The Bucks County New Politics Journal presents its first interview of a significant political figure in our county.
Milton Berkes is chair of the Democratic Party. In this interview Mr. Berkes discusses the following subjects:
Note: Our interview and campaign editor Loren Danzis decided to seek an overview of politics in the county before speaking to candidates. Mr. Danzis has contacted the Republican Party chair for a similar in-depth discussion; we hope Mr. Fawkes will participate.
LOREN DANZIS I'd like to begin with a brief explanation from yourself of your involvement in the Pennsylvania elections this year. What elections are you involved in and what efforts is your office making?
MILTON BERKES This year, I'm the County Chairman in Bucks County. That means I'm in charge of all party activities concerning this campaign and any other activity that goes on politically in Bucks County.
Particularly, we're interested in the campaign for President. I'm a very strong supporter of Bill Clinton and Al Gore and we're doing everything we can to maximize the vote in Bucks County. Four years ago, Clinton won Bucks County by about three thousand votes despite Republican registration here. This year our job is a little tougher because the Republicans have increased their registration.
We're also deeply involved in the Congressional campaign. We believe that the best way we can help Bill Clinton is to send him a Congressman who will be supportive of his moderate issues and will not be voting for Gingrich for the Speaker of the House. So our candidate, John Murray, a former school teacher, will fill that bill. We are also working for Joe Kohn for Attorney General, Bob Casey, Jr. for Auditor General and Nina Baker Knoll for State Treasurer. They're three good candidates who are well qualified.
LOREN DANZIS Let's let's jump back for just a moment to the issue you raised about voter turnout. How does Bucks County break down in terms of registered voters? And I don't just mean for the two major parties. In general, how do you assess the support for Democrats, Republicans and third party candidates?
MILTON BERKES In terms of voter registration which isn't always a good measure of voting behavior, the Republicans out-register us by about 46,000 in Bucks County. There are roughly 25,000 total Independents and the Libertarians are about 100. I'm not sure how many are registered for the Reform Party. The Libertarians and the Constitutional party will also be on our ballot.
LOREN DANZIS Let's move the discussion to important local issues, beginning with education. State aid to local school districts has been reduced. Educational vouchers are becoming more popular and there is talk of a potential pilot program in the future. This issue is particularly interesting in Bucks County where many students attend parochial and non-public schools. What are the Democratic party's feelings on this issue and where do you see the debate moving in the future?
MILTON BERKES While I'm a former school teacher, I haven't taught since 1962. But with that background, I'm still committed to a great public school educational system. I believe vouchers are false, misleading and the wrong thing to do. They will destroy the public school system from whatever it is now. Basically, it will be a giveaway to non-public schools who currently have thousands and thousands of students despite all the fees they're paying. They don't need that extra thousand dollar voucher.
LOREN DANZIS Riverboat gambling. Will it be legalized? What are the county parties' thoughts or is this not a partisan issue?
MILTON BERKES It's not a partisan issue, but it's not a bipartisan issue either. People make up their own minds about riverboat gambling based on moral values and personal judgements. I think that it's wrong for certain Republicans, particularly Paul Clymer, a state representative from Quakertown, to block any public vote. What's wrong with letting the people decide? Put the issue on the ballot as a referendum for the people. The real problem is the hypocrisy: the very people who okayed the lottery, a state run numbers game and horse racing now oppose gambling. I believe the question should be placed on the ballot for local counties to decide.
LOREN DANZIS A Bucks County Commission Act, number 515 I believe, which gives tax breaks to those who leave ten or more of their acres undeveloped, is scheduled to expire in 2003 unless the County Commissioners extend the life of the Act. How does the Democratic Party and how do you in particular feel about the issue of development and this legislation in particular?
MILTON BERKES This legislation is important and vital, but does not go far enough. We should be doing more to preserve the land. Overdevelopment in any area, particularly in Bucks County, threatens our way of life. It threatens our water system, our sewage disposal system and the beauty of the county. Just recently in Buckingham Township, led by the Chairman of the Board of Supervisors Ray Stepnosky--incidentally the first Democrat ever elected in the history of that Township--opted to purchase development rights from a large farm, which then prevents that farm from being developed commercially or residentially. They purchased these rights and they pay the farmer to continue to farm that land instead of selling it for development. That's the way to go. In terms of cost, they are saving more in terms of the cost of building schools and other public necessities, saving multi millions of dollars in the long run. Buckingham was the first township in Pennsylvania to take advantage of that legislation. Everybody should be following the lead.
Other things particular to Bucks County include District Attorney Al Rubenstein 's decision to confiscate a large track of farmland owned by a person convicted of dealing drugs from the farm. Under the law, which I helped develop in the legislature during the '70s, the land becomes the property of the county. The first thing they should do with a big piece of land like that is donate the development rights to keep that land from being developed. They will get less money for the land at auction, but preserving the land is worth it.
LOREN DANZIS Bucks County is currently listed, at least on some charts, as being one of the ten fastest growing counties in the country. When voters go to the polls do statistics like that influence party choice?
MILTON BERKES No, it doesn't matter. People move to Bucks County without considering who is running the government. But don't get me wrong, Democrats slow development more than the Republicans. Democrats are less tied to the developers. Of course some developers support us because they believe in the Democratic philosophy, but more developers support Republicans because they believe in the philosophy of their pocketbooks. Democrats are committed to open space, environmental protection, clean water and clean air.
LOREN DANZIS Let's talk more about the third party candidates in Bucks County. In 1992, Ross Perot was very popular here as he was throughout the country. In 1996, fewer voters across the country seem to be supporting Perot. If that's true in Bucks County, who are they supporting instead?
MILTON BERKES Well, that remains to be seen. In '92, there was no question that Clinton won Bucks County because Perot drew votes away from George Bush. But this is a different year. Democrats have to work harder to attract Perot voters. Clinton appeals to many Perot voters because he is more moderate than the average Democratic candidate has been for many years. And because of his coopting moderate positions, Clinton has pushed Bob Dole over into the right wing. Now, Bob Dole is a captive of the Christian Coalition and his far right wing conservative platform. Many Perot voters are more moderate than the Republican platform. Therefore, Clinton takes the '92 Perot voters, not Dole.
LOREN DANZIS I take it you feel today's voters are much more flexible, much less committed to "traditional" party politics. They are willing to "switch" very readily. Now in Bucks County what is your Democratic Party doing to attract those independent or swing voters?
MILTON BERKES People are more independent than ever before. On election day people used to vote straight Democrat or Republican. Today voters select the person not the party. As Clinton has become more moderate he will be attracting more independents, and that helps the Democratic party.
LOREN DANZIS What negative name recognition role do you attach to House Speaker Newt Gingrich and the performance of Congress?
MILTON BERKES If you elect Clinton you better give him a Congress to work with. The 8th Congressional race is not against Greenwood alone, but against Greenwood and Gingrich together. Gingrich is very unpopular. He tried to go too far too fast. He is a radical right winger, but the public doesn't generally like radicals of either party, right or left. If you really want Clinton, you are better off also voting for John Murray because he won't support Gingrich, he'll vote for Gephardt.
LOREN DANZIS Some political scientists believe that either party if they control both the executive branch and legislative branch risks going to extremes. These academics support a bipolar, divided system, where you have Republicans controlling Congress and Clinton in the White House, or vice versa. They say that's the best way to preserve moderation. How do you feel about that?
MILTON BERKES Except for reality. In the last two years with Republicans controlling both houses of Congress we have had grid lock, the government shut down. Republicans were trying to force their extreme positions down the throats of the public and that's wrong.
I think the best times we have ever had were times when Democrats controlled both houses of Congress and we had a Democratic President, such as the couple of years that Kennedy was President or back to Harry Truman and to FDR. So my point is that our party has become more moderate. Within the Democratic party we have the forces that bring the positions to the middle. We have conservative, liberal and moderate Democrats. Were the Democrats to control the House, Senate and Presidency, the result would be good, moderate legislation without extremes. Now the Republicans can't do that because they are clearly controlled by the right wing. The Christian Coalition and other Republican leadership elements show no tendencies to move to the center and voters recognize that.
LOREN DANZIS Now you visited the Democratic National Convention in Chicago and actually saw what went on. But for us sitting at home it was all second hand on TV. And media commentators kept talking about "orchestration of the conventions," how they were "excessively managed," "made for television," "unexciting," et cetera. How do you react to that assessment?
MILTON BERKES Well, there were exciting speeches from Jessie Jackson and Mario Cuomo. Ted Kennedy was tremendously exciting; this is a new Ted Kennedy and he was good. There was a lot going on outside of prime time that the general public did not see. The convention is stage managed, of course, but its got to be. We no longer nominate a President at the convention, we nominate him or her in the primaries, so there is little to fight about at the convention. I was also a delegate to the convention in 1968 when they had plenty of excitement, and as a result national television stopped covering the political developments and focused instead on the protesters. Excitement does not mean a better convention for voters.
LOREN DANZIS Two things do stand out though: First, the number of viewers is declining. Second, the amount of television coverage overall is declining. Do you anticipate major changes in the convention process to again attract more coverage and more viewers?
MILTON BERKES The purpose of conventions will continue to change and develop. It's very dynamic. Today both conventions have become a showcase for party talent. Future candidates are given the opportunity to speak out on issues. For example, Joe Hoefel who is running for the Congress from Montgomery County, delivered a great speech in his three minutes. The purpose of conventions is no longer just to nominate presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
LOREN DANZIS For whatever reasons the Commission on Presidential Debates and the two major candidates seem to have agreed on a schedule of major media debates without Ross Perot. Perot has filed a variety of legal complaints and lawsuits trying to "get in the door." What is your prediction of how the debate about the debates will develop? Who is finally going to be involved and should the Commission have included Perot?
MILTON BERKES I think Perot is a real feisty guy. I guess if I had billions of dollars I might be just as feisty. But even with all of his charts he has been shown in the past to be not very credible. A lot of things he said don't really pan out, are not really sound, he exaggerates. From that viewpoint the question is whether or not he would lend anything to the public discussions.
LOREN DANZIS Well Perot disagrees. He says his exclusion is and I quote "a major setback for democracy." He says, "The two major parties don't want this curr dog included, just two registered puppies is all they want." Do you think there is any advantage in having a feisty person, a non-establishment troublemaker at the table?
MILTON BERKES He's wrong. When you put Clinton and Dole on the same platform, you are going to have two guys fighting with each other. They are not lap dogs, they are not going to soft peddle each other. They are going to fight. Would Perot add to that? That's the question. Everybody knows his positions. They know he would challenge Clinton on NAFTA, attack Dole on tax cuts and voodoo economics. But Clinton and Dole will do the same thing to each other on the same issues. So, Perot doesn't lend anything to the debate and he doesn't have a chance to win. "One on one" between potential winners, that's enough.
LOREN DANZIS What is your prediction for the Presidential race in Bucks County? What percentage of votes will these three individuals--Dole, Perot and Clinton--get?
MILTON BERKES Clinton will win Bucks County and Dole will come in second, Perot a poor third, but not much more distant. Perot will do better in Bucks County than in other places across the country. I think he will score 10 percent.
LOREN DANZIS How will Perot's debate exclusion affect Bucks County voters? Might Perot voters naturally turn to Dole if Perot is not a viable candidate? Or, might allegations that Dole, not Clinton, excluded Perot anger Perot voters, sending them to Clinton instead?
MILTON BERKES Dole is clearly saying he doesn't want Perot in the debate. Clinton, however, is reaching out to Perot voters with a willingness to include Perot in the debates.
LOREN DANZIS In virtually every area of present economic, social, and educational lifestyles the massive expansion of technology is a dominant issue. The ramifications, both good and bad, are very controversial. Now what about politics? Political communications change every day. What impact will this have on Bucks County voters and the elections in general?
MILTON BERKES It will have a large impact. A little history. I can remember my first election, nobody advertised on television. We dealt mostly with newspapers and some radio. When television advertising by candidates began, campaigns became tremendously expensive. Today most candidates put a spending priority on television advertising. Media priorities have been totally reversed.
LOREN DANZIS Do you see these new communication avenues reaching out to a particular constituency? Independent or Democratic or Republican voters especially?
MILTON BERKES Well, they are reaching out to everybody. I would guess that more sophisticated voters, many Republicans, are getting the greatest impact. But they too might also be the more cynical and might be turned off more by negative advertising. On the other hand, poor folks who of course have television would rather watch a movie or some other show than tune into a political thing. They don't get involved.
LOREN DANZIS Across the country some people seem to be very attracted to the values that Bob Dole talks about, "the character issue." Other people are more interested in jobs and the economy and their taxes and the deficit. Bucks County voters, how do they come down? What's more important to them, the man or the money?
MILTON BERKES What do Dole and Republicans mean by values? You can not put your fingers on it. Does it mean family values? We all raise kids and want them to grow up, to go to school, to become professionals, to have better jobs than we had. No party owns a monopoly on that. So will the character issue hurt us? I don't think so. It hasn't hurt so far. The only place where it hurts is among people who aren't going to vote for Clinton in the first place. It reinforces their Dole vote, but so what!
LOREN DANZIS There are ten Pennsylvania Assembly seats in Bucks County. Eight of those are Republican controlled and two are Democrat controlled. How do you see those Assembly seats divided up after this election? MILTON BERKES The two Democrat districts are safe. Two Republican districts are also safe, the 152nd and the 144th, because they are not contested elections. The other six districts are up for grabs.
In the 145th, Suzanne Hendricks, a registered nurse, is feisty, sharp, campaigning hard and presents a clear contrast to Clymer. People have a clear choice to continue the old guard, old line, old conservative, right-wing kind of representation that Clymer has given them or to try something new.
In the 143rd we are running a young, sharp and very clever woman lawyer named Melissa Bond. She is an African American who is out knocking on doors. A lot of people are saying they want to support her.
In the 31st district, Joe Hunter is running. He's a councilman in Yardley with a good base. As of this interview he has knocked on over 6000 doors and received a really good response. People like him, he is down-to-earth.
In the 178th, the Republican Roy Reinard has been returned for many years. But the Democrats have a young recent college graduate name David Hall. David ran a write-in campaign to get on the ballot. Young people are flocking to him and he is getting a lot of support from other folks. I think he has an excellent chance to win.
In the 18th, we have a hard-working business owner named David Zane. He's running for office for the first time, but he's enthusiastic, he's good, he knows the issues, and it's a district he can win.
In the 142nd, there is Bob Sooby, another young candidate. Together with David Hall, Melissa Bond, Joy Hunter and Susan Hendricks, there is a new breed of Democrats. They are pragmatic, they are hard working, they are out there knocking on doors and they are contrast to their opponents.
You see generally Republicans campaign on good services. Republicans say they have a good constituent services office, which incidentally we tax payers pay for. They say, "I got an office and can get license tags, Department of Health information, and bureaucratic hassles taken care of for you." Now, that's not what we elect state representatives to do. State representatives are elected to legislate. Yet the Republicans treat these jobs as messenger jobs, boasting about how many service hours they provide, how many queries they answer, how many license tags they brought back from Harrisburg. You know, we can hire messengers to do that, we don't have to pay a hundred thousand dollars a year, which is generally what each legislator is costing the taxpayers. Very expensive paper pushers!
LOREN DANZIS Can voters expect solid constituent services if Democrat win?
MILTON BERKES Of course, constituent services is part of the job, but it is not the most important part. Most important is being a legislator, supporting good legislation, representing your district and making your voice heard. You know, there are Republican legislators who have been there five, six, seven, eight years, but never gotten a single bill passed. That's not serving any constituent. LOREN DANZIS As a chairman of the local Democratic committee, what one thought would you like to leave with prospective voters entering the polls in November?
MILTON BERKES Vote with your head. Vote for those candidates who will best represent you, best represent your County and best represent what we wish for America, what we want the future to be, what we want our grandchildren to have and what direction we want to go. For me, that's a Democratic direction.
LOREN DANZIS Thank you very much.
MILTON BERKES My pleasure.