But now the White House has been left in the position of extending invitations, rather than exercising its clout.
President Leonid Kuchma, however, controls the two main national channels, both still state-owned.Mr Kuchma does not shrink from exercising his clout.
But here they are, quietly and deferentially exercising some clout on the only piece of legislation that absolutely has to pass: the state budget.
After lying low for so long, Mr. DeLay was eager to resume his hard-right ways and start exercising his clout in the high-octane atmosphere of a George W. Bush victory.
"To understand why defects in insolvency detection and resolution persist, analysts must acknowledge that large financial institutions invest in building and exercising political clout," Mr. Kane writes in an article, titled "Defining and Controlling Systemic Risk," that he is scheduled to present next month at a Federal Reserve conference.
THE HAGUE — A little more than a month ago, the European Union got a newly empowered telecommunications regulatory agency with the potential to exercise real clout.
Southern states have exercised their clout in a different way, he said, because they have "provided a much more favorable financing environment for nuclear units".
Accounting for nearly 40 percent of Boehner's conference, the freshmen exercised their clout early and often, imposing their will on the rest of the House Republicans.
If workers don't or can't exercise their clout, there is little pressure on employers to improve their pay, pensions or working conditions.
In recent weeks Starbucks, Google and Amazon have also found themselves at the sharper end of public debate with regards to the amount of tax they pay in this country, and customers have exercised their clout, affecting profits.
