THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, December 5, 1994 TAG: 9412050042
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Guy Friddell
LENGTH: Medium: 63 lines
In striving to get out of term limits, GOP elders bring to mind escape artist Harry Houdini.
Bound in chains and handcuffed in a locked box at the bottom of a river, Houdini freed himself from the bonds and the box with a key hidden on his person.
Republican leaders are looking for a key to get out of the term limits they promised in their ``Contract With America.'' Their contortions are as strenuous as Houdini's.
But they can't find a key. As yet.
First they floated the notion that they had proposed only to introduce a term-limit bill, not to pass it.
Voters think otherwise. They recall GOP candidates pushing term limits as a way to reform Congress. The issue unhorsed Democratic House Speaker Tom Foley.
Last week on National Public Radio, U.S. Rep. Richard Armey of Texas, an early, ardent proponent of term limits, said there no longer was any reason for them since the Nov. 8 election had swept Republicans into control of Congress.
Armey learned, quickly, that the public disagreed with him, and he reverted to a stout term-limiter.
Rep. Newt Gingrich, set to become speaker when the House convenes on Jan. 4, is for term limits, sort of.
But Gingrich, of Georgia, aims to loosen the limit on House members. The original version would confine them to three terms (six years) and senators to two terms (12 years).
Gingrich proposes that House members have six terms (12 years) to balance the senators' tenure.
Sunday, on NBC's ``Meet the Press,'' columnist Robert Novak noted that Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky had said that with a Republican Congress, there need not be term limits.
``Are you about to abandon term limits?'' Novak asked Gingrich.
``Absolutely not,'' Gingrich said. ``I believe we have an absolute contract to vote on. We're going to bring them up in the first hundred days.
``I personally will vote for a 12-year term in the Senate and the House. .
Novak observed that Rep. Bill McCollum of Florida had said it was enough to bring the issue up for a vote. ``That sounds like you people are going to do a foldo on that and you're not going to really pass it.''
``No, no, that's not fair!'' Gingrich responded, saying he had talked to advocates of term limits well before the election. ``I said, `Let's be honest. We can put it in a contract, we can get it to a vote.' The fact is, it's very hard to get 290 votes.''
``You're not going to pass it, are you?'' Novak blurted.
``They never thought it was going to pass,'' Gingrich retorted, ``but what they said to me was: `You get us the first recorded vote in history compared to Speaker Foley filing a lawsuit against term limits, and you give us a chance to have a recorded vote and begin the process of this dialogue.' ''
On a recorded vote, whoever opposes it will be limited at the next election. by CNB