
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, April 7, 1994                   TAG: 9404080017
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

NORTH CAMPAIGN

SUPPORTERS of Republican senatorial candidate Oliver North - he of the practiced gaze of pained martyrdom - don't come across as a crowd with a particularly swell sense of humor.

But if they're not laughing, what is their reaction to the North camp's recent characterization of them as "snake-handling fundamentalists"?

Thus did a North campaign strategist describe them in the March 28 issue of Newsweek: "There are going to be 10,000 snake-handling fundamentalists" at the Virginia GOP convention in June, he said, and "they're not going to vote for a guy [North's opponent, Jim Miller] from the Office of Management and Budget."

Perhaps the North aide was speaking in tongues. More likely it was just the glib jive of a campaign war room. Give the guy a break; we have enough enforcement of politically correct speech as it is.

Even so, some of North's supporters who are not snake-handling fundamentalists may be offended. The characterization doesn't instill confidence that their interest is good government. Nor does it do much for the image of Virginia's Republican Party.

For that matter, why wouldn't snake-handling fundamentalists vote for a guy from the Office of Management and Budget?

Keywords:
POLITICS

by CNB