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Subject: Old and New Sound Much the Same; Freshmen House Democrats Stress Traditional
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 92 04:42:03 EST
Message-ID: <17.1992Nov11.044204@AmeriCast.com>

Old and New Sound Much the Same; Freshmen House Democrats Stress
Traditional Concerns of Party<By Kenneth J. Cooper=Washington
Post Staff Writer= ATLANTA, Nov. 10 - In a year when change has
seemed the password to political office, Democrats elected to the
House sound very much like the ones who are already there.

The freshmen Democrats, who met with party leaders in three re-
gional gatherings, emphasized traditional Democratic concerns
about creating jobs and expanding health services. And after a
year in which the perks and privileges of Congress became cam-
paign issues, these new members were more interested in committee
assignments than rules.

The one addition to a traditional Democratic agenda that the
members-elect expressed was a focus on reducing the federal defi-
cit of about $300 billion. Deficit reduction appears to be a con-
cern that freshmen Republicans could share with their Democratic
counterparts.

Otherwise, the freshmen Democrats, nearly all seasoned politi-
cians at the state or local level, said they wanted to provide
for their districts and cooperate with President-elect Clinton in
what Speaker Thomas S.  Foley (D-Wash.) today called "unified
government."

Cynthia McKinney, a state legislator elected to Congress from
Georgia, pledged to join in "the reshaping of our national prior-
ities, our values, and we're going to do that hand in hand, arm
in arm with the Democratic leadership and President Clinton."

"I came to Congress to bring a message," said Carrie Meek, a
Florida state senator from Miami. "And that message is people are
crying out for help all across this country. People are crying
out for a square deal."

Both McKinney and Meek were elected from mostly black districts
created under the Voting Rights Act, as were a majority of 19
freshmen who met today for the last of three sessions that House
Democratic leaders held across the nation. There are 16 African-
Americans and 21 women among 64 freshmen Democrats.

Despite their diversity - there are also six Hispanics - the
freshmen Democrats stressed the same themes of jobs, health care
and deficit reduction at news conferences after the private meet-
ings. Not coincidentally, those are largely the same issues that
House Democratic leaders and - with the exception of deficit
reduction - Clinton representatives have pinpointed as priorities
in the new Congress.

"What we've all agreed to is that we will move forward with a
spirit of cohesion, because we know that the American people are
looking for the Democratic Party to deliver, not just freshmen
Democrats," said Chicago Alderman Bobby Rush after Monday's re-
gional meeting in that city. "If we don't deliver as a party,
four years from now, two years from now, we'll all go down as a
party."

The members-elect put the most emphasis on stimulating the
nation's economy, usually with the particular needs of their dis-
trict in mind.  "I believe I was elected to bring back manufac-
turing jobs to New York state and elsewhere across the country,"
Maurice Hinchey, a state legislator, said in Chicago.

Former White House aide Jane Harman, whose Los Angeles area dis-
trict is home to aerospace industries, "pledged to work on an
economic recovery program for defense, and defense reinvestment."
She wants a seat on the Armed Services Committee.

Corrine Brown, a Florida legislator, said she would seek a seat
on the Public Works and Transportation Committee.

"I come from 14 counties that have a lot of needs. I have four
airports, a seaport, buses, roads," she explained. "This seems to
be the most important priority because this is an area where we
can get jobs going . . . doing something people can immediately
see."

Luis Gutierrez, a Chicago alderman, said the 22 members who met
in his city "talked about cutting the deficit . . . a multiyear
plan in order to do that."

In Atlanta, a reporter asked the members-elect how they could
represent change, given their traditional political backgrounds
and familiar Democratic agenda.

Brown noted she would be among three African-Americans to
represent Florida in Congress for the first time in a century.
"There's nothing traditional about that . . . I come as a dif-
ferent voice," she said.

Earl Hilliard, an Alabama state senator, replied that health and
education programs "ought to be traditional, but have not been"
during 12 years of Republican presidents.

"Fiscal responsibility has not been an issue that many, particu-
larly our Republican opponents, have wanted to say was a tradi-
tional Democratic concern," said Sanford Bishop, a Georgia state
senator from Columbus.

A survey of freshmen Democrats and Republicans conducted for U.S.
News and World Report magazine found almost 90 percent of Repub-
licans rated deficit reduction as a first or second priority,
while 30 percent of Democrats did.<02:14 11-11C9999-----

Copyright 1992, The Washington Post.  This story is from the
Washington Post's Capitol Edition On-Line and is not to be ar-
chived or redistributed.

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