “Highway Companion.” The Grammy went to the Red Hot Chili Peppers for “Stadium Arcadium.”

But Bono struck gold in the “Best New Artist” category, correctly predicting that Carrie Underwood would win.

Life imitates art

Where’s Nick Naylor when you need him?

The protagonist (or is it antagonist? Or just lobbyist?) of “Thank You for Smoking” would have been right at home at the JW Marriott Monday as the American Medical Association and Mississippi State University held a news conference to release a survey that shows the majority of adults support an R-rating for future movies that show smoking.

You’ll recall that in the book by Christopher Buckley and the movie starring Aaron Eckhart, Naylor travels to Los Angeles in order to get more smoking placed in feature films.

Honest Abe still packs ’em in, 198 years later

President Bush welcomed a VIP list of guests to the White House Sunday night to mark Ford’s Theatre’s celebration of President Lincoln’s 198th birthday.

The president hosted gospel singer Yolanda Adams, National Journal Chairman David Bradley, GE CEO Jeffrey Immelt, Capitals owner Ted Leonsis, Marriott CEO Bill Marriott, Redskins owner Dan Snyder, ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson and the usual assortment of congressional and Cabinet leaders.

While an orchestra culled from the ranks of the Marine band played, the group dined on Dover sole with polenta crust and saffron broth, a medallion of veal with wild morel mushroom fricassee, a salad of greens and cucumbers with pistachio dressings and “Abe Lincoln Election Cake,” a warm blueberry-vanilla confection.

Speakeasy

“Yes, but only with bottled water — it’s Hollywood.”

– Joel Surnow, co-creator of “24,” responding to a question in The New Yorker about whether he’d use waterboarding on the show.