THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, June 8, 1996 TAG: 9606080006
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A12 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: 36 lines
The Republican primary June 11 has implications for all Virginians, Democrats and Republicans alike.
The choice should be easy, for Sen. John Warner has served the state well for 18 years. His performance record for Virginia is well-known and stands by itself.
But by straying from the Republican Party and not supporting far-right-wing candidates like Michael Farris and Oliver North, Warner showed a great deal of courage, integrity and independent thought that, unfortunately, is rare in politics today.
Holding back his concerns and going along with the party nominees would have been easy and virtually risk-free for Senator Warner; instead, he showed that he cared too much about the United States and Virginia to allow extremist politicians to represent our state, standing out against them even at the possible cost of his own political career.
The alternative, former Reagan Budget Director Jim Miller, is a man who has changed his views numerous times in attempts to achieve his long-stated personal goal of becoming a U.S. senator. If the Republican Party is looking for a puppet senator to simply call up the Christian Coalition and cast the standard Pat Robertson vote without independent thought, even Miller is not needed - any 5-year-old can follow instructions like that.
However, if Virginians are looking for a senator who has given a lot of thought to the issues and can do the most for our state, there can be no choice other than to re-elect Sen. John Warner. All Virginians should take part in our democratic process by voting in the open primary Tuesday and casting their votes for a better Virginia.
RONIT BERKOVICH
Virginia Beach, June 3, 1996 by CNB