The Man without a Soul

George Nethercutt has become a case study in corruption. Not criminal corruption punishable by prison, but intellectual corruption, a corruption whereby any semblance of true political representation is tossed aside for personal gain. And on that score, we are all punished.

Years ago, Nethercutt stunned even his supporters by reneging on his word to step down after three terms. That pledge was the seminal issue in his historic victory over then-Speaker Tom Foley. One reason Nethercutt gave was his supposedly selfless devotion to maintaining seniority for his House district. He couldn’t leave. Just couldn’t do that to the people who needed his enormous clout in the House.

Now, just a few years later, Nethercutt has chucked the needs of these constituents to cash in on a chance to be a big-shot senator. But he’s running into some problems. His opponent, Democrat Patty Murray, has been pummeling him with TV ads pointing out that he cannot be trusted as evidenced by his inability to keep his word. And conservatives aren’t fond of Nethercutt, either.

In the primary, the National Taxpayers Union Campaign Fund endorsed his opponent, Reed Davis. Their leader, John Berthoud, told taxpayers that they “simply can’t afford to take a chance on Nethercutt’s spending habits.”

Mr. Berthoud went on to suggest that “. . . Nethercutt’s faltering record on voting to reduce taxes, spending, and debt is a potent example of why we need term limits.” Nethercutt gave up a lot to get where he’s going. Too bad one thing was his political soul.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

• Episode Number: 1203
• Publication Date: 10/29/2004