Wednesday, March 26, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
THERE ARE SEVERAL aspects of politics that make it different from any other social activity. Probably the greatest error a politician or political party can make is not to learn from past mistakes.
There's no doubt that the ultraliberal members of the Democratic Party eventually forced it into irrelevancy in the minds of many Americans. The voters of this country don't make snap judgments, but rather are inclined to sit back and watch politicians and partisan political workers destroy themselves.
The Democratic loss of Congress a few years ago started two decades ago and, as winners, the party leaders became more bold after every successful election. This also encouraged the special-interest groups controlling the party machine to make more and more demands upon their elected officials. No longer were they satisfied with a friendly official voting for important issues that they supported. They eventually came to demand that the elected officials vote with them every time or they were put on the doubtful list. Two or more votes with which they disagreed, and they were out looking for an opponent to face the official at the next election.
Large numbers of Democratic office holders were pushed so far to the left that they were out of the American mainstream. For some strange reason, the Republican congressional victors in 1994 didn't realize that they were the beneficiaries of this foolishness, and they immediately jumped so far to the right that they took the GOP way out of mainstream thinking. Some of them were scorched in 1996, but they still have some room to play in, because a few of the wise ones started to hustle some of their legislative quests back toward the center. In 1998 and 2000, we will find out if they are back far enough to satisfy the voters of this country.
Most financial contributors and special-interest groups have learned from recent history, but right here at home it appears that more learning must be done. At least one contributor believes that, when he puts money in a political campaign, he has purchased the hearts and souls of the officials he supported. Too much of this kind of thinking on his part, and good candidates will find his money too hot to handle.
The same can be said for special-interest groups that expect the officials to toe the line they draw in the political sands, no matter what the general public believes is right. This can, after a period of time, result in a public backlash against the very interests of the group and the officials who vote with them on every issue.
Several days ago, Clark County Commissioner Myrna Williams got caught between a campaign contributor and a powerful labor union. There was no way she could come out of this fray unscathed. Despite this, she met the issue in a straightforward manner and flashed the courage Americans want their politicians to show but which they seldom do.
Williams publicly made her position clear when saying, "Unfortunately, there are some individuals and organizations that believe that they can direct individual commissioners to vote in a specific way because of their support during a prior election or their threat to withhold their support in future elections. This next agenda item has created just such a situation. On the one hand the Culinary Union, which supported me in all my previous campaigns for public office, has mailed a brochure to the voters in my district implying that my vote on this agenda item can be bought by a campaign contribution. The leadership of this labor organization is wrong. My vote has never been for sale and never will be. Throughout my years in public office, I have fought for the rights of all those citizens that I have represented and have been particularly sensitive to the needs of working men and women. Based upon the telephone calls from rank-and-file Culinary members who have received or seen this brochure, it is clear that they resent this attack on my honesty and integrity and do not support the less-than-subtle threat to work against me in future elections.
"On the other hand, I have received financial support from Sheldon Adelson's company during my last campaign for County Commission. Recently, a representative of Sheldon Adelson advised me that, unless I vote in favor of the Sands on this agenda item, I will be considered a union organizer. Implicit in the message is a veiled threat to withdraw his support for any future political office that I might seek. In light of Mr. Adelson's position, I directed my campaign to refund all political donations his company made during my election to the County Commission. Yesterday, my check refunding those campaign contributions was delivered to his office."
Later, a union official was quoted as saying, "I've seen politicians shoot themselves in the foot, but Williams has shot herself in both feet." That could be true if viewed strictly from his and Adelson's point of view. I'd rather believe that Williams' action would fit better in John F. Kennedy's "Profiles In Courage" than it would in a file of petty political grievances kept by either the hotel man or the union.
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