THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, November 14, 1994 TAG: 9411110007
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A6 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: ANOTHER VIEW
SOURCE: By SANDY GRADY
LENGTH: Medium: 97 lines
Get out your Hula Hoop and your 45-rpm record of ``Shake, Rattle and Roll.'' America awakened Wednesday to discover it had done a U-turn back to the 1950s.
Not since 1954, when Ike sat in the White House, have Republicans steamrolled an off-year election across the national landscape. In a tidal wave, Republicans took charge of the U.S. Senate and House and swept most governors' statehouses. And you thought George Foreman had a KO punch.
Bob Dole running the Senate, Newt Gingrich controlling the House - to Democrats it felt like Midnight in America.
They watched in shock as Democratic lions went down in this historic bloodbath - Gov. Mario Cuomo in New York, Gov. Ann Richards in Texas, scandal-tainted Rep. Dan Rosentowski in Illinois.
It's been 40 years since such smashing GOP dominance. Hey, that's so far back, the ``$64,000 Question'' was big on TV . . . Mantle, Mays and Snider were playing with New York teams . . . a postage stamp cost 3 cents . . . a congressman made $15,000.
Sure, the mood is far different from the peaceful, prosperous '50s when popular Dwight Eisenhower reigned.
The 1994 earthquake left rebuked, besieged Bill Clinton as this city's loneliest Democrat. He'll be locked in a two-year struggle with hostile, high-riding Dole and House fire-eater Gingrich.
Almost plaintively, Clinton said before the polls closed, ``It's important that the American people not vote in anger and cynicism.''
No chance.
Without doubt, this election was a referendum on Clinton, who campaigned himself hoarse in 19 states.
In 1992, voters chucked out George Bush because they wanted ``change.'' But they're bitterly unhappy with Clinton's pace, personality and agenda.
They got mad, then they got even.
``The message was that they're impatient with change and don't like the way Washington does business,'' said White House chief of staff Leon Panetta. ``I think the failure of health care led to disillusionment.''
Maybe. But the tantrum that shocked Democrats seems symptomatic of anxiety deeper than partisan squabbles - by 55 percent to 38 percent, Americans feel ``the country's on the wrong track.''
For Clinton & Co., a rare consoling cheer erupted when Sen. Chuck Robb, D-Va., was seen celebrating on TV - ``How sweet it is!'' - after defeating Oliver North in a megabuck, vicious Virginia race.
Surprisingly, Virginians by 3-to-1 in exit polls said Robb had more ``ethics and honesty.'' North's Iran-contra sins weighed heavier than Robb's sexcapades.
(Don't count Ollie out: In two years, he'll probably challenge Sen. John Warner, R-Va., who put his career on the line by opposing North.)
But one by one, Clinton saw Democratic heavyweights topple to the canvas on this Tuesday Night Massacre. The closer the incumbent was linked to Clinton, the more certain the doom.
It had to hurt Clinton to watch Rep. Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky, D-Pa., who cast the famed, decisive vote on his budget deal, go down.
Equally painful was the loss of Sen. Harris Wofford, D-Pa., who soldiered for Clinton on health care.
Early on, though, the Clinton gang saw trouble: Rep. Dave McCurdy, D-Okla., a rising moderate star, lost his Senate bid.
Then Sen. Jim Sasser, D-Tenn., who had hoped he would be the leader of a Democratic Senate, went down in flames in a Tennessee wipeout.
All of those races proved the power of negative TV ads. Charges of ``liar'' and ``fraud'' flew like mud pies; any candidate labeled ``liberal'' and tied to Clinton was toast.
Sure, paunchy icon Ted Kennedy made a comeback to survive in Massachusetts, the lone state where Clinton's popular.
But the defeat of Mario Cuomo, after Clinton's rousing New York appearances, was devastating. And Gov. Ann Richards' loss in Texas stripped Clinton of a rare ally in the solidly GOP Sun Belt.
Whatever the voters had in mind with this bombshell, they will make Washington a vastly different city.
Not only will Bob Dole snap the Senate whip, but Republicans Strom Thurmond, Jesse Helms, Al D'Amato and Orrin Hatch will have right-wing mastery of Senate committees.
``I'll call Bill Clinton first thing. I tell him we're ready to cooperate,'' said Dole on CNN. ``They locked us out in the past. They can't lock us out now.''
More threatening to Democrats, though, will be the incredible rise of firebrand Gingrich, R-Ga., to the House speaker's prominence. This is the same Newt who promised fiery vengeance on Clinton - no more Whitewater whitewash - if he won.
``Oh, there won't be witch hunts. But neither will there be cover-ups,'' said Gingrich with a silky smile. ``We'll act responsibly.''
Yep, the political world has flipped upside down. To quote Ronald Reagan, ``You ain't seen nothing yet.'' MEMO: Sandy Grady is Washington columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News.
KEYWORDS: U.S. SENATE RACE CANDIDATE ELECTION RESULTS by CNB