Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.twt.news From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Bank issue yields 25% return for Hill challengers Date: Mon, 9 Nov 92 14:59:57 EST Message-ID: \SE A;NATION \SS (WS) \HD Bank issue yields 25% return for Hill challengers \BY Phil Kuntz \CR CONGRESSIONAL QUARTERLY In the end, the House bank scandal provided an effective though by no means perfect weapon for congressional challengers across the country. Of the 269 sitting members with check overdrafts, more than one in four (77) retired or were defeated in primary or general election bids. Of those with clean House bank records, only about one in six (28 of 166) had political careers cut short. The more overdrafts members had, the more likely they were to be defeated or to retire. Just six of 17 current members accused of having "abused their banking privileges" by the House ethics committee will be back in 1993. Of the 46 members with 100 or more overdrafts, 25 (54 percent) retired or were defeated. Of the 389 with fewer than 100 overdrafts or none at all, 80 (21 percent) retired or were defeated. Some House incumbents who were considered vulnerable won re-election despite many overdrafts - Jim Ross Lightfoot, Iowa Republican (105 overdrafts); Bill Goodling, Pennsylvania Republican (430); Ronald D. Coleman, Texas Democrat (673); Dan Glickman, Kansas Republican (105); and Charles Wilson, Texas Democrat (81). But in other districts, the House bank affair was a key, and perhaps decisive, issue. Along the Rio Grande, Texas Democratic Rep. Albert G. Bustamante's 30 "cheques calientes" helped doom his re-election bid. On Long Island, Rep. Thomas J. Downey, New York Democrat, fell while trying to convince voters that his 151 overdrafts had nothing to do with his wife's job title (misleading, he said) - House bank auditor. Ohio Democratic Rep. Mary Rose Oakar's claim that she really had only 19 overdrafts - not 213 - did little but give her GOP opponent an easy opening. "Ms. Oakar," Martin R. Hoke told her during a nationally televised encounter, "you are still in denial." Mr. Bustamante had been re-elected several times with more than 60 percent before Republican challenger Henry Bonilla depicted the overdrafts "en espanol." Rep. Gerry Sikorski, Minnesota Democrat, had seemed secure before his 697 overdrafts helped Republican Rod Grams win by a wide margin. Though he had long represented a GOP-majority district, Mr. Downey had consistently won with 55 percent or more until Rick A. Lazio seized on his bank troubles. Despite previous ethics scrapes, Miss Oakar had not polled under 70 percent since coming to Congress in 1976. Rep. Bob McEwen, Ohio Republican, had polled 70 percent or better for three elections in a row until his 166 overdrafts handed Democrat Ted Strickland an easy issue. Rep. Joseph D. Early, Massachusetts Democrat, had run unopposed three times before Republican state Rep. Peter I. Blute struck a chord highlighting his 140 overdrafts. Some had additional baggage weighing them down. Mr. Sikorski's conversion from a pro-life stance to pro-choice hurt him. Miss Oakar also was tainted by the House post office scandal. Mr. Bustamante had been under investigation by a federal grand jury on other matters for three years and galled low-income constituents by buying a $500,000 home. Even members with few or no checks were hurt by the scandal. Defeated GOP Reps. Don Ritter of Pennsylvania and Tom Coleman of Missouri were nailed for using perks - especially after they showered their district with franked mail to announce that they had no overdrafts. Rep. Dave Nagle, Iowa Democrat, who had four overdrafts, was criticized for trying to persuade House colleagues to resist a federal subpoena of House bank records. Iowa Republican Jim Nussle, one of the so-called Gang of Seven GOP freshmen who clamored to close the bank, used the episode to paint Mr. Nagle as a leadership toady - and beat him. (Another of the Gang of Seven, Rep. Frank Riggs, California Republican, who had three overdrafts, was defeated.) The check scandal helped incumbent GOP Sen. Bob Packwood of Oregon beat back a challenge by Democratic Rep. Les AuCoin, who had 83 overdrafts. Likewise, Democratic Sen. John Glenn of Ohio was able to deflect criticism of his role in the Keating Five affair by pointing to former Rep. Mike DeWine's nine overdrafts. * Distributed by Scripps Howard. This article is copyright 1992 The Washington Times. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM