Sunday, February 14, 1999
GOPers had better be ready for election battles
BY HOWARD WILKINSON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
There were more than a few surreal moments over the past months as the Republican impeachment kamikaze made its excruciatingly slow descent into the South China Sea, but the best came in the drama's final act.
Last week, many Republicans on Capitol Hill worked themselves into a lather over a report in the New York Times that the Clinton White House is plotting ballot-box revenge.
How dare they think of retribution?, wounded Republicans cried on the talking-head shows. Has this man no shame that he would try to defeat members of Congress of the opposite party?
On and on they went about how they would not be intimidated by the president or his bald Cajun hit-man, Corporal Cueball James Carville.
Their main objection seemed to be this — that a Democratic president would go out and raise money for Democrats to defeat Republicans.
To which we can only say:
Duh.
Even with the disgrace of impeachment and the scarlet letter tattooed to his forehead, Bill Clinton has been and will remain the most prodigious political fund-raiser of his generation, a man who can walk into a room in any city in America — even this one — and so spellbind the well-to-do that they will write five-figure checks for a plate of chicken cordon bleu and the pleasure of his company.
Raising campaign money is what the man does.
And, yes, he will continue to be very good at it, and the lucre that he rakes in will be used to defeat congressional Republicans in 2000. It may not take a lot — the Republicans are only six seats away from losing the House, and the Democrats feel the odds are moving in their direction in the presidential and Senate contests as well.
Some of this cash may find its way to Ohio.
Throughout the Senate trial, the television networks would occasionally throw the pictures of Republican senators believed to be vulnerable because of their support for impeachment, and invariably Ohio's Mike DeWine would be among them.
Mr. DeWine voted to convict on both impeachment articles, as did Ohio's junior senator, George Voinovich.
Mr. DeWine plans to run for a second term in 2000 in a state where public opinion against impeachment was as strong as it was nationwide.
Organized labor is a potent political force in Ohio; and labor leaders have grumbled that they stand ready to remind voters of Mr. DeWine's membership in the impeach ment club. Democrats in northeast Ohio are also not likely to be happy with Mr. DeWine; and he is not the political force there that Mr. Voinovich has been.
Viewed from inside the Beltway, Mr. DeWine is a potential target for the Democrats. But viewed from inside Ohio Democratic Party circles, Mr. DeWine could be seen as a Republican who could be had, if only they had a candidate to run against him.
Then there is Steve Chabot, the Cincinnati Republican who found himself knee-deep in history as one of 13 House impeachment managers.
He, too, can expect the Democrats next year to go up against him for the third election in a row with guns blazing.
It is hard to imagine the Democrats coming up with a stronger candidate than Roxanne Qualls — who could, of course, try it again in 2000. But Mr. Chabot survived the Qualls barrage, a massive union ad blitz, and two presidential visits to Cincinnati to campaign for Ms. Qualls to win 53 percent of the vote.
Unlike some of his colleagues, Mr. Chabot kept his wits about him after Friday's vote and said he wasn't going to worry about presidential retribution.
After all, Mr. Chabot said, “What is he going to do — come in three times the next time?”
Howard Wilkinson's column runs Sundays. Call him at 768-8388 or e-mail hwilkinson@enquirer.com
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