Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 3, 1994 TAG: 9411030115
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ALEC KLEIN, MARGARET EDDS AND DAVID M. POOLE STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
"Let me be really emphatic," North said in a news conference in Washington, D.C. "I'm on record as saying I will never vote to increase your taxes or my pay while I'm your senator."
Democratic Sen. Charles Robb, who has said repeatedly that no option should be ruled out when attempting to reduce the federal deficit, said later that North was just pandering.
"That's precisely the kind of statement designed to curry favor with voters," Robb said while campaigning near Fredericksburg.
Independent candidate Marshall Coleman declined to take a categorical position on taxes because, he said, it is impossible to foresee what will happen over the next six years.
Coleman said he would work to reduce taxes, and on Wednesday he unveiled a plan to give families a $500 tax deduction for each child. Coleman claimed the plan would pay for itself through the "trickle-down" process of economic growth, which would generate additional taxes.
North, though, was all but absolute.
"I guess I ought to make one exception: If this country is in a state of war and we need those resources ... that would obviate my pledge," he said.
Asked by reporters what he would do if a Republican president asked for a tax increase, North said: "Well, I'll tell you something: I'm not going to vote for it."
The Republican also criticized Robb as an ineffective slacker in the Senate, saying the Democrat has steered only five bills through Congress in six years, including a commemorative measure honoring ham-radio operators.
Robb responded with a lengthy list of legislation he either sponsored or helped to pass. His list included at least five bills North did not list.
Most of the legislative accomplishments Robb cited are amendments to defense and other bills, including legislation benefiting Virginia shipbuilders and defense installations.
"It demonstrates once again how little he understands about the legislative process," Robb said, explaining that senior senators who are committee chairmen tend to sponsor most important bills.
Robb began his Wednesday campaigning by reading "This is My Friend" aloud to 18 kindergarten students at Featherstone Elementary School in Woodbridge.
The rest of the afternoon was what the incumbent called a "momentary disconnect."
Robb was booted from the foyer of a General Motors powertrain plant outside of Fredericksburg because he did not have proper company authorization. He later found few hands to shake when he turned up nearly an hour late for the shift change at the factory gate.
Robb wound up his day with a rally outside the state Capitol. About 100 Richmond-area supporters attended.
Joining Robb on the podium were former Democratic Govs. Gerald Baliles and Douglas Wilder, Lt. Gov. Don Beyer and Rep. Robert C. Scott, D-Newport News.
Robb likened North to a "slick job applicant that walks into your office with shiny shoes, good looks and knows all the answers."
"But before you hire him, check his references," said Robb, noting that many with whom North once worked in the White House, including former President Reagan and Nancy Reagan, publicly have questioned North's honesty.
Coleman made stops in Charlottesville, Lynchburg and Bedford on Wednesday, confronted at every step by reporters asking if he thought he had a chance to be more than a spoiler in the three-way race.
Voters "do not have to accept the lesser of two evils," he said in Charlottesville. ``With one vote, you can say, `No to North, no to Robb and slow down Clinton.'''
The Associated Press and staff writer Warren Fiske contributed to this story.
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB