Budget vote could haunt Mezvinsky

In what is widely regarded as a Republican year, freshman Congresswoman Marjorie Margolies- Mezvinsky (D-Pa.) is trying to do the politically impossible: win re-election in a highly Republican district. University alumna Mezvinsky represents Pennsylvania's 13th District, an area which covers most of suburban Philadelphia's Montgomery County and surrounding areas. This district, which Mezvinsky won by only 1,300 votes over Montgomery County Commissioner John Fox in 1992, sent a Republican to Congress every year since 1916 before her victory. Mezvinsky faces Fox again this year, and her allegedly imminent political demise has been widely trumpeted in the press and Republican circles. She has been particularly vilified for her decisive 1993 vote that helped pass President Bill Clinton's first budget in the House of Representatives. But in an interview yesterday, she voiced strong belief in her politically unpopular stand. "I didn't want to see gridlock in Washington continue," she said. "I absolutely knew at the time that it may cost me my seat. I would do it again if I had to. "People vote to stay in office, not to lead," she said. "We need people in Washington who are willing to do the job." Mezvinsky was defiant when asked about her projected defeat on November 8. "Reports of my demise are premature," the former television anchor said. "In the latest poll, I'm within four points of my competitor. In this type of year, I should be 40 points down." Mezvinsky cited her accomplishments in the 103rd Congress as the reasons that she should be re-elected. On the politically charged issue of entitlement reform, she cited her role in bringing the debate to the center stage of Washington politics. "I'm most proud of getting a serious conversation going on entitlements," she said. "We can't reform the system if we don't do it seriously." She was enthusiastic about her role in the Congressional Institute for the Future and an entitlements conference she sponsored at Bryn Mawr College last December. President Clinton and several Cabinet members attended the event. Mezvinsky cited her strong support for women's rights in Congress and her role in the passage of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban and Brady Bill as important accomplishments. "We need to fight crime in order to get a handle on all of the other important issues in this country, such as health care," she said. On the emotionally charged issue of welfare reform, Mezvinsky said the problem is much more complex than the so-called "two years and you're out" plan. "We need to provide job training and opportunities to these women," she said. "We also need to take away the disincentives for leaving welfare, such as health care benefits." Mezvinsky said she wants to continue being a "deficit hawk" if she is re-elected to another term, and would continue to support women's rights and equity in the health care system.