Sherpa (political consultant)

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Sherpa (political consultant) - Wikipedia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A sherpa is an experienced Washington D.C. political consultant brought on to guide an administration's nominee to Senate approval.^[1]

History of the usage

Sherpa is a word taken from the language of the Sherpa, a nomadic people of the Himalayas. It literally means 'people of the East'.^[2] The English word sherpa originally referred to people hired as porters and guides by climbers of the Himalayan Mountains. Sherpas have a long history of helping to navigate difficult mountain terrain. Senate confirmation has been compared to mountain climbing: dangerous and exhausting. Like the Himalayan climbers, nominees need guides "through the obstacle course of interviews and hearings".^[3]

Role

Supreme Court and top Cabinet post nominations have become increasingly partisan and contentious. Nominees for these positions now have designated sherpas with extensive political experience and are reliable.^[4] Sub-cabinet nominees are generally handled by department level political staff.^[5] The role of chief strategist and stage manager, to get someone confirmed, is unpaid, largely out of public view and without official title.^[6] The role has many facets:

Media messenger – shaping the candidate's image, devising strategies to deal with reporters and coordinating calls with key senators^[4]
Traffic cop – everybody wants a bit of time with the nominee^[4]
Liaison with both the Senate and the administration; act as escort for nominee to meet senators and be an adviser for the president^[7]
Coach – what to say and when to say it and how to have proper demeanor:^[5] low profile, suitably humble, deferential, polite and persuasive in answering questions^[6]
Confidant and sounding board^[4]
Counselor^[4] and hand holder^[6]

Notable examples

Tom C. Korologos, who guided some 80 Nixon and two dozen Reagan nominations^[6]

Kelly Ayotte for Justice Neil Gorsuch^[2]
Jon Kyl for Justice Brett Kavanaugh^[2]
Ken Duberstein for Justices David Souter and Clarence Thomas^[4]
Fred D. Thompson and Ed Gillespie for Chief Justice John Roberts^[4]
Michael S. Berman for Justices Stephen Breyer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg^[4]
Doug Jones for Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson^[7]
Cynthia Hogan for Justice Sonia Sotomayor^[8]
Tom Korologos for Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, Chief Justice William Rehnquist, and Justice Antonin Scalia^[6]

References

^ McCutcheon, Chuck; Mark, David (2014-09-02). Dog Whistles, Walk-Backs, and Washington Handshakes: Decoding the Jargon, Slang, and Bluster of American Political Speech. ForeEdge from University Press of New England. ISBN 978-1-61168-657-9. p.25
^ ^a ^b ^c Zimmer, Ben (2018-07-31). "Why Do Supreme Court Nominees Have 'Sherpas'?". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
^ Nerozzi, Timothy (2022-02-18). "What is a Supreme Court 'Sherpa?'". Fox News. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Lee, Christopher (2005-09-09). "Hill Veterans Light the Way for Nominee". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-05-22.
^ ^a ^b Hagedorn, Sara L.; LeMay, Michael C. (2019-06-24). The American Congress: A Reference Handbook. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-4408-6581-7. p. 131
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Greenhouse, Linda; Times, Special To the New York (1986-08-18). "WASHINGTON TALK: WORKING PROFILE; STEERING NOMINEES OVER CAPITOL HILL: TOM C. KOROLOGOS". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-05-25.
^ ^a ^b "Biden taps former Senator Doug Jones as "sherpa" to guide Supreme Court pick". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
^ "Prepping Sotomayor for hearings: Get your game face on - CNN.com". www.cnn.com. Retrieved 2022-05-24.

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Hidden categories:

History of the usage

Role

Notable examples

See also

References