Hawkings Here (Roll Call):

Whether Scalise can totally shed the taint from the incident won’t be known for several months. That will be determined in large part by potential congressional candidates and big-money donors, when they start either accepting or spurning his entreaties in the opening rounds of the 2016 campaign. But, almost as much, his long-term future as a GOP power player will be settled by the Democrats, when they decide for how long and how intently they are going to wield the incident as a weapon against the Republicans.

And it’s on that front that Republicans have a singular opportunity not only to put the Scalise contretemps to rest, but also to enhance their appeal to black voters — all while making some substantial and overdue alterations to domestic policy.

The vehicle for this potential double reversal of fortune is bipartisan legislation, in limbo now for almost a year, to revamp the Voting Rights Act.

If the majority whip were to announce that securing enactment of such a bill had been added to the roster of top GOP legislative priorities — and that he would personally serve as chief shepherd of the necessary deal-making — that would be a supremely significant step, for reasons both symbolic and substantive.