Where I Stand -- Brian Greenspun: Casualty of ugly politics

THE HIGH GROUND of public service will miss the presence of Richard Bryan.

It did not come as a complete surprise that another respected, energetic and responsible United States senator made the decision not to seek re-election in the year 2000. It happened earlier this week and it will occur a few more times before the ballots are printed for the political equivalent of Y2K. What created shock waves throughout Nevada, however, was learning that our own Sen. Dick Bryan was the man calling it quits.

There are certain matters of state that we are entitled to take for granted. In this state, one of those foregone conclusions is that there would always be the name Richard H. Bryan in front of the electorate for its consideration. In fact, I can't remember the time when his name was not front and center for the voters of Nevada to express their preference. And they have been overwhelmingly positive in their reaction for decades.

The obvious question is why? Bryan, in making his announcement at the Las Vegas Academy of International Studies -- it used to be called Las Vegas High School and is Dick's alma mater -- quoted Thomas Jefferson. "There is a fullness of time when men should go and not occupy too long the high ground to which others have the right to advance." That's a saying, by the way, that has universal application, not just in the political arena.

Bryan also said that he had reached a time in his life when the opportunity to reach out for family -- one in which grandchildren will play a significant part -- was upon him as well as the chance to meet other challenges. At 61, many people are looking forward to retirement. Not so for our junior U.S. senator; he's just starting.

Whatever the reasons, and I am sure there are many very good ones, I just can't help thinking about the effect the political environment in this country had on his ultimate decision not to run for another term. And the same holds true for New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg who announced his retirement from Club 100 a few days earlier. And that goes for whichever other senators seek life outside the Beltway rather than stand for re-election in two years.

The climate I speak of is the same one that has been changing the way people think of politics for the past two decades. It is a nasty climate in which elected officials who differ politically or philosophically from one another believe they must also cut any ties that may bind them socially to those with whom they disagree. In short, it has been getting ugly in Washington for some time now and there are no signs of a letup anytime soon.

Colleagues used to argue vehemently on the Senate floor for some political prize and, when finished, they'd leave their differences at the cloakroom door as they headed out to a warm and friendly lunch or dinner with one another. Political opponents who used whatever means at their disposal to effectuate their own brand of political success over their counterparts were almost never seen to gloat when the final votes were taken. Instead, a handshake and an "I'll get you next time" approach was the order of the day.

That is no longer the case. People on either side of the aisle hardly speak to one another, let alone have dinner together. Families which used to count as their friends people from both parties seem almost duty-bound to stick to their own and have nothing to do with the "enemy." And why? Just because they don't agree on matters political and philosophical. And it's not a way of political life confined only to Washington.

That same kind of partisanship to the point of abhorrence is growing across the entire country. "If you don't agree with me," they say, "I won't like you and your children can't play with mine." While that may be an attitude most people just can't understand, the fact is that such is the reality of politics in the '90s.

That is part of the backdrop against which elected officials like Richard Bryan must assess their career choices. And that is the kind of environment, I believe, which makes decisions like Dick's far too easy to make. For who in their right minds wants to fight every day just for civility in the workplace. Common decency should be a matter of right in a place like the U.S. Senate. But it is not, and that makes it a place that is not nearly as much fun to work in as it used to be.

So who can blame Dick when he says he's done. For sure, his reasons are sound and not ones with which decent people should quarrel. But beneath the surface is the rancor that defines official Washington and that had to have taken a toll as our junior senator weighed the pros and cons of his decision.

So if it is true that good people are being led to make decisions that will have adverse effects for their constituents, then we must ask ourselves why we allow that to happen. The answer to that question lies somewhere between understanding and apathy. I believe most Americans can't even comprehend the extent to which life inside the Beltway has become too much of a grind. And I suspect that a national apathy has rendered most of us incapable of raising our voices against such outrage.

But that answer isn't good enough. For Nevadans there are issues far too vital to our future well-being to leave them open to decisions based on discontent. The nuclear waste dump -- a matter which Dick Bryan has handled skillfully and with significant success against long odds -- is one issue that comes to mind. Pick whatever is next on your agenda and realize that without men like Bryan to champion the cause, the chances for success fall off dramatically.

And it will only get worse unless we demand a change. And that change must begin with us. For we allow the rancor to thrive. Heck, some of us even relish the partisanship and applaud the bad blood that threatens almost any chance for success.

Chances are that Dick Bryan's decision to leave public service had everything to do with the reasons he gave and nothing to do with the ugliness that defines our political system. If you ask him, he's too much of a gentleman to tell you otherwise. But I don't believe in chance.

I do, however, believe in magic. Nevada could use some right about now.

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