THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, September 2, 1996 TAG: 9608300012
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: 33 lines
``Bill's report card'' (Commentary, Aug. 25) does not give an accurate picture of legislative results. A more accurate picture would be presented if the authors would have divided the ``promises kept'' into congressional terms, the first one being under Democratic control and the second under Republican control. Had they have done that we would find some interesting results.
The first statistic that would pop out is that President Clinton has accomplished more and kept more promises under the Republican Congress than he did when his party was the majority. We could conclude that if we expect Clinton to keep his 1996 campaign promises, we best elect a Republican Congress. He could not have made these accomplishments, many in this election year, without the help of the ``mean spirited'' and ``extreme'' Republican majority in Congress.
Another interesting fact is that while Clinton is being credited with keeping 66 percent of his promises, many of those for which he is credited were initiatives of the Republican Congress and not the president. During the two years Clinton's party was the majority, he either did not introduce or could not get passed many of his programs. Much of the legislation now credited as a promise kept by Clinton he actually opposed his first two years when he knew they had no chance of passing in a Congress controlled by his party.
It is ironic that while the ``Contract With America'' is derided as ``mean spirited'' and repugnant to the American people, President Clinton might just be re-elected because he adopted its agenda.
WILLIAM C. RYAN JR.
Norfolk, Aug. 25, 1996 by CNB