THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, February 15, 1995 TAG: 9502150471
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY WARREN FISKE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 90 lines
In an outraged voice, Del. John Watkins took the floor of the House of Delegates on Tuesday and declared he had proof that Democrats paid a ``dirty tricks team'' this winter to defeat Gov. George F. Allen's tax-cut plan.
Watkins, a Chesterfield County Republican, waved an eight-page report written by a Democratic pollster that was filled with pithy tips on scuttling the governor's program.
Watkins asserted that the Democrats' reliance on ``sleaze polling'' to settle important policy matters was an affront to great Virginian patriots such as Patrick Henry.
``Ladies and gentlemen, is this liberty?'' Watkins demanded, paraphrasing Henry's most famous speech. ``No. I say it is the death of representative government.''
But what Watkins failed to note is that he acquired the report by reading, without permission, the mail of a Democratic colleague and having it copied before forwarding the parcel to its rightful owner.
``I am surprised, shocked and disappointed that someone would copy my mail,'' Del. Watkins M. Abbitt Jr., D-Appomattox, announced to the chamber moments after Watkins took his seat. ``. . . This is a complete breach of etiquette.''
So went the latest round in an increasingly bloody fight between Democrats and Republicans to win political points during a year in which all 140 General Assembly seats are up for election.
The report, dated Feb. 7, was written by Alan Secrest, a partner of a large, national Democratic polling firm based in Alexandria. In it, Secrest congratulated Democratic state lawmakers for ``brilliantly'' succeeding in ``not just legislatively defeating, but politically deflating'' Allen's tax-cut plan.
Secrest acknowledged that Democrats may have a tough time in the fall explaining to voters why they opposed a tax cut. To help them out, he referred them to a ``playbook'' he had sent them earlier this winter.
Citing ``play No. 2,'' Secrest advised Democrats to stress that Allen's proposed $33-a-year reduction in state income taxes would have ``wreaked havoc on Virginia's future'' by cutting aid to higher education and social service programs. He said ``especially vulnerable'' Democrats should portray Allen's plan as as ``shell game'' that would have forced cash-starved localities to raise property taxes to compensate for their losses in state funding.
Citing ``play No. 6,'' Secrest said Democrats should stress their efforts to overhaul the welfare system.
Secrest sent the report by overnight mail to 22 Democratic legislative leaders. The General Assembly mailroom mistakenly delivered a copy to Watkins, whose last name is the same as Abbitt's first name.
Democrats were concerned when they learned Watkins on Feb. 8 had handed Abbitt an open envelope containing the report. House Majority Leader C. Richard Cranwell, D-Roanoke County, said he asked Watkins if he had personally copied the memorandum. He said Watkins answered no.
But Watkins refused to say on Tuesday whether he asked an aide to make a copy.
House and Senate Republicans defended Watkins at an afternoon news conference. They accused Democrats of deploying the ``plays'' set out by Secrest to kill Allen's tax cuts in committees and block floor votes on the governor's full budget plan.
A bleary-eyed Watkins emotionally defended his decision to make Abbitt's mail public. ``I thought about it all weekend,'' he said. ``If I know of something of this magnitude and didn't take action, then I become party to it,'' he said.
Democrats dismissed the charges as election-year rhetoric, saying it is common practice for both political parties to consult with pollsters. ``I don't think that comes as much news,'' Cranwell said. ``But I'm appalled that someone would copy another member's mail.''
Secrest was paid $24,500 to conduct a poll for House Democrats in December. But Democratic leaders stressed that they did not solicit the February report.
``I think he sent it to us with hopes that it would drum up more business,'' said Del. Alan A. Diamonstein, D-Newport News, chairman of the House Democratic caucus.
Diamonstein and a number of other Democrats said they never read the report and denied the existence of a playbook. Cranwell scoffed at suggestions that Secrest is calling the shots for Democrats. ``Haven't you seen how the Democratic caucus is struggling to coalesce?'' he said. ``There was never a caucus position on any of these things.''
Secrest was reluctant to cast light on the ``plays'' spelled out in his report.
``We've provided a number of strategy memoranda at our own expense this year, and any one of them can be characterized as a playbook,'' he said. ``But that doesn't mean that the Democrats have been taking my advice.''
KEYWORDS: GENERAL ASSEMBLY by CNB