Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, January 5, 1995 TAG: 9501050058
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DAVID M. POOLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
Charles Robb began his second U.S. Senate term on Wednesday with a cookies- and-cider reception, a low-key affair that reflected the drop in expectations since he blew into town six years ago with a glittery gala at Union Station.
"Is this where it is?" asked a straggler who encountered Robb in the hallway outside the reception in the Democrat's Senate office.
"This is where it was," Robb quipped.
The reception nonetheless was a bright spot for Democrats on a day when Republicans seized control of both the House of Representatives and U.S. Senate for the first time in 40 years.
Democrats and some Republicans breathed a sigh of relief that it was Robb - not former Iran-Contra figure Oliver North - who strode to the Senate floor, raised his right hand and took the oath of office as Virginia's junior senator.
Two months after the election, Robb still is patted on the back for vanquishing North, whose zealous views proved too much for a majority of Virginia voters - even in a year when the nation was going Republican.
The new GOP majority in the Senate means that Robb has been stripped of his chairmanship of a Foreign Relations subcommittee and was forced to give up his seat on the Commerce Committee.
In an interview, Robb appeared reconciled to his status as a member of the minority party. Robb said the GOP's Senate agenda, especially when it comes to reigning in the federal budget deficit, is not that different from his own.
"I have long thought - to use Mr. Jefferson's words - that a little revolution from time to time is a good thing," Robb said.
The changes in the upper chamber, he added, will not be that profound, because the Senate, unlike the House, was controlled by Republicans as recently as the late 1980s.
He was disappointed, however, that the GOP approach to deficit reduction will not include his controversial proposal to limit Social Security benefits for wealthy retirees.
"That takes off the table a very big piece of the overall equation," he said.
Robb, who will retain seats on the Foreign Relations and Armed Services committees, said he wanted to devote his second term to fiscal responsibility, foreign policy and the restructuring of the armed forces so as not to impact Virginia's military-sensitive economy unfairly.
A major player in defense contracting - Tenneco Inc., the parent company of Newport News Shipbuilding - did what it could Wednesday to add a little pizazz to the beginning of Robb's second term.
Tenneco footed the bill for a reception in Robb's honor at The Monocle, a Capitol Hill eatery that is a favorite gathering spot for politicians. More than 100 campaign contributors, lobbyists and members of Robb's campaign staff sipped drinks and munched on rolls filled with roast beef.
The affair was far smaller than the 1989 extravaganza at Union Station, which served as a Washington debut for Robb, a once-popular governor of Virginia and son-in-law of President Lyndon Johnson. His supporters then were predicting Robb would rise to national office.
But his political star was tarnished in a Senate term marred by revelations of a liaison with a former beauty queen and a wiretapping investigation related to his feud with Democratic rival Douglas Wilder.
Even though Robb, 55, resurrected his career by vanquishing North, he insisted on a more modest reception this year. Staff members laid out cookies and sweets on a conference room table.
Guests who arrived early were glued to a television that broadcast the debut of House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
The Republican's speech was too much for Pat Mayer, Robb's longtime personal assistant. "Sorry, guys," she said, turning down the volume and leaving the room with a shudder.
by CNB