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Trending to the Campaign Garden
J lß O
X .
W ASHINGTON REPORT
TENDING TO THE CAMPAIGN GARDEN
w
elcome to the political silly sea-
It may be autum n to you, but it ’s springtime for all those many candidates who w ill stand for public office in the 1984 elections. It’s a time when every body’s running for something, but no body’s running for anything. This is a time of shifting, maneuvering, jockeying for position. Timing is all im portant. Setting is crucial. Right now, it’s the other guy who is running. Maybe he w ill make a mistake, shoot himself in the foot, scold a baby in public, commit him self to something, oppose something, who knows what. Nothing succeeds like the other guy’s excesses. It is not the power of positive politics that carries the day in this season of hope and dreams. In Congress, all bets are off on legisla tion. The legislation you thought was on a fast track is suddenly derailed. The legis lation you had written off reappears as somebody’s compromise. All those care fully crafted coalitions that were formed to promote or oppose particular pieces of legislation have to face the reality of 435 candidates for reelection in the House and one-third of the Senate members fac ing voters next year. In spring, a candi date’s fancy may turn lightly to thoughts of legislation but his eye is on his job. Each c a n d id a te has p ro fe s s io n a l priorities that may not necessarily corre spond with the legislative priorities of the moment. That means nearly 500 different directions Congress can go at the same time. Presidential plotting Oh, and there is a presidential election next year, too. What with legislation on hold for the 852 ■ JAI)A. Vol. 107, November 1983
n o n c e , a n d s t a t e s m a n s h i p on a springtime break, it is a time of posturing and pontification; a time to scatter seed for new coalitions; a time of political promise before the sap flows in New Hampshire. During the funny season, it looks as though the political world is distorted. You think you are standing in front of one of those carnival mirrors that alternately squashes and elongates your image. Sometimes you see the right things being done but for the wrong reasons. Take the proposed tax on health insurance. It ap pears to have been shoved aside, and a good thing that is. But not because the politicians have suddenly seen the light and recognize it for the ignoble experi ment it would be. Although, to be fair, more politicians appear to be questioning the use of a tax on health insurance to con trol health costs. But the health tax has been tabled for now simply for political expediency, or so it appeared at this writ ing. It is not a vote-getting issue. It might even hurt a candidate to be seen on the side of a tax increase before the 1984 elec tions. So no sooner do you turn away from the carnival mirror in this silly season than you find yourself in a garden of political delights. What are some of the plants abloom? Perennial staking Well, there’s that hardy perennial, the continuing resolution, which enhances the quality of life at various government agencies. Carefully cultivated this year, with just the right compost, it sure beats the thorns of appropriation. Who wants to handle thorns while tending a campaign garden?
Flowering nearby is that hybrid of sanctimony and misdirection, the socalled campaign finance reform. An un usual plant, this. It seems to flourish in the heat of campaign rhetoric. Varieties turning up at Capitol Hill garden parties are featured regularly in the press. Tend to wilt quickly if untended. Over in the corner, that untamed un dergrowth entangling the roots and vines of other plans, is the legislative veto. It was uprooted by the Supreme Court this summer, but now nobody quite knows f how to handle it. Even after the uproot ing, the residual entanglement has ensnarled legislation intended to resolve the controversy over the powers of the r Federal Trade Commission. And who could forget the flower of budget reconciliation? Congress, of course. Okay, so we all get a chuckle from these springtim e hijinks of cam paign ’84. That’s fine, a little comic relief from the * seriousness, if not the tedium, of the polit ical process. Trouble is, if people get to laughing too much, they’ll think it’s all a big joke. Shortly after Congress returned from its August (not august) recess, Rep. Barber B. Conable, a New York Republican, uttered n a truism that was duly recorded by the New York Times. It could serve as an epitaph for the 98th Congress. “We’re well into a political mode already,” said Mr. Conable. “This is the longest pres idential campaign in history, and it’s not likely we’ll accomplish much this fall.” ^ And that’s no joke. This report was prepared by Craig Palmer, public information counsel, ADA Washington Office.
X .
W ASHINGTON REPORT
TENDING TO THE CAMPAIGN GARDEN
w
elcome to the political silly sea-
It may be autum n to you, but it ’s springtime for all those many candidates who w ill stand for public office in the 1984 elections. It’s a time when every body’s running for something, but no body’s running for anything. This is a time of shifting, maneuvering, jockeying for position. Timing is all im portant. Setting is crucial. Right now, it’s the other guy who is running. Maybe he w ill make a mistake, shoot himself in the foot, scold a baby in public, commit him self to something, oppose something, who knows what. Nothing succeeds like the other guy’s excesses. It is not the power of positive politics that carries the day in this season of hope and dreams. In Congress, all bets are off on legisla tion. The legislation you thought was on a fast track is suddenly derailed. The legis lation you had written off reappears as somebody’s compromise. All those care fully crafted coalitions that were formed to promote or oppose particular pieces of legislation have to face the reality of 435 candidates for reelection in the House and one-third of the Senate members fac ing voters next year. In spring, a candi date’s fancy may turn lightly to thoughts of legislation but his eye is on his job. Each c a n d id a te has p ro fe s s io n a l priorities that may not necessarily corre spond with the legislative priorities of the moment. That means nearly 500 different directions Congress can go at the same time. Presidential plotting Oh, and there is a presidential election next year, too. What with legislation on hold for the 852 ■ JAI)A. Vol. 107, November 1983
n o n c e , a n d s t a t e s m a n s h i p on a springtime break, it is a time of posturing and pontification; a time to scatter seed for new coalitions; a time of political promise before the sap flows in New Hampshire. During the funny season, it looks as though the political world is distorted. You think you are standing in front of one of those carnival mirrors that alternately squashes and elongates your image. Sometimes you see the right things being done but for the wrong reasons. Take the proposed tax on health insurance. It ap pears to have been shoved aside, and a good thing that is. But not because the politicians have suddenly seen the light and recognize it for the ignoble experi ment it would be. Although, to be fair, more politicians appear to be questioning the use of a tax on health insurance to con trol health costs. But the health tax has been tabled for now simply for political expediency, or so it appeared at this writ ing. It is not a vote-getting issue. It might even hurt a candidate to be seen on the side of a tax increase before the 1984 elec tions. So no sooner do you turn away from the carnival mirror in this silly season than you find yourself in a garden of political delights. What are some of the plants abloom? Perennial staking Well, there’s that hardy perennial, the continuing resolution, which enhances the quality of life at various government agencies. Carefully cultivated this year, with just the right compost, it sure beats the thorns of appropriation. Who wants to handle thorns while tending a campaign garden?
Flowering nearby is that hybrid of sanctimony and misdirection, the socalled campaign finance reform. An un usual plant, this. It seems to flourish in the heat of campaign rhetoric. Varieties turning up at Capitol Hill garden parties are featured regularly in the press. Tend to wilt quickly if untended. Over in the corner, that untamed un dergrowth entangling the roots and vines of other plans, is the legislative veto. It was uprooted by the Supreme Court this summer, but now nobody quite knows f how to handle it. Even after the uproot ing, the residual entanglement has ensnarled legislation intended to resolve the controversy over the powers of the r Federal Trade Commission. And who could forget the flower of budget reconciliation? Congress, of course. Okay, so we all get a chuckle from these springtim e hijinks of cam paign ’84. That’s fine, a little comic relief from the * seriousness, if not the tedium, of the polit ical process. Trouble is, if people get to laughing too much, they’ll think it’s all a big joke. Shortly after Congress returned from its August (not august) recess, Rep. Barber B. Conable, a New York Republican, uttered n a truism that was duly recorded by the New York Times. It could serve as an epitaph for the 98th Congress. “We’re well into a political mode already,” said Mr. Conable. “This is the longest pres idential campaign in history, and it’s not likely we’ll accomplish much this fall.” ^ And that’s no joke. This report was prepared by Craig Palmer, public information counsel, ADA Washington Office.