ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, December 12, 1995 TAG: 9512120017
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RICHARD SINCERE
THE REPUBLICAN presidential horse race has a thoroughbred entry - a 25-1 shot with a $25 million purse. But can millionaire magazine owner Malcolm S. "Steve" Forbes, Jr., break away from the pack to win the race? Forbes, son of the late publisher Malcolm S. Forbes, is a former correspondent and now the editor in chief of the magazine that bears his father's name.
When he announced his candidacy in September, Forbes described himself as fundamentally different from the rest of the GOP candidates. He said "their vision of what we can do is narrow, cramped, and constricted." He noted that all of them "have been in Washington, or in politics, or both, all of their adult lives. They haven't been at the center of the entrepreneurial economy. I have, both as a reporter traveling the world and as a businessman, running a company. That," he said, "has been my life."
If vision is what elects candidates, Forbes stands head and shoulders above the rest. He has a consistent vision lacking in Bob Dole, who after 35 years in Washington is known best as a compromiser with no overarching political or economic philosophy. Forbes has a focus absent from Bob Dornian, whose public speeches ramble and roam with no coherent direction except to attack gay and lesbian taxpayers. He has a certainty superior to Phil Gramm, who has lurched to the right to appease religious conservatives. Forbes has a coherence unseen in the campaign of Pat Buchanan, who calls for freedom except for immigrants, and international trade, and minorities, and political dissenters, and (pick a favorite category here.).
Of course, vision alone does not elect candidates. Forbes may have money, and a clear message, but he doesn't have a lot of political operatives around the country. Like it or not, politics is still largely a game of machine-based politicians. Without the ability to call in his chits, Forbes is unlikely to build the support he needs among local activists who select delegates to the nominating convention.
That aside, Forbes' message is compelling. He demands scrapping the current income-tax code. "Don't fiddle with it. Junk it. Throw it out. Bury it." In its place, he calls for a "pro-growth, pro-family tax cut that lowers tax rates to 17 percent across the board." This flat tax would have exemptions that ensure that a family of four earning $36,000 or less will pay no taxes.
He really parts company with the Republicans in his firm, unmitigated support for term limits. In an article he wrote for the Sept. 25 edition of Forbes magazine, the new presidential candidate noted correctly, "Public support for term limits remains unwaveringly strong, regardless of race, party, income, or gender." At his campaign kickoff, Forbes said, "I want to change the culture of Washington by changing the rules of the game. And to change the rules of the game, you have to do two things: You have to take away the politicians' power to manipulate the tax code .... And you have to limit their terms."
In addressing "values," Forbes acknowledged a truth that the so-called Christian right is unwilling to admit. The real reason for the breakdown of family values, and of families themselves, is the breakdown of the economy caused by the growing intrusiveness of government. By deregulating the economy, cutting taxes, offering parents the right to choose any school for their children and focusing the energies of police and prosecutors on violent crimes, we can restore values to their proper place in our communities.
Some say Forbes is a stand-in for Jack Kemp in the 1996 presidential stakes. Some call him "Kemp Lite." Indeed, his campaign staff is made up of many former Kemp associates.
Forbes, however, does not seem as squishy on welfare and regulatory issues as Kemp is. Kemp is a big-government Republican. Forbes, if his actions match his words, genuinely believes in shrinking the size and scope of government. We'll see.
Steve Forbes brings new interest and new experience into the Republican presidential race. Can he go the distance?
Richard Sincere is chairman of the Libertarian Party of Virginia.
LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines KEYWORDS: POLITICSby CNB