THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 24, 1994 TAG: 9407220222
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 07 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Opinion
LENGTH: Medium: 80 lines
As a citizen, an elected official and a member of the Republican leadership in the Senate, I have been shocked, but not altogether surprised, by the recent attacks leveled by the national and state Democratic Party against Republicans.
Although vicious political rhetoric is nothing new in American politics, the recent tone coming from the Democratic leadership is troubling because of its anti-religious bent. As is always historically the case, a few disgruntled Republicans serve up the same rhetoric for their own purposes. Every family, organization and political party always has a few members whose words and actions make you think they really want to be somewhere else.
If any of these accusations were true, common sense would tell you that Republicans should be losing at the polls in embarrassing numbers. But quite the opposite is true. Recent elections have seen the rise of the Republican Party to new heights in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The party has grown to within three votes of control in the state Senate and to within four votes of control in the House of Delegates.
In addition, we saw the decisive victories of Gov. George F. Allen and Attorney General Jim Gilmore. And although Mike Farris lost (his bid for lieutenant governor), he garnered more votes than did former Attorney General Mary Sue Terry ( in her bid for governor).
This year, the Republican Party has a challenger in the Senate race and in all of Virginia's congressional districts. In addition, here in Chesapeake, the Republicans posted major gains in the recent City Council elections and now control six of nine seats on the council.
If this growth in the party is threatened by anything, it is not by some onslaught of religious conservatives. Rather, it is threatened by the attitude of some who want to roll up the welcome mat and have a tea party with only a few carefully chosen guests.
Well, the Republican Party is not an intimate tea party open only to a select few. It is a political movement whose doors are open wide to all who adhere to the philosophy of individual liberty, limited government, economic freedom and opportunity, safe streets at home, and a secure national defense both at home and abroad.
For many years, the GOP struggled to find its way in Virginia. But the impressive gains made over the last eight years occurred not because we focused on the areas in which we disagreed with one another, but because we found and focused on common ground issues. Issues such as keeping our local economy strong, giving parents a voice in their children's education and health, making sure our streets are safe from crime, attempting to dismantle a welfare system that doesn't work and replace it with incentive for work and responsibility - this is what the Republican Party of Virginia has focused on, and with tremendous electoral success.
At the same time, many within the Democratic Party focused on attacking candidates for how they worshiped or how they educated their children - which was nothing but a thinly disguised veil of religious bigotry. Needless to say, they were less than successful.
Now, on the verge of major electoral victories in Congress, a few within the Republican Party feel that we cannot stand to have all views represented.
A recent guest column (by Cliff Page Jr. of Portsmouth) in The Clipper on Sunday, July 17, ``GOP Should Reject Far Right Candidates,'' suggested that we reject those candidates who espouse conservative ideas. With the quality of candidates we have running this year throughout Virginia for the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, nothing could be further from the truth.
An excellent example is George Sweet from Chesapeake. Sweet is running because he grew up in this city and realizes the tremendous need for someone who will speak in Congress for the future of this community, not speak for the agenda of Bill and Hillary Clinton.
Sweet has the endorsement of every Republican elected official in the 4th Congressional District, as well as Allen, Gilmore and former Gov. Mills Godwin. As a father of three, Sweet realizes the dangers that our young people face, and he wants to go to Congress to do something about it. These are not extreme ideas. Indeed the ideas coming out of the White House and being supported by incumbent Democratic congressmen are far more threatening to our liberty and economic prosperity.
State Sen. Mark Earley, R-Chesapeake by CNB