Front Page  opinion

Sunday, September 19, 2004

'Independent' Rarely Strays from Party Line

By David Alire Garcia
Of the Journal
    Among the people whose job it is to make TV ads, it's called a testimonial.
    With the Sandia Mountains behind her, Republican Rep. Heather Wilson opens the spot with those now-familiar politician words: "I'm Heather Wilson and I approve this message." Then a handful of voters say very nice things about Heather.
    There's a guy who praises Wilson for protecting Kirtland Air Force Base; there are a couple women who praise her for supporting business.
    But the testimonial that caught my eye came from Mary Ann Weems, a "Democrat for Heather," according to the caption on the screen as she delivered her tribute.
    "Heather Wilson is the most independent politician I have ever known," says Weems. "She is nonpartisan."
    Bear in mind this isn't just the opinion of one voter; it's a large part of the political image Wilson's campaign works to present to voters.
    I think it's fair to say that most who have followed Wilson could easily— and accurately— describe her as smart, accomplished and a formidable campaigner.
    But not independent or nonpartisan.
    In reality, Wilson's six-year record of voting in Congress reveals a loyal, dependable vote for the official Republican Party position on the overwhelming majority of issues. Much more so than either of the Republican congressmen who represented Albuquerque before her.
    Last year, Wilson voted with the House Republican leadership 91 percent of the time according to vote-tabulating researchers at Congressional Quarterly. The year before that, 90 percent of the time. The year before that, 94 percent.
    The Albuquerque-based 1st Congressional District that Wilson represents isn't a 90-percent-plus Republican district. It's nearly evenly split between those who prefer Democratic ideas and candidates versus those who prefer Republican ones.
    The late Steve Schiff and Manuel Lujan, both Republicans, voted the party line a lot less.
    During the last three years of Schiff's tenure in Congress (1995-1997), he voted the Republican Party line 78 percent of the time. During the last three years of Lujan's service (1986-1988), he voted with the House Republican leadership 65 percent of the time.
    Both had well-earned moderate, independent reputations, rather than just selling one on TV, on the radio and in mailings.
    In her defense, Wilson can point to a handful of votes that, by themselves, would seem to argue the other way.
    She joined a bipartisan coalition in the House to increase Head Start spending, and pushed for more funding for child care. She's voted for background checks at gun shows.
    And with much fanfare, she voted against extending the child tax credit to more parents. In a press release— and now on the campaign stump— she notes that she voted against a Republican bill that would have done this, and a similar Democratic bill.
    Why?
    "... Our budget still does not balance and we expect to have a lot of bills to pay," according to a statement Wilson's office released in May.
    Yet, she voted for major tax cuts before this one, even though the federal budget wasn't in balance then either. Plus, she advocates making these tax cuts permanent, even though, again, the federal budget is far from balanced.
    Wilson says she supports the importation of prescription drugs from Canada, but voted with the Republican leadership against it when the budget-busting Medicare prescription drug benefit came up for a final vote last year. That vote was telling because, unlike most others, the margin was razor thin.
    When Republican leaders needed her vote, they got it.
    Conversely, the rare bipartisan vote on overtime pay earlier this month garnered the support of almost every Democrat and 22 Republicans— but not Wilson.
    "She is essentially a fairly conservative Republican," former Republican Gov. David Cargo told me shortly after Wilson's first debate with her Democratic challenger, state Sen. Richard Romero, last Sunday.
    At the debate, Wilson insisted that she "frequently" crosses party lines.
    "If you have an honest discussion with the House (Republican) leadership, they don't like a lot of my votes."
    If that's true, Schiff and Lujan's votes must have been absolutely despised.
    The bigger point is that being a loyal Republican, or a loyal Democrat, isn't a character flaw. These days, it's probably an unavoidable way of life in a very partisan Congress.
    But the preferable way of campaigning when representatives are back in their districts would be to project an image that matches their voting record.
   
Write to P.O. Drawer J, Albuquerque, NM 87103. E-Mail: daliregarcia@abqjournal.com