Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 2, 1995 TAG: 9503020051
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DWAYNE YANCEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Gov. George Allen - battered mercilessly in the General Assembly the past two months - began punching back this week.
He's embarked on a campaign-style statewide tour to castigate Democrats as defenders of the status quo who cost "hard-working, law-abiding Virginians" a tax cut.
Consider it the opening round of the fall's legislative races, with all 140 seats in the General Assembly up for grabs.
Wednesday's stop was in Roanoke, where Allen touted a little-noticed economic development bill sponsored by state Sen. Brandon Bell, R-Roanoke County, who's expected to face a stiff election challenge from Roanoke Vice Mayor John Edwards.
Allen toured Foot Levelers, a Roanoke maker of orthopedic shoe inserts, where he told workers he was busy trying to lure more jobs to Virginia. Then he stepped outside to talk to reporters, blasting Democrats for shredding his legislative agenda.
Allen charged that they rejected his proposed tax cut because "they wanted to keep all the money."
He charged that Democrats killed his other initiatives because they "just want to keep things the same old way and not improve our schools and not improve our economic competitiveness for jobs, and they want to backslide on public safety by not building the prison space we need."
He defended the harsh language he's used to characterize his Democratic opponents. "When they're complaining about 'oh, gosh, I'm too strident,' well, darn right. I feel very strongly that I've got to fight to keep my word and fight for the people of Virginia. I'm just their messenger."
He urged Virginians to vote Republican this fall. "This year, the task at hand is for Virginia to make history and be the first state in the South to have a Republican House and Senate."
At every opportunity, Allen turned to Bell to praise him for sticking up for his agenda. Asked what lesson he learned from this General Assembly session, Allen replied: "We need more Brandon Bells."
Allen's visit in some ways doubled as an unofficial Bell campaign event. At Bell's request, Allen used his Roanoke stop to highlight one of Bell's legislative accomplishments - doubling the number of "enterprise zones" the state can create from 25 to 50.
Allen said these zones, where businesses get special tax breaks, will help create jobs in economically disadvantaged parts of the state, especially Southside and Southwest Virginia. He noted that an enterprise zone was one of the reasons Foot Levelers chose to locate in Roanoke in 1988.
Even on the enterprise zone bill, Allen worked in a partisan dig. "This is $9 million of tax relief," Allen said. "If we'd characterized it that way, they'd have killed it. Brandon had to fight hard and persevere for it. Some of the people in the Senate don't like these things."
Allen's Roanoke Valley visit drew a sharp retort from the Democrat who's most often cited for scuttling the governor's legislative program - House Majority Leader Richard Cranwell of Roanoke County.
"If Governor Allen wants to blame the defeat of his ill-conceived plan on anyone, he needs to blame the people of Virginia, because they rejected his plan out of hand," Cranwell said. "I'm flattered people give me the credit, but the truth of the matter is, the people of Virginia are what did him in." Cranwell noted that he received 877 letters opposing the governor's programs and 33 supporting them.
Cranwell also accused Allen of being too partisan to get anything done. "His rhetoric is something we've never heard before, calling us 'monarchial elitists' and 'big government dinosaurs' and 'fat cat dictators.' We tried to work with him, but it was impossible to work with the man."
Allen charged that Democrats were following a political consultants' playbook to obstruct the Republican agenda; Cranwell returned fire, saying Allen now was following a script of his own.
"One of his inside minions told me two weeks ago, the governor was going to become invisible, virtually eliminate his public schedule," Cranwell said, "because they knew as long as the legislature was in session," Democrats had a ready forum from which to speak. "The truth was getting out, and it was killing him," Cranwell said.
Now that the assembly has adjourned, Allen has set out on a statewide tour, with several speaking engagements each day. "He's using his bully pulpit to command media attention and change the spin," Cranwell said. "They know they've been hurt."
Cranwell acknowledged that Allen's strategy might work. "It's difficult to be a part-time legislator and be locked in mortal combat with somebody who doesn't care about government."
Keywords:
GENERAL ASSEMBLY 1995
by CNB