GOP CANDIDATES URGE CONGRESS REFORM; EMERSON KICK-OFF DRAWS ENTIRE GOP STATEWIDE TICKET

Two Republican lawmakers Saturday repeated their calls for congressional reform at a political rally. U.S. Rep. Bill Emerson and U.S. Sen. Christopher Bond said that reform of Congress is the only way to ensure positive political change in America.

The two lawmakers made their remarks at Emerson's campaign kick-off picnic at the A.C. Brase Arena Building. The political picnic and rally, which marked the official start of Emerson's campaign for re-election, drew about 800 people and the entire Republican statewide ticket.

In addition to Emerson and Bond, the rally drew gubernatorial candidate Bill Webster; lieutenant governor candidate Margaret Kelly; attorney general nominee David Steelman, secretary of state candidate John Hancock, treasurer nominee Gary Melton; and state senatorial candidate Peter Kinder. The candidates paid tribute to Emerson, and called attention to their own races.

Emerson said he was "excited" to have been named recently to a 28-member congressional committee, comprising Republican and Democratic members of both houses, that will look at possible ways to improve the operation of Congress.

"I think about 40 percent of what is wrong with Congress is structural," the Cape Girardeau Republican maintained. "The other 60 percent of what is wrong with Congress is the liberals who run it."

He pointed out there hasn't been a Republican majority in the House since 1953.

But he said that with a large number of incumbents retiring or losing elections, more than 150 new lawmakers will be elected to Congress this year.

"The battleground is going to be whether the new faces are going to be liberal or conservative," he said.

"I hope what we will be able to do is to show the people that Congress is a serious body," said Emerson.

Bond repeated his call for a new ethics committee and an automatic adjournment date for Congress. "I think we need to cut the budget and staff of congressional committees by 25 percent.

"We ought to make Congress live by the laws they pass for others," he said.

Bond said he also favors giving the president the line-item veto.

The senator said he hopes the joint House-Senate committee will adopt such policies and build "a constituency for change."

As for Missouri's gubernatorial race, Webster said he believes Republicans will rally around him despite a heated primary battle in which he defeated two Republican opponents State Treasurer Wendell Bailey and Secretary of State Roy Blunt.

"The bottom line is they both wanted to be governor and so did I," said Webster, Missouri's attorney general.

Webster said he and his Democratic opponent, Lt. Gov. Mel Carnahan, have differing views on a whole range of issues.

He contended Carnahan wants to implement "the biggest tax increase" in the state's history.

"Every election he (Carnahan) runs in, he is for more taxes," said Webster.

"I am for term limits; he is against term limits. I am against unionizing schools and state government; he's for it. I'm for parental notification and informed consent legislation on abortion; he's against it," said Webster.

Webster predicted President Bush will carry Missouri in November. But he said he doesn't believe the presidential race will have an impact on the gubernatorial election.

Both Bond and Emerson also defended the Bush administration's handling of federal disaster relief for victims of Hurricane Andrew, saying criticism of the federal relief effort was unjustified.

Much of the criticism of disaster relief efforts has been aimed at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is responsible for coordinating Washington's response to domestic disasters. Critics feel relief efforts have been slow.

An estimated 180,000 people in South Florida were left homeless when the hurricane flattened the south Miami suburbs Monday before slamming into Louisiana.

Since then, federal troops have been called in to assist victims of the disaster.

Emerson said there are always logistical problems with relief efforts in the aftermath of major disasters such as a hurricane.

But he said, "I have every reason to believe the president and the government acted in a positive way."

Bond strongly denounced the criticism. "That's hogwash," he told a Southeast Missourian reporter.

The senator, in turn, criticized what he called "petty politicians and sniveling journalists" for trying to make disaster relief a political issue.

"Even in an election year, you wouldn't think people would complain about humanitarian relief efforts," said Bond.