ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, October 1, 1996 TAG: 9610010090
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MIKE HUDSON STAFF WRITER
When Sonny Bono was elected to Congress in 1994, he came with a show biz name but not much experience with the ins and outs of lawmaking.
The Californian - best known for his part as the weaker-voiced member of the "Sonny and Cher" singing duo - got a shock when he was appointed to the House of Representatives' Judiciary Committee.
"Actually, I didn't know why I was on the Judiciary. You may not know this: I've never been a lawyer. Needless to say, when I got there, I was horrified."
The first couple of days, he said, other committees members were saying, "What the hell is he doing here?"
But a few - especially fellow Republican Rep. Bob Goodlatte of Roanoke - "had patience with me not having a clue" and took him under their wing.
When Bono introduced federal legislation aimed at supporting California's anti-immigration law, he turned to Goodlatte, a lawyer, for help.
"He's brilliant," Bono said. "He has a mind that is enviable."
Bono came to Roanoke Monday to thank Goodlatte for his friendship and help raise $40,000 to $45,000 for Goodlatte's re-election campaign. The $100-a-couple fund-raiser included a lot of politics, but also plenty of jokes and pleas for autographs from admiring fans.
Leisha Cook, a secretary in the Roanoke city attorney's office, approached Bono with a shopping bag. She pulled out some Sonny and Cher dolls she'd bought at Toys R Us a few years back.
"Do you remember this?" she asked.
"Yes," Bono said as he took the dolls and signed their backs. "This is a collector's item."
They're worth of bit of money, he added. "With the signature, you're talking maybe $200 or $300."
Goodlatte praised Bono as "a true conservative" and a legislator whose "common sense pierces through" complicated rhetoric that flies around the halls of Congress.
He added that he'd asked Bono to sing "I Got You, Babe," the hit tune from his "Sonny and Cher" days. Bono said he'd only do it if Goodlatte sang the Cher part. So, Goodlatte told the crowd, there would be no song.
LENGTH: Short : 50 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: NHAT MEYER/Staff U.S. Rep. Sonny Bono plays with Sonnyby CNBand Cher dolls at a fund-raiser Monday night in Roanoke for U.S.
Rep. Bob Goodlatte, right. color. KEYWORDS: POLITICS CONGRESS