Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.
P. O. Box 3711
204 Broad Street
Martinsville, Virginia 24115
276-638-8801
Toll Free: 800-234-6575
|
|
 |
|
|
| He has no regrets about going his own way in Washington |
Fifth District U.S. Rep. Virgil Goode Jr. (standing) talks with Robert Cobler of Collinsville during a dinner held last week in Goode’s honor at Buddy’s Taste of Home Restaurant. (Bulletin photo) |
Sunday, December 28, 2008
By MICKEY POWELL - Bulletin Staff Writer
Lawmakers should be independent thinkers and not merely follow a leader, according to 5th District U.S. Rep. Virgil Goode Jr.
“I never was a big follower,” said Goode, R-Rocky Mount. Having been both a Democrat and a Republican, he noted that he was not afraid to voice opinions that differed from other members of either party, as well as the president.
For example, Goode said he did not support free trade policies that most Republicans supported and the recent financial sector bailout, which was supported by President Bush.
Goode has been a lawmaker for 35 years, first in the General Assembly and later in Congress. He recently lost a bid for a seventh term in the House of Representatives to Tom Perriello, a Democrat from Albemarle County.
He said he thinks most of his colleagues on Capitol Hill respected him. Yet being an independent thinker “can hurt you” in politics, he said, because it affects a lawmaker’s ability to deal with colleagues.
Some lawmakers are impressed, he said, but “some want you to do what they want, regardless” of what is right or wrong.
“If they thought they could change you, they’d stay after you and after you and after you,” he said.
But he realized that if he firmly declared he would not change his opinions, “they’d leave you alone,” he said.
Among lawmakers, “I’ve had a few close friends,” Goode said, but making friends was not a high priority for him. He said that while other lawmakers spent weekends socializing in Washington, he felt it was more important to return to the 5th District to stay in touch with his constituents.
Goode said he considers congressmen Bob Goodlatte of Virginia, Howard Coble and Walter Jones of North Carolina, Lynn Westmoreland of Georgia, Tom Tancredo of Colorado and Ron Paul of Texas to be among his closest friends in the House.
He said that while Sen. John Warner, R-Va., was “pretty easy to work with,” he does not perceive having close friends in the Senate because “there really is not much interaction” between the two lawmaking bodies.
NO STRANGER
TO CONTROVERSY Goode’s opinions on issues have not always been popular. Sometimes they have been controversial.
An example is his effort to crack down on illegal immigration. Earlier this year, he said that had become his top priority as a congressman.
Goode said he thinks his lack of support for immigration measures prompted people nationwide who favored the measures to contribute to Perriello’s campaign.
He does not regret his stance. Goode maintains that illegal immigrants cost the United States billions of dollars related to education, health care, social services and operating prisons.
Illegal immigrants are “going to have a harmful impact on us,” Goode said.
Noting that he was the first congressman to submit a bill to install a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border, he said that “securing the borders is going to be vital” to national economic interests and possibly preventing terrorism.
Goode, 62, was a Democrat until 2000 when he left the party and became independent. He joined the Republican Party in 2002.
“The Democrats were mad at me because I voted for the impeachment of (former president Bill) Clinton,” he recalled, indicating their anger made him realize he no longer was suited for that party.
He joined the Republicans after they helped him get a seat on the House Appropriations Committee. He said he thought having that seat would help him obtain federal funds to benefit the 5th District.
Goode said he considers helping Henry County and Martinsville obtain more than $6 million in federal funds to be one of his major accomplishments.
Those funds have benefited institutions such as Patrick Henry Community College, the New College Institute, the Bassett Historical Center, local law enforcement agencies, the Piedmont Virginia Dental Health Foundation clinic and former Henry County courthouse uptown.
Other things Goode cited as his accomplishments include helping to:
• Achieve a buyout settlement that he said will result in about $492 million over 10 years being distributed among tobacco growers and quota holders.
Goode said he was one of the main lawmakers pushing for the settlement. He said the legislation was considered for six years before it was approved.
• Establish a refundable tax credit to help people who lost jobs and received Trade Act benefits pay for health insurance, and
• Get “In God We Trust” printed on the front of the presidential dollar coin instead of on the rim.
Goode indicated he thinks the change was needed for people to continue to be aware of religious principles that were influential in the nation’s founding.
The phrase has “always been on money” in the United States, he said.
NO SURPRISES
IN ELECTION
Soon after graduating from the University of Virginia School of Law, Goode was elected to the state Senate in 1973 when he was 27 to fill the seat of William F. Stone, who had died. He continued to represent the 20th Senatorial District for more than two decades before he was elected to Congress in 1996.
Patsy Arrington, a longtime supporter who operates a Collinsville restaurant, said Goode was popular with voters due to his loyalty, integrity and honesty.
“His heart is in what he does,” and he is a man of good character, she said.
Perriello defeated Goode by 727 votes in the Nov. 4 election, a court recently determined after Goode asked for a recount.
However, Goode was not surprised that he lost the election. He said that he and his supporters thought it would be a close race.
“This was a bad year to be running as a Republican,” he added, because many people have lost faith in Bush or think Republicans have gained too much power in Washington.
If he could turn back time and campaign again, he said there is “a laundry list” of things he would change, but he would not elaborate.
Goode said he feels no animosity toward Perriello.
“We disagree on issues,” he said. Basically, “his definition of what’s best for the 5th District is different than mine.”
He said he would not offer Perriello advice on how to vote on issues, but he would be willing to assist his successor in the transition if asked, such as by providing background information on issues.
Goode added he would advise Perriello to “learn his way around the buildings in Washington as quickly as possible” so the new congressman will not run the risk of being late for important meetings.
Other than to spend time with his family, Goode has not made any plans for after his congressional term officially ends Jan. 6.
He has no immediate aspirations to seek another political office.
Being governor would be “the best job you could have” in the state, Goode mused.
But he is not considering running for that post. He said he thinks his years in the General Assembly promoting the needs of Southside and other rural areas of Virginia put him at odds with lawmakers from Northern Virginia.
Those lawmakers’ “influence has continually increased” over the years, he said, and he perceives their influence could hinder him in getting his party’s nomination for governor.
For now, “it’s been an honor and a privilege” representing the 5th District in Congress, Goode said. |
| |
|
|
.jpg)
