For the party

Real issues forgotten as House elects Speaker

They could have talked about Social Security. Or crime. Or any of the other 10 problems that the Contract with America defined so clearly just two years ago.

Instead, the members of the House of Representatives have been talking about Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and his ethical troubles.

It started when he used tax-exempt money for political purposes, which has led to a debate about whether he should be re-elected as speaker for a second term.

Some people believe that many politicians are unethical, so why does it matter what Gingrich did? After all, supporters said, admitting to his wrongdoings was at least a step in the right direction.

It matters because the vote was split along party lines.

Gingrich got 216 votes for Speaker of the House -- all from Republicans. Rep. Richard Gephardt of Missouri, the Democratic leader, got 205 -- all from Democrats, except for a vote from Rep. Bernard Sanders, an independent from Vermont.

Our representative, John Peterson, R-Pleasantville, played the game like most of his colleagues, putting party loyalty first and ethical questions second.

What made the vote even worse was that, in some newspaper articles, Republicans were quoted as saying they only voted for Gingrich out of party loyalty. They really didn't want to elect him as speaker.

This first vote could represent the pattern for the next two years -- Democrats and Republicans voting along party lines. It doesn't have to be that way. President Clinton says he wants to work together. Ditto for Gingrich.

But what about this vote?

What about Gingrich's claim to then-Speaker Jim Wright in 1989 that the speaker of the House should be held to higher ethical standards? Are these standards calculated by party loyalty?

The Contract with America states, "As Republican Members of the House of Representatives and as citizens seeking to join that body we propose not just to change its policies, but even more important, to restore the bonds of trust between the people and their elected representatives."

Perhaps those bonds of trust would be restored if House members sat down and figured out what to tackle in the upcoming session.

Let Rep. John Peterson know you're unhappy with his vote by calling him at (814) 238-1776 or (202) 225-5121.