THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, September 10, 1996 TAG: 9609100007
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: 41 lines
Transparent moves are nothing new in the world of politics.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why Bob Dole suddenly likes supply-side economics, after years of disdain, or why Bill Clinton suddenly found the courage to sign a welfare-reform bill in an election year.
Richmond's no different from Washington on that score. Politicians play to the crowd. It is up to voters to decide on a case-by-case basis whether the proposed actions are a good thing or bad.
The decision by Attorney General Jim Gilmore to focus on recent church burnings belongs in the former category. What's good politics for his presumed gubernatorial bid in 1997 is also good policy for 1996. Gilmore has tackled the issue with a vengeance. In July he convened the Southern attorneys general at Howard University to talk about the burnings, many of which have affected small black churches in the rural South.
Then last week, he sponsored a summit at Virginia Union University under the heading Protecting Virginia's Places of Worship From Arson and Vandalism. There, he unveiled a package of proposals that he'll take to the legislature next winter.
Among them, Gilmore would urge a sentence of up to life in prison and a $100,000 fine if a church is occupied when arson occurs. If the church is vacant, he'll ask for up to 10 years in prison and a $100,000 fine.
The individual recommendations deserve scrutiny from the General Assembly. But the burnings that have shattered individual and collective well-being in many communities are serious business and should be punished accordingly.
What makes Gilmore's actions noteworthy politically is the outreach to a block of voters who have seldom sided with the GOP. But from Colin Powell's address to the Republican National Convention to GOP Gov. George Allen's unexpectedly strong showing among minority voters in 1993, times are changing.
They should. It's about time more Republican politicians made an overt play for African-American support. Minorities are best served if both parties are inspired to come courting. Gilmore's actions may be transparent, but in this case, they're also right. by CNB