THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 2, 1994 TAG: 9410020058
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DAVE ADDIS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Long : 105 lines
When a group of middle-class, largely middle-aged voters gathered in Norfolk to talk politics last week, a consensus developed that might scare the bumper stickers off every politician running for Congress this fall.
The taxpaying, child-raising, churchgoing John and Mary Citizen are quietly coming to believe that the Senate and the House of Representatives are no longer capable of governing the United States or solving the basic problems of its people.
One voter described Congress as an ``archaic system from back in the Colonial days.''
``There are things (we) wish Congress could do, but there is frustration with the congressional system and their ability to solve some of the highest priority items . . . ,'' said Dennis Ackerman, a university administrator from Virginia Beach.
That frustration is felt so deeply by Candy Johnson, a Portsmouth housewife and mother, that she believes that the fundamental structure of American government must be overhauled.
``I think if I were brutally honest,'' Johnson said, she would ``completely throw out the entire governmental system that we have in position now and start over again . . . our entire government system, from top to bottom.''
``Frankly,'' said Lamont Myers, general manager of a recycling firm in Yorktown, ``Congress could stay home for two years and nobody would know the difference.''
The urge to ``toss all the bums out'' is a traditional spice in the pickle barrel of American political dialogue. What was striking about this group, though, was the thoughtful, measured tones with which they spoke of their loss of faith in the government to effectively represent the interests of its citizens.
The group of 17 voters from South Hampton Roads and the
Peninsula met at WHRO-TV, where their comments were taped for broadcast beginning Oct. 7. The discussion will form the basis for the questioning of Hampton Roads congressional candidates in a series of interviews by WHRO commentator Chris Dickon.
Another strong current that ran through the conversation was an unwillingness to peg congressional fecklessness to one political party or ideology. In an increasingly bitter election season, when Democratic and Republican political figures heap blame on one another for legislative gridlock, this group of voters appeared unsympathetic to the partisan finger-pointing.
The group was heavy with people who claim political independence, and their recent voting patterns showed them to be a mix of Bill Clinton supporters and George Bush/George F. Allen conservatives. Their discussion, though, was laced with expressions of exasperation at the partisans' inability to work together for the common good of their constituents.
``I think the two-party system is largely bankrupt,'' Myers said. ``I think everything has been structured in liberal versus conservative.'' He said the partisan bickering has left the political landscape ``very fertile right now for a centrist party. . . . There is deep-seated dissatisfaction with the way the two parties are going.''
John Chase, a Norfolk retiree, said: ``Right now we have a case of near paralysis in Congress. . . . The president cannot get his bills through Congress, nor can Congress enforce its will on the executive.
``The likelihood of that situation improving as the result of the next election is absolutely nil. If, as most people predict, the Republicans make significant gains in the House, particularly, we'll have a case of perfect paralysis.''
In House and Senate contests across the nation, the off-year congressional elections are billed as a referendum on the effectiveness of the Clinton administration. That did not seem to be the view of this group of voters: In 90 minutes of political discourse the president's name rarely surfaced, and then only as a passing reference.
An initial round of questioning asked each voter about his or her primary concern for their community. In listening to the debate from Capitol Hill, one would expect national health care to be a frequent response. Among the 17 voters, though, health care was mentioned by just one. Education and economic development were by far the more critical concerns among the panel.
Crime followed closely, and it was cited as an example of Congress' partisanship and shortsightedness in offering solutions.
``If you're dead, none of this matters,'' said Kathryn Grayson, a marketing specialist from Newport News. `` . . . What we did was Band-Aid crime in this last session, we did not take care of the problem.
``I do not look forward to being a senior (citizen) because I may become a prisoner in my own home.''
Said Myers: ``I think the agenda is to show who is the toughest on crime. One candidate stakes out a position on the right, then everyone else rushes to be further to the right, to the point where they're all going to just drop off the edge because everyone wants to seem toughest on crime. And none of them really have shown the sophistication to sit down and look at why we have this problem in the first place, and the problem is lack of opportunity and lack of hope for these kids.'' Staff writer Bob Little contributed to this report. MEMO: WHRO-TV, Channel 15, will air the political forum at 9 p.m. Friday, Oct.
7, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 9. Broadcast dates for interviews with the
congressional candidates have not been set. The forum was supported by
The Virginian-Pilot/Ledger-Star and the National Issues Forum.
ILLUSTRATION: Photo
JIM WALKER/Staff
Stephanie P. Stetson, left, moderates a community discussion at
WHRO-TV last week. Voters aired their growing discontent with the
ability of Congress to govern the U.S. during the forum.
KEYWORDS: CONGRESSIONAL RACE TIDEWATER HAMPTON ROADS by CNB