A Tough Fight Ahead as Republicans Work To Keep Control of the House nytimes.com
On your #1 favorite topic of term limits, Michael, I thought you might enjoy this piece. I know, it's all liberal media spin, or WH disinformation, or something. You'll believe it when Drudge reports it, right?
House Republicans, desperate to save their slim congressional majority in the elections two years away, are urging the Republicans who promised to limit their terms until 2000 to renege on their pledges and seek re-election anyway.
There are nine House Republicans who pledged that 1998 would be their last elections. Six of those are expected to retire. Republican leaders, who never supported such term limits, want the remaining three to run for re-election on the well-founded theory that incumbents tend to win re-election -- though that could be sorely tested if they break such a high-profile promise to voters.
The three are Reps. Tillie Fowler of Florida, Scott McInnis of Colorado and George Nethercutt of Washington.
"We're going to encourage them to back out of pledge," said a top Republican aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Keeping these three members is part of a wider strategy by Republicans to hold on to every seat they can. They also are trying to convince some Democrats to switch parties, although an initial sweep of a handful of potential defectors has come up empty. . . .
"People think term limits are a good idea," said Mark Mellman, a Democratic pollster. "But as an issue, it doesn't have the juice, it's not as compelling as it was."
This will not keep challengers from trying to use the issue against those who break their pledges. Paul Jacob, president of the U.S. Term Limits Foundation, said his group planned to spend $20 million in 2000, twice what it spent in 1998.
Jacob said that Republican leaders are so obsessed with incumbency that they do not realize that the party probably could keep many of the seats held by term-limited incumbents.
"They think the advantages of incumbency will outweigh the backlash from the public when they lie," Jacob said. "But the Republicans will be sending a message nationally, to independent voters, to Reagan Democrats and to their base that all the reasons you voted for them, they have turned against. This is shooting themselves in the head."
All part of the political integrity Republicans are so famous for, I say. I'm sure you'll have an idealistic interpretation of this story. It's all entertainment to me. |
