Rod Grams: “too often here in Washington, politicians come to town with a mission but end up coming down with a severe case of…”

“too often here in Washington, politicians come to town with a mission but end up coming down with a severe case of Beltway fever. They get caught up in the unreal atmosphere of this place and eventually forget what it was that first propelled them into public service. They shut themselves away in their Senate or House offices or even in the Oval Office. They spend their time hobnobbing with their new-found Washington friends. And after awhile, they just lose touch with the folks who sent them here. They think they are doing 'the people's business,' but in truth, they are no longer speaking for the people at all. The 11 Members of the Senate freshman class came to town with a mission, too, a mandate given to us by the voters. We met often as a group last year to track our progress. And as 1995 came to a close, we took a step back and began asking ourselves some pretty tough questions, such as: What is the mood of the country? What are people saying about Congress and the decisions we freshmen faced in our first year in the Senate? Did we really hear the message we thought we heard in November 1994, when the voters sent us here to balance the budget to get Government spending under control, to deliver middle-class tax relief, and protect and strengthen Medicare and Medicaid? Most importantly, is the message that brought this freshman class to the Senate in 1994 still alive and well in 1996?”