Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, September 6, 1994 TAG: 9409060077
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By BRIAN KELLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: ABINGDON LENGTH: Medium
Meanwhile, about 80 Republicans gathered beneath a picnic pavilion in the rain near Bristol and hurrahed challenger Steve Fast's claim that an early 9th District poll shows him leading Boucher. Fast said the state Republican Party conducted the phone survey, which showed many voters undecided.
Boucher launched his bid for a seventh term with a strong defense of President Clinton, who he said had the most successful first year in office since Lyndon Johnson 30 years ago.
Boucher cited the Family and Medical Leave Act, the so-called motor voter act to ease voter registration, and the "only serious effort at deficit reduction that we've seen in decades" as Clinton's first-year accomplishments.
The overflow crowd - Boucher said more than 1,000 attended the three-hour rally; at least 500 stayed for the speeches - gave the Abingdon Democrat a standing ovation when he said Clinton's deficit-reduction measure has stimulated the economy and led to the creation of 4 million new jobs.
Boucher did not shy away from linking himself with the unpopular president, who is viewed as a political liability in some congressional districts across the nation.
Boucher pledged to continue working for economic development for the region, for expanded educational opportunities and for health care reform.
He urged his supporters gathered at the Abingdon 4-H Center to display his campaign's bumper stickers and signs. "Those signs have been wind tested to 75 mph, and that means they can withstand all the hot air the Republicans blow out this fall," he joked.
The two other big-name Democrats on the schedule, Robb and Lt. Gov. Don Beyer, didn't show up - Robb, because he was in Newport News receiving a crucial endorsement from Rep. Robert Scott, and Beyer because of illness. Instead, Lynda Robb, the senator's wife, and Mark Warner, the state Democratic chairman, made strong pitches for the incumbent senator and against GOP candidate Oliver North.
The "Acres of Democrats" rally goes back to 1960, when 76-year-old former President Harry Truman made one of his 13 speeches in nine states to help John Kennedy defeat Richard Nixon.
Boucher, now 48, attended that rally as a teen-ager.
For Fast, the small gathering beside Beaver Creek at Sugar Hollow Park near Bristol gave him a chance to stress key campaign themes and personally thank just about everyone there for showing up.
Standing on the bench of a picnic table, the 6-foot-4-inch Fast reached the rafters of the pavilion as he outlined his platform of working for a tax cut for families, against further cuts in defense spending, for "real crime control" and against taxpayer funding of abortions.
Fast, 33, is making his first run for elected office against a Democrat who hasn't had a close call on Election Day in a decade.
"We don't have to match Mr. Boucher's spending, we don't have to have the hundreds of thousands of dollars from special-interest groups. We have the hearts of the people; we share their principles; we share their concerns," Fast said.
Delores Childress drove two hours from Grundy to hear the speech. "He is a fine Christian man," she said. "I'm looking out for the morals of my country" in supporting Fast.
Robert Fleenor of Bristol said he supports the father of four boys "because he's a family man, because he believes in things that make the family strong, as opposed to Rick Boucher."
Fast picked up on that theme in repeating his criticism of Boucher's vote last year for Clinton's deficit-reduction package.
"We've had it with a congressman with no dependents who makes over $130,000 a year telling us that we don't understand a tax increase and that it's really not that much of a big deal," Fast said.
"When Bill Clinton looks out into the next Congress, he's not going to see Chuck Robb and Rick Boucher smiling back at him; he's going to be staring into the faces of Oliver North and Steve Fast," the Bluefield College assistant
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB