A Lonely Middle Ground: Connie Morella fights to keep “moderates” off the endangered species list
by Sapna Shah on March 19, 2008 in The Citizen Profile
IOP Fellow Connie Morella
A moderate, Morella lost her Congressional seat to Democrat Chris Van Hollen by a narrow margin in 2002, a defeat she attributes largely to redistricting. Redistricting, which involves redrawing electoral boundaries, often shifts the voter balance to favor one political party over the other. Morella sees it as one of many ways in which “politicians choose the voters rather than the other way around,” and a growing trend that is unseating moderates in the U.S. Congress.
Shortly after Morella’s defeat, then-IOP Director Dan Glickman invited her to take on a visiting fellowship at the school. “It was the perfect time to return to academia,” recalled the former English professor, looking back on it.
“I loved it,” Morella said, “being able to meet so many interest groups, and being here to help young women increase their confidence in themselves.” Morella returned this spring to the IOP, where her study group focuses on the dying breed of the American political moderate.
Nothing irks Morella more than the intense partisanship on both sides of the aisle in Washington.
“The environment for moderates is difficult and you see them leaving by their own choice,” Morella said, pointing to U.S. Representative Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY), who formerly chaired the House’s Science Committee, and decided not to run for reelection in 2006.
Morella served on the Boehlert-led Science Committee during her time in Congress, and remembers it as “a highly bipartisan, or actually, nonpartisan” activity - exactly the kind of rapport she thinks is lacking in politics today.
These days, neither party escapes Morella’s critical eye. She says Republicans deserved their 2006 Congressional defeat, blaming their demise on scandals, misuse of power and a misguided focus on fringe issues like same-sex marriage. But she is equally critical of the Democrats.
“They weren’t looking for solutions, and they weren’t focused on working together,” she said.
Deeply committed to supporting women in politics, Morella recounts the inspiring words of Admiral Grace Hopper to all the aspiring female public servants she meets: “A ship in port is safe, but that’s not what ships are for,” to which she adds, “Sail on!”
A self-described political junkie, Morella says that, even in 2008, women face more difficulties than men. Though she is not aligned with any campaign, she is critical of the language that the media has used to describe Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, such as referring to her laugh as a “cackle” or to her posture as “aggressive.” Such words, Morella points out, are not typically used to describe male politicians.
Connie Morella’s IOP Study Group, “AN ENDANGERED SPECIES: THE MODERATE IN THE U. S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES - PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE,” meets on Thursdays from 4:00-5:30 in L166 and runs through April 17.
Editor’s note: An earlier edition of this story inaccurately stated that Morella was unseated by Mark Shriver. She was unseated by Chris Van Hollen. The Citizen regrets the error.
Comments
Got something to say?
