No one delivered a clearer message to the 100 Rhode Island business leaders who recently descended on the nation’s capital than U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Massachusetts did. In a brief, but eloquent – and at times, stirring address – Kerry, the ranking member of the Senate’s Small Business Committee, called on all business leaders – whether they be Republican or Democrat – to commit to raising the standards of American workers through education.
More and more of our children are at risk, said Kerry. More and more of them are on welfare – and more of them are missing out on any chance to chase the American Dream.
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“It is the one overpowering challenge to this country,” said Kerry. “Every business person in the nation needs to be connected to this issue.”
Kerry, who was considered – but not chosen – as a running mate for Vice President Al Gore, prodded the business leaders to make a difference.
”None of us can afford to abandon our responsibility of citizenship,” said Kerry. “You are voices of influence. In every way you can use that influenceeveryone has a responsibility to make our schools better.”
Kerry was one of several Washington, D.C. heavyweights to address the contingent of Rhode Islanders.
The group took a Southwest Airlines flight from T.F. Green Airport on the morning of Sept. 7, arriving at the Philip A. Hart Senate Office Building, where U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, had arranged a day-long conference peppered with visits by Congressional colleagues, key members of the Clinton Administration and national media pundits.
Reed said the Congress is about five weeks away from wrapping up its business for the year, with several major issues still unresolved.
”We are trying to accelerate the deductibility of health insurance for the self-employed,” he said.
In his third annual “Rhode Island Business Day” in Washington, Reed brought in Secretary of the Navy Richard Danzig, representatives of the U.S. Small Business Administration, Bob Schieffer, moderator of CBS’ Face the Nation, Charlie Cook, a renowned political analyst and others.
Each member of Rhode Island’s congressional delegation also stopped in to greet the Rhode Islander visitors, but none left the impression of Kerry.
Another of Reed’s colleague’s, however, also drew high praise: U.S. Sen. Joseph R. Biden, Jr., D-Delaware, who was first elected to the Senate at 29 in 1972. Biden delivered a message in the straight forward manner that has made him so popular in Congress.
While Democrats, Republicans and Independents seem to be taking a rather laid- back approach to the 2000 presidential election – it is an election of extreme importance. The new President, said Biden, is likely to select at least three members for the U.S. Supreme Court, selections that will affect the course of history for decades.
Biden said that most issues in Washington, whether they relate to taxes or trade initiatives, can ultimately be changed if they are not working. A simple vote of Congress, he said, and directions can switch.
But the U.S. Supreme Court, he said, is a different story. The next president, he said, could dramatically re-write the course of history with his appointments to the nation’s highest court. Therefore, reasoned Biden, it is the voters in the voting booth in November, choosing the next president who will have the chance to affect our future.
“We (in Congress) can not, will not change the composition of the Supreme Court,” said Biden. “It’s not going to happen. This is a big ticket item and you are not hearing about it in the campaign.”
Biden praised the small business community.
“Productivity is up because you took a chance,” he said. “You went out and bought all those computers and equipmentyou downsized when you had to. What we finally did was get out of the way. We didn’t screw it up.”
Where Kerry and Biden scored points with their comments to the Rhode Island business leaders, U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy, D-Rhode Island, appeared to shoot – and miss – with his remarks.
Kennedy, who has been crisscrossing the country for months to raise money for Democratic congressional candidates, suggested that what Rhode Island really needs is a bigger government – and a majority of Democrats to run it.
“We are on the doorstep of taking Congress back,” said Kennedy. “Our state needs a bigger federal government.”
Kennedy defended his fundraising efforts and the significant amount of time he spends outside of Rhode Island. He also said that he expects to hold a prominent seat on the House Appropriations Committee, a post he said should pay dividends for Rhode Island.
“I hope I can offset the fact that Rhode Island is such a small state – because of all of this running around the country,” he said.
Unlike others – including U.S. Rep. Robert Weygand and U.S. Sen. Lincoln Chafee – who spoke in cordial tones, Kennedy was determined to turn his opportunity at the podium into a political rallying cry. Among his other comments; “They say we’re in bed with labor – they’re in bed with the insurance companiesIf people want lower taxes, they better vote for Democrats.”
Some in the audience were noticeably uncomfortable with Kennedy’s comments, shifting in their seats – some rolling their eyes. Afterward, one small business advocate said he was “offended.”
Like Kerry, Kennedy did call for more efforts to strengthen the nation’s public education system.
Schieffer was unquestionably a crowd favorite, delivering folksy remarks that reflected more than 30 years of experience inside the Beltway. Schieffer said a part of him missed the old days, when political elections were run by amateurs and candidates were selected in smoke-filled rooms by local party bosses. It may not have always been fair, he said, but it certainly wasn’t as costly as it is today.
In fact, Kerry shed some light on just how costly politics has become.
“The agenda of this city can not be helped but to be impacted by the $100 million per month that is spent here,” he said, referencing the dizzying amount of money being consistently funneled into political campaigns.
Schieffer drew a laugh when he related an old Washington, D.C. story. It seems Henry Kissinger approached the podium at a press conference and was told he had 20 minutes to speak. Kissinger said he wasn’t so sure he could accomplish what he needed to in 20 minutes, suggesting he might need 40.
Famed journalist Helen Thomas, seated next to Schieffer, delivered this advice to Kissinger; “Why don’t you start at the end,” she said.
