THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 20, 1996 TAG: 9610210180
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SERIES: DECISION '96
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 157 lines
In 1994, campaigning in a traditionally Democratic district, Walter Jones Jr. was an underdog.
In 1996, the first-term congressman who represents the 3rd District is an underdog no more.
Thanks to the 1994 Republican sweep of the House and Senate, Jones is a foot soldier in Newt Gingrich's Republican revolution, and a well-funded favorite to return for a second term in November.
But even favorites have difficult days.
On a recent afternoon in Hyde County, after 14 hours on the road, Jones hadn't eaten. His pen had burst, leaving a large ink blot on the pocket of his starched white shirt.
``The thing that makes it so difficult is that with 19 counties, going from the Virginia line down to Morehead City and Onslow County, and then as far west as Martin and Pender counties,'' Jones said, ``I spend more time in a car than I do talking to people.''
Jones, 53, was clearly in the role of front-runner last week minutes before a speech to the Hyde County Chamber of Commerce.
``To be part of a new movement that represented what I feel the people of the 3rd District and the people of America wanted was a humbling experience,'' Jones said. ``The American people wanted to change the way the government does business. They wanted not only less government, but a more efficient government. As part of the 73 men and women that made up the Republican freshman class, I felt very privileged.''
Jones was part of a whirlwind in the early days of the 104th Congress, and he disputed the notion that the first GOP majority in 40 years was a failure.
``I disagree with that,'' Jones said. ``Even Bill Clinton acknowledges that legislation like the welfare reform bill that he took credit for would not have passed had we not pushed it through. We passed 65 percent of the legislation we advocated in the `Contract With America.' ''
Jones, however, expressed dismay that two key tenets of the Republican manifesto were not approved: term limits and a balanced budget amendment.
``I'm disappointed that term limits didn't pass,'' Jones said. ``But that would take a constitutional amendment. It's an issue that will come back again.''
As for the balanced budget amendment, Jones said that would be among his top priorities if re-elected.
``I think we need it to protect future generations,'' Jones said. ``Congressesof the past have not balanced the budget. If we manage to do it by 2002, we will be the first Congress to balance a budget since 1969. The balanced budget amendment is important to the economic security of the nation.''
Jones pointed to the results of a General Accounting Office report.
``The GAO says that if we don't do something about the deficit, we'll be looking at tax rates of 82 cents out of every dollar American working people earn. That would be devastating to the country.''
As for the proposal of Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole for an across-the-board tax cut, Jones wants to see the numbers. ``I would have to be convinced that we could cut taxes and still balance the budget,'' he said. ``I'm not saying it couldn't be done. But we have to do something about the deficit.''
Tax relief for the middle class is another of his concerns.
``Right now, the average working family in this country pays 40 percent of its income in taxes,'' Jones said. ``We have to do something to help them.''
Tobacco is the 3rd District's hot-button domestic issue. Jones' opponent, former Jones aide George Parrott, says that as a Democrat, he is best able to get Clinton's ear on tobacco policy.
``Hogwash,'' Jones said. ``For the first time in years, no major legislation came before the Congress that would be detrimental to the tobacco industry. That's because we had a Republican majority and a Republican chairman on the Environment and Health Committee. The real friends of tobacco farmers are now in the majority in Washington.''
Jones said he would continue to work to get rock jetties constructed at Oregon Inlet. However, he said the political climate must change before the issue is put to rest.
``The political dynamics have to be right,'' Jones said. ``I don't believe Bill Clinton would sign a bill to authorize construction of the jetties. But if Bob Dole wins the election, we could get it done.'' Another concern comes from commercial fishing interests who say they are being regulated out of business.
``I can't say specifically what we can do,'' Jones said. ``We have to protect the fisheries that are under stress, but at the same time, allow fishermen to earn a living. There has to be a balance between regulatory agencies and the fishermen. I think there are regulatory agencies who have gone over the line.''
Jones, who received the endorsement of the Christian Coalition, differs with Parrott on social issues like same-sex marriages and abortion.
``As a man who tries to live on Judeo-Christian principles, I think it's my responsibility to make my decisions based on what the Bible says. I know the Bible says that the homosexual lifestyle is unacceptable. I believe that lifestyle is way, way off-base.''
On abortion, Jones praised the General Assembly's actions supporting abstinence as a means of stopping unwanted pregnancies.
``I think abortion should be a political issue,'' Jones said. ``All of the Founding Fathers acknowledged the existence of a supreme being. These issues are important, because unless we're morally and economically strong, we can't survive.''
The 1996 3rd District race has featured a number of scathing attacks against Jones by Parrott. The Democratic businessman has called Jones ``a hypocrite'' and ``a liar'' and has accused him of avoiding military service in Vietnam through a National Guard appointment secured by his late father.
Jones refused to address the charges, and will not mention Parrott by name. However, he has consistently denied any preferential treatment concerning his stint in the National Guard.
However, he did respond to Parrott's criticism that Jones had accepted money from political action committees. As a candidate in 1994, Jones was highly critical of PACs.
``It's a system that's much more complex on a national level than on the state level,'' Jones said.
``I'd still like to see the system changed. We need meaningful election reform. You have liberals receiving money from the AFL-CIO PAC. The union takes dues from its members and gives that money to liberal candidates. And working people in my district who belong to the union don't like that. We need a bipartisan commission to look at real reform. But until that comes, I'll continue to accept money within the rules from groups that embrace a conservative philosophy.''
As for what a second term would bring, Jones said he hoped to expand the War Crimes Act, one of only 12 bills signed into law that were authored by freshmen lawmakers. Jones' bill, signed by President Clinton in August, made it possible for U.S. courts to prosecute purported war criminals if they are arrested on U.S. soil or if they committed crimes against U.S. military personnel or civilians.
``I'd like to see that law broadened,'' Jones said. ``In the next term we hope to introduce legislation that would expand wetlands. And, along with that, we'd like to continue to provide good service to our constituents.''
After one term in Congress, Jones said he is a ``wiser man.'' His most gratifying moments as a legislator come in forms less glamorous than a Republican Revolution.
``I saw a veteran in Goldsboro who was having trouble getting a wheelchair through his veteran benefits. Through the work of our staff, we were able to help him get that wheelchair. Those are the things that matter to me, making a positive difference in people's lives.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
DREW C. WILSON/The Virginian-Pilot
U.S. Rep. Walter B. Jones Jr. says that what matters to him is
making a difference in people's lives.
Graphic
RESUME
Walter B. Jones Jr.
Age: 53
Occupation: 3rd District congressman.
Education: North Carolina State University; B.A., Atlantic
Christian College.
Public service: 10 years in North Carolina General Assembly. One
term in Congress.
Church membership: St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church in Farmville,
N.C.
Family: Jones and his wife, JoAnne, have one daughter.
Priorities: A balanced budget amendment, expansion of wetlands
and critical watersheds, and simplification of wetlands regulations;
reduction of tax burden on working families.
KEYWORDS: ELECTION NORTH CAROLINA by CNB