Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, August 18, 1995 TAG: 9508180070
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A14 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Most obviously, Bradley is the sixth Democrat to decide against seeking re-election - some from states growing increasingly conservative and Republican. Two more are considered likely to join their ranks.
If Republicans hold on to their current 54 seats and pick up just six more, they will have a large enough majority to thwart Democratic filibusters. That will leave the Democrats not only powerless to push their own policies, but also unable even to block offending legislation without the help of GOP moderates.
Depending on how bad the legislation is, this could prove bad news for the nation as well.
As frustrating as legislative battles can be, they are a useful tool for the party out of power to force debate on bills that should not be passed in haste. Cutting Medicare, protecting clean air and water, reforming welfare - none of these complicated legislative puzzles are best addressed by slamming 60-second sound bites into law.
Worse news still, though, is the erosion of centrist clout in the Congress, exemplified by Bradley's decision to leave.
The senator from New Jersey had a surprisingly hard time winning re-election in 1990. He was by no means assured a victory had he chosen to run again. That, plus his party's drop to minority status in Congress, surely made the prospect of another Senate bid less appealing.
Yet there is truth in the stated reason for his decision, that neither political party has figured out yet how to deal with people's biggest fears: of economic insecurity and violence.
Partisan rancor has made it increasingly difficult to explore policy options and to seek consensus. But this is by no means the fault only of Republicans in the stranglehold of the Religious Right. Many congressional Democrats are being pushed by their most vocal constituencies - on issues ranging from international trade to group rights - into positions out of touch with mainstream America's needs and values.
Bradley is hinting at a possible independent bid for the presidency in '96, adding his name to speculation about Ross Perot and Colin Powell. Such a prospect would further splinter an already fragmented electorate. It also offers another sign - amid many - of growing frustration with the performance of both major political parties.
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POLITICS
by CNB