Linder hoping image as hardworking policy wonk can topple flamboyant Barr

Posted 7:57AM on Monday 12th August 2002 ( 22 years ago )

CONYERS - Several bus drivers approaching retirement packed one of Rep. John Linder's town hall meetings recently, hoping he could reverse the effects of their county's decision two decades ago to opt out of the Social Security program. Linder says he enjoys such interactions with real life constituents about their real life problems. After all, he chose to spend this beautiful spring Saturday - a perfect campaigning opportunity - in Rockdale County, which is part of his current district but not part of the new district he is running in against fellow GOP Rep. Bob Barr. Besides the fact none of the bus drivers will be able to vote for him on Aug. 20, Linder - always philosophical, especially in settings like these - had some philosophical issues with their gripe. "If they'd have put that same money into a retirement plan, they'd be the wealthiest people in the world. They just didn't save it," Linder said afterward, offering a similar but tamer assessment to the bus drivers. So, his staff took their names and registered their complaints. But Linder didn't try to hide his thoughts that if you don't pay into the federal retirement system, you shouldn't get money out. Linder, like Barr, doesn't sugarcoat his opinions. If a constituent asks what they think about a given policy, they'll gladly answer, even if it's not what the questioner wants to hear. Barr just tends to do this more forcefully. He's the flamboyant former Clinton impeachment manager who seldom ducks an opportunity to appear on television. Linder is a quiet, often overlooked policy expert - a member of the powerful but largely anonymous Rules Committee. In two to four years, Linder hopes to lead the panel. "Linder's supporters perceive him as being the old reliable workhorse," said Charles Bullock, a University of Georgia political scientist. "Because Barr's so much more visible and more colorful, whether you like him or don't like him may be a stronger factor than how you feel about Linder." But Linder insists he represents far more than the anti-Barr vote - a constituency he contends is sizable. He says he can rally enthusiasm too, maybe not through fiery floor speeches but through behind-the-scenes conservative policymaking, such as his so far unsuccessful attempts to replace federal income taxes with a national sales tax. Former Republican Sen. Mack Mattingly hasn't made an endorsement in the race and says it's a shame that either Barr or Linder will be out of a job next year. However, Mattingly says a quiet lawmaker like Linder - similar to himself - has just as much chance at being successful as a more noticed one. "What do you expect from a dentist? They're all quiet," jokes Mattingly, a reference to Linder's former line of work. "You can do a lot of stuff quietly." Suburban Atlanta's 7th District was redrawn by the Democratic Legislature to pit Barr and Linder against each other. Both candidates' conservative records fit well in the district, so as the primary gets closer, the two men are campaigning on their stylistic differences. "The talk shows and news programs go to people not because they're boisterous," Barr said. "They come to people who have the ability to make a statement clearly, say something of substance and sort of break through the clutter out there. John obviously doesn't do that." Linder, as evidenced by his campaign season swing through a county that can't even vote for him, is matter-of-factly approaching this election as if it's just another day at the office and his relationship with Barr as a mere spat between co-workers. "I don't need the attention he seems to need," Linder said. "Politics is all about what you believe. You go to your constituents and tell them what you believe. If they don't believe what you believe, you leave. I haven't changed for 28 years. I'm running for the future, and I don't care what he does." In a recent debate, Barr implied Linder was in the hip pocket of Philip Morris, the nation's largest tobacco company, and IDT Corp., a major telecommunications company. He owned stock in both companies. Barr's campaign issued a news release last week pointing out that Linder's sale of the tobacco stock came six months after he agreed to support the measure allowing the Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco - something that company supports. Linder explained he goes through his stock portfolio every December and had overlooked it until then. "This is a man who is a fanatic for figures and detail," Barr said. "He is obsessed with minutia. So for him to claim, 'I didn't know where I had my money,' I don't think rings very credible." Linder called Barr's allegation that he was influenced by his stock holdings "a blatant lie." "For him to imply I'd do anything for money is nuts," Linder said. Linder has often been on the offensive recently. He has ridiculed news of Barr's $30 million lawsuit accusing President Clinton, porn publisher Larry Flynt and Clinton adviser James Carville of "emotional distress." Then, when an antique gun went off at a Barr supporter's house as the weapon was being handed to the congressman, Linder poked fun at Barr, the congressional liaison for the National Rifle Association. "A guy with $30 million worth of emotional distress shouldn't be allowed to handle firearms," Linder said. Barr wasn't amused. "There's nothing joking or snide about it," Barr said. "That is so ludicrous, it's not even funny."

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/8/191416