Opinion Piece: Former Staffer to Senator John Heinz Laments the Lack of Civility and Political Courage in Senate Today and Need for More Men Like the Late Senator

WASHINGTON, April 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is an op-ed by Jeffrey Lewis, President of the Heinz Family Philanthropies:

Needed: more civil senators.  The nation lost a champion of bipartisanship and integrity in government 19 years ago when Senator John Heinz died.

On April 4, 1991, Pennsylvania lost a favorite son, voters lost a U.S. senator who put their interests first before the politics of the day, and the nation lost a moderate Republican who understood, valued and cared about rebuilding this nation's human and physical infrastructure. John Heinz understood that bipartisanship, civility and integrity were the roots of legislative success and political longevity.

With the passage of the national health care legislation, the bitterness, unpleasantness and animosity displayed by members of Congress in some ways is reminiscent of the Congressional battle over passage of the Equal Rights Amendment.

In an April 1978 speech to the American Association of University Women, Sen. Heinz shared his concerns over why the ERA was not moving forward. His comments reflect the mindset of a passionate, caring and thinking Republican legislator who clearly understood the pulse of the American people and today his words still echo the issues Congress cannot overcome:

"The stubborn battle over the ERA reflects a growing malaise in American society, and one that concerns me greatly. If I am right, it should be a grave concern to you and all Americans. We are losing our tolerance of diversity, our understanding of different circumstances and points of view, and good will toward those who reflect those differences. I think the reason for this failure of spirit, is a lack of confidence; a lack of confidence in our leaders, our institutions and even ourselves. We Americans have always been renowned for our ability to meet and conquer tough problems..."

What John Heinz discussed then is unfortunately still true today. He was elected in an era when civility was woven into the fabric of the legislative process. Name calling, if it did occur, was left to the backrooms, not a public forum and certainly not the floor of the U.S. Congress. No one, Republican or Democrat, would have tolerated the callous disregard for the presidency of the United States.

During Sen. Heinz's era, respect for the legislative process was paramount. These legislative colleagues certainly disagreed on many issues before them, but neither their race nor their religion, ever entered the public debate. It was always about the substance, the strategy and your ability as a legislator to convince your colleagues.

In a speech to the graduates of Wilkes College in May 1979, Sen. Heinz shared his definition of leadership:

"Real leadership, whether it is political, economic or moral, involves persuading people to do something now that will bear fruit in the future. But too many people live only in the short-term. Instead of clearly seeing what is demanded of us in this changing world ... of learning from the past, instead of charting a new course for tomorrow, too many Americans are allowing themselves to be manipulated into quarreling with the past and denying the realities of the future.... Americans risk losing the future and missing the great opportunities that lie before us as a nation."

When you consider the Democrats and Republicans who voted against the recent national health law, some defined their position early on. For those people, while we may disagree, you respect their unwavering position. The second group of legislators, like U.S. Rep. Kathy Dahlkemper, recognized that the perfect was not possible and that the needs of her constituents and the nation were more important than personal ideals; you applaud their leadership and commitment. And for all others, you simply ask why.

John Heinz understood that when the core values of the Republican Party were being threatened or a Republican president needed his vote that was the price of being a party leader. But, above all, John Heinz never forgot he was a Pennsylvanian. He unabashedly supported policies that his party may not have agreed with because they were in the best interests of his constituents and often the American people as a whole.

And he did this by protecting and growing steelworker jobs; by changing the nation's private pensions laws to protect non-working spouses; by telling Americans that the White House was using the Social Security trust funds to mask the size of the true national deficit; by changing Medicare hospice care and to offer all recipients a real prescription drug benefit; and by protecting ordinary investors and pensioners from the greed predations of Wall Street gunning to tear down the firewalls that protected the individual investor.

Sen. John Heinz understood that bipartisanship was not a one-way street. He cared deeply about the average Pennsylvanian, about this country and about his own family. His death left a significant void, and a dearth of passion and certainly pragmatism. John Heinz was never afraid to walk across the aisle to support a Democratic initiative. And, when he did, Pennsylvania and America were always that much better off.

Jeffrey R. Lewis was the Republican staff director for Sen. Heinz and now serves as chief of staff for Teresa Heinz ([email protected]).

SOURCE Heinz Family Philanthropies