Capital heroes

Congress today is a sad sight: tax breaks for the rich, smothered campaign finance reform, attempted palace coups. But a few good legislators are still fighting to make America a better place.

by Michael Crowley

It's so very easy to dislike Congress these days. House Speaker Newt Gingrich is publicly reviled, and if not for the ineptitude of his colleagues, the whiny Georgian would have been deposed last week. After years of demanding a balanced budget, the Republicans are about to finalize a major tax cut for the wealthy that will quickly throw us back into the red. Campaign-finance reform lies comatose. The venerable Senate Foreign Relations Committee has become a forum for the frothing malice of Jesse Helms. A May Gallup poll showed Congress's public-approval rating down to a dismal 32 percent.

But distasteful as Congress may have become, it still influences our daily lives through everything from taxes to abortion laws to speed limits. When we're tempted to turn away from Washington in disgust, it's all the more important to consider what good remains in the marble corridors of the Capitol. And yes, even in 1997, a few legislators are beaming rays of light through a darkened institution.

If a perfect politician exists, you won't find him here. But these representatives and senators represent some of the best Capitol Hill has to offer right now. They tend to fall into two categories. Some have been committed and effective leaders on a crucial issue -- the environment, entitlements, technology. Others seem to embody the best in national politics, raising the general tenor of the Washington debate.

This list is not exhaustive, and some congressional giants -- Ted Kennedy, for instance -- are plenty familiar already. In fact, much of the Massachusetts delegation merits praise -- think of Marty Meehan's long-time opposition to big tobacco and advocacy of campaign-finance reform, Ed Markey's smart work on telecommunications, and Joe Kennedy's battles over public housing, credit-card rip-offs, and alcohol advertising. But instead of being shamelessly parochial, we've swept the nation for some flashes of heroism in Congress. That said, we'll begin by cheering one of our own.

Michael Crowley can be reached at mcrowley[a]phx.com