Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 21, 1990 TAG: 9003212437
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Margie Fisher Richmond Bureau
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Speaking at a National Press Club luncheon in Washington, D.C., Wilder said the type of "New Mainstream" coalition he built to become the nation's first black elected governor is the key to returning a Democrat to the White House.
"In presidential elections, our candidates must take the plunge into the waters of America's New Mainstream. . . . Not surprisingly, fiscal responsibility is one of the strongest mainstream values. And yet, unfortunately, not everyone shares that value."
Wilder said the nation "can ill afford the continuing federal savings-and-loan scandal; we can ill afford continuing irresponsible federal budget practices; and we can ill afford the false hope that we can somehow build a more competitive America on a mountain of debt."
The American people, he said, are fed up with the "me" and "mine" attitudes which dominated many aspects of society and culture during the past two decades.
Quoting the late President John Kennedy's statement, "Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country," Wilder said, "The people of America's New Mainstream are prepared to pick up the gauntlet. For they know that America's richness belongs not to a few but to all; and that to preserve that bounty for the next generation, we must practice fiscal responsibility."
Wilder also again called for Democratic Party unity in presidential campaigns. "For too long in our party, `primary season' has been synonymous with `open season' - on each other," he said. "When the smoke clears, we are left with a bloodied candidate."
Wilder said, "There was a time when Democrats were elected by campaigning against big government and high taxes. But for too long, we have let the other party take these issues away from us - indeed, we have allowed them to hammer us with these issues. And yet, in Virginia, in recent weeks we've managed to turn that perception on its head."
Wilder boasted that since he took office in January, he has not only dealt with a revenue shortfall but also won approval from the General Assembly of a $200 million "rainy day" fund and repeal, effective in 1992, of the "regressive" sales tax on non-prescription drugs.
In the battle against crime and drugs, Wilder mentioned his sponsorship of an upcoming "anti-drug summit" meeting for law enforcement professionals in Richmond next month.
Some were also surprised when he claimed he had "championed legislation for criminal background checks for would-be buyers of automatic weapons" in 1989.
Wilder, who was lieutenant governor at the time, was not a recognized leader in the fight for passage of that gun-control legislation, which was sponsored by Sen. Moody "Sonny" Stallings, D-Virginia Beach.
Stallings, reached at his office following Wilder's speech Tuesday, said he knew that Wilder had supported his bill, but Stallings was not aware that Wilder had worked actively for its passage. "He may have worked behind the scenes to help me with it. I'm really not sure. I'll defer to his memory of what he did," Stallings said.
In the question-and-answer period at the press club luncheon, Wilder was asked about possible intentions to seek the presidency in 1992. He would only say that Democrats "have a plethora of good people who would be able to run and to win. . . . I will be actively working to support the candidacies of those persons, in my judgment, who could capture the imaginations of America's mainstream."
Wilder strongly implied that he does not think the Rev. Jesse Jackson fits that bill because Jackson has not shown he can appeal to "mainstream values."
The press club audience posed several questions to Wilder on issues ranging from integration of Virginia Military Institute's all-male student body to proposed statehood for the District of Columbia.
In virtually every case, Wilder nimbly avoided giving a definitive answer.
Twice he declined to state his personal views on the question of admitting women to VMI. The matter is before the courts, and the governor said his opinion is irrelevant.
Wilder got a laugh when he said, "it's almost synonymous to the question some would ask as to whether Christ was happy on the cross: What difference, really, did it make?"
by CNB