[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 198 (Wednesday, December 13, 1995)]
[House]
[Page H14371]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 SOME FRIENDLY ADVICE FOR THE DEMOCRATS

  (Mr. ARMEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. ARMEY. Mr. Speaker, last week the contest for California's 15th 
Congressional District was a national test of whether Americans had 
grown weary of this Congress' effort to balance the budget, reform 
welfare, and save Medicare from bankruptcy. One Democrat political 
consultant said, ``This is a test run, the sample for the campaigns of 
next year.''
  This morning you would need a magnifying glass to find the results of 
what was only days ago a special election of national significance. 
Maybe it is because the Democrats ended up losing a seat they held for 
decades after waging one of the most negative campaigns in recent 
memory.
  I have some friendly advice for my colleagues on the other side of 
the aisle. Stop the character assassination. Stop basing your campaigns 
on fear and fiction. Stop the boiler room operations that call senior 
citizens at night to scare them into voting Democrat.
  Instead, tell people what you stand for. If my colleagues believe a 
bigger Federal Government is the key to prosperity, make their case.
  If you think the proper role of government is to redistribute income 
through the tax system, make your case. I know that most Americans may 
not agree with that point of view in this day and age, but at least it 
makes for a honest public debate.
  Tom Campbell told the voters of California what he stood for. He told 
them he wanted to come here to help balance the budget for the first 
time in 30 years and to save Medicare for the next generation. In the 
end, the people rejected the hatred and the negative attacks, and voted 
for a positive vision of the future. Do your party and the Nation a 
favor, and learn from his success.

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