N.C. native has inside track to be FCC chair

[Robbien]

<snip>

Kevin Martin, 38, one of two Republicans remaining on the five-member commission, was nominated by Bush to the FCC in April 2001. Before that, he worked at the White House as a lawyer on telecommunications issues. He was a counsel to the Bush-Cheney 2000 campaign and acted as an observer during the tense ballot recounts in Florida after the 2000 presidential cliffhanger.

One other White House connection: His wife, Catherine, formerly a top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney, now works at the White House with the National Economic Council.

<snip>

But one advantage Martin has is that, as a current member of the FCC, he wouldn't have to be confirmed by the Senate and could take over the agency's reins quickly. Citing Bush administration officials and industry executives, The New York Times said Saturday that Martin and Klein appear to be the two leading contenders for the FCC chairmanship. The Chicago Tribune called Martin the front-runner.

<snip>

At the FCC, Martin has had his run-ins with fellow Republican Powell -- son of outgoing Secretary of State Colin Powell and a chairman whose more imperial, ideological style was controversial. Their most public split came in February 2003, when Martin joined with two Democratic commissioners to defeat Powell's plan to change telephone-rate rules. That episode, which prompted powerful Rep. Billy Tauzin, R-La., to call Martin a "renegade Republican," could hurt his chances if the White House sees it as evidence of too big of an independent streak.

But Martin has been more of a hard-liner than Powell on decency issues -- a record that could make him an attractive choice for social conservatives who voted for Bush because of what they perceived as his commitment to moral values.

http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/10712422.htm?1c

[Moderator]

1. Duplicate topic

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1174330