Sweetness And Light? Forget That

Notice, you haven’t heard Gov. George Bush calling for a Republican Congress or Vice President Al Gore shouting for Democrats to take control? Bush instead talks about crossing party lines to bring a tone of civility to Washington. And members of his campaign have even reached out to some moderate Democrats to try to put together an informal “civility caucus” after the election. Anyone watching Congress fail to adjourn before this year’s election knows it’s going to take some painstaking coalition-building to bring civility to this town. Most of these members are interested in only one thing: winning.

There is a reason neither presidential candidate is saying anything about electing a Congress of his party - it would scare the voters. And we’re not just talking about the bizarre spectacle of House Democratic leader Dick Gephardt dressing up as “Braveheart” - kilt, spear, painted face and all - to spur on his troops to conquer the House. The guys in the gray suits and glasses are equally frightening. Far from the soothing moderate image Gore and Bush are trying to portray, these Democratic liberals and Republican conservatives in Congress can’t even reach the compromises required to keep the government functioning.

With the blisters from the government shutdown of 1995 still showing scars, Speaker Dennis Hastert, trying for a little civility of his own, started this session determined to keep his right-wing caucus members quiet, reach agreement with the Democrats on the money bills and get out of town. He claimed he wanted to operate beneath the radar screen. That strategy worked perfectly for the Bush campaign, which had no desire to shine a spotlight on the Republican Congress, with the specter of impeachment and memory of Newt Gingrich clinging to it.

But the light’s now shining directly on one of the men Bush wanted to keep in the dark - Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, the Republican whip nicknamed “The Hammer.” And the delighted Democrats have Bill Clinton to thank for turning up the wattage.

Once again, the president turns out to be the Democrats’ true Braveheart. By choosing to veto several money bills, including one the Republicans insist he had promised to sign, Clinton has so infuriated DeLay and his colleagues on the right that they have decided to do it their way. DeLay will yield nothing; he even sabotaged fellow Republicans who had already negotiated one final piece of legislation.

Because the conservatives truly believe they lost seats in 1998 because the base voters were so disheartened by legislative compromise that they stayed away from the polls, their strategy now is to postpone any final congressional action until after the election.

These Republicans are convinced that Bush will be elected president and that they will win everything. They’re playing, of course, right into the hands of the Democrats, who’ve dragged their feet through the entire session so they could run against a “do nothing” Congress. And DeLay’s center-stage role is one the Democrats have been trying to push him into for months, holding him up as the man certain to subtract the “compassion” from Bush’s conservatism.

Republicans don’t seem too worried. The presidential race is so hot that nobody’s paying any attention to them, they say with relief. And, they add, if Gore starts running against the conservative Republican Congress, Bush can turn the tables. He can remind voters that some of the most ardent liberals in the land are in line to head key committees, should the Democrats gain control. That’s why Gore has stayed mum about Congress. Each side can scare moderates and independents by raising the subject.

Whoever wins in Congress next week, the margin of control in each house is almost certain to be even smaller than today’s tiny majorities. So the outs will spend the next two years trying to oust the ins.

If he’s elected, Bush’s proclaimed determination to work across party lines will be fascinating to watch. Democrats in Texas are not like Democrats in Washington, D.C., Gephardt recently reminded us. If “President Bush” phones, they might not take the call. Some Republicans are likely to turn on their answering machines as well. Gore is not likely to fare any better in an institution where he has few friends and more than a few enemies. That’s why you aren’t hearing much from presidential hustings about Congress.

And that’s why, no matter who’s elected, civility will be hard to come by.