Moorhead Overlooked but Unbowed : Congress: Longtime lawmaker’s amiable nature cost him key committee leadership.

In Newt Gingrich’s eyes, Rep. Carlos Moorhead was just too nice a guy.

And even though Moorhead’s gentle, congenial nature cost him the chairmanship of a key congressional committee, it’s one thing he won’t give up. Ever the good foot soldier, the get-along guy refuses to bad mouth Gingrich (R-Ga.), the incoming House Speaker who decided that despite 22 years in Congress’ minority party, Moorhead wasn’t aggressive enough to be one of the top power brokers in a new Republican era.

As for his shortcomings in the eyes of Gingrich, Moorhead said, “I just don’t want to be a mean person.”

Moorhead has been on an emotional roller coaster since the Nov. 8 election.

That day, Moorhead won his 12th term at age 72, and a Republican wave swept the nation, giving the GOP control of the House of Representatives for the first time in 40 years. Moorhead would be part of the in crowd after laboring for decades in a House dominated by Democrats.

As the ranking Republican on the Energy and Commerce Committee, Moorhead was in line to be appointed chairman, with the power to steer debate on a broad range of business, health, environment and technology issues. Moorhead also was the ranking Republican on the House Judiciary Committee but had agreed to forgo the chairmanship of that committee because he was more interested in Energy and Commerce.

But the hard-nosed Gingrich was dealing the cards and the time-honored seniority system of appointing committee chairmen went out the window as it has on occasion over the years.

Gingrich told Moorhead he would have to be satisfied with a chairmanship of a judiciary subcommittee on intellectual property, which handles copyright issues.

“I think mine is a little different style perhaps than what Mr. Gingrich is looking for,” said Moorhead, who is known for encouraging bipartisan cooperation.

Nevertheless, Moorhead said he is satisfied with the subcommittee chairmanship, which will enable him to influence copyright issues, an important topic in Los Angeles.

“I’m not going to tell you I think I shouldn’t have had it (the committee chairmanship), because I do,” said Moorhead, whose district includes Pasadena, Glendale and Burbank. “But there is something to be said for the new leadership of the Republican Party.”

Only the election in 1996 will tell what kind of damage the intraparty jostling will have on Moorhead’s political future should he decide to seek a 13th term.

“The way it was handled didn’t have anything to do with his ability or record,” said political scientist Larry Berg of USC.

Moorhead, who has a reputation as a staunchly conservative, hard-working but dull politician, was first elected to the state Assembly in 1966. He won two more terms in the Assembly before winning a seat in Congress in 1972 at the age of 50.

He first made a name for himself as a member of the House Judiciary Committee in 1974. He was part of a minority voting against the first article of impeachment against former President Richard M. Nixon.

One of the last-ditch defenders of Nixon, Moorhead admitted after the President resigned that the evidence against him was damning.

The lawmaker has backed one conservative cause after another over the years.

In 1983, he was targeted for defeat by the National Organization for Women because he voted against an attempt to revive the Equal Rights Amendment.

He voted for aid to the Contras in Nicaragua and was a strong backer of the “Star Wars” Strategic Defense Initiative.

More recently, Moorhead voted against the Clinton Administration crime bill, which included a ban on assault rifles. He also opposed President Clinton’s proposal to have employers pay for employees’ health insurance.

As a result, Moorhead consistently draws rave reviews from conservative interest groups, while receiving failing grades from liberal groups.

But Moorhead generally avoids the spotlight in favor of spending a lot of time on committee assignments on technical issues. His tendency to be a low-key lawmaker has cost him points with his own party over the years.

Two years ago, Moorhead survived a challenge by Rep. Thomas J. Bliley Jr. (R-Va.) to assume the coveted position of the ranking Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Moorhead was next in line to succeed retiring Rep. Norman R. Lent (R-N.Y.), but Bliley portrayed himself as a stronger leader.

Gingrich now has chosen Bliley over Moorhead to chair the committee.

None of that matters now, Moorhead said. He is looking forward to supporting the “Republican Contract with America” when Congress reconvenes. The contract, drafted by Gingrich, urges passage of a balanced-budget amendment, term limits for members of Congress, welfare reform and tax-reduction measures.

“The Republican Party has a big job to do,” Moorhead said.