Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, November 12, 1994 TAG: 9411140079
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: 3A EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: NEWSDAY
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
``On everything on which we can find agreement, I will cooperate,'' Gingrich said in his first address since the election Tuesday that swept Democrats from control of both houses of Congress for the first time in 40 years. ``On those things that are at the core of our philosophy, on those things where we believe we represent the vast majority of Americans, there will be no compromise. So let me draw the distinction: cooperation, yes; compromise, no.''
The speech - marked by sharp humor about the welfare state and ``countercultural'' Democrats, historical allusions to the Revolutionary War and apocalyptic visions of an American civilization in decline - was vintage Gingrich, well known to the conservative faithful and Washington insiders.
But now, Gingrich's every step is dogged by scores of reporters and cameras, and he joked to the audience of Wall Street analysts gathered to hear his speech that his last appearance before the same group had been virtually ignored by the media.
The Georgia Republican, for years dismissed by Democrats as a nettlesome firebrand, said that the Republicans' victory represented nothing less than a nationwide rejection of many of the New Deal and Great Society programs erected by Democrats. ``We have to say to the counterculture: Nice try, you failed, you're wrong,'' he said.
Gingrich said the new Congress would sharply scrutinize and possibly scrap many programs that aid the poor. ``They are a disaster,'' Gingrich said. ``They ruin the poor, they create a culture of poverty and a culture of violence which is destructive of this civilization, and they have to be replaced thoroughly from the ground up.''
He later told reporters that Head Start, a preschool program for low-income children; the Job Corps, which helps train people for work; and Medicaid, which helps provide medical care for the poor, were among the anti-poverty programs that would need to be examined.
``The pursuit of happiness ... it's an active verb,'' Gingrich said. ``Not happiness stamps, not a department of happiness, not therapy for happiness. Pursuit.''
However, he rejected the prevailing view among budget analysts that Social Security also must be overhauled in order to grapple with the federal budget deficit. He said that the Republican ``Contract With America'' - which calls for lower taxes, increased defense spending and a balanced budget - was the first step to reducing federal spending.
Gingrich also adamantly ruled out any tax increase, even an increase in tobacco taxes to pay for health care reform.
by CNB