No one as far as we know ever accused U. S. Rep. Vic Snyder of holding a wet finger to the winds before he voted or took a stand on a hot issue in a political campaign. No lawmaker in our memory ever cast more votes that seemed calculated to get him defeated. That was true in two terms in the Arkansas Senate and five terms in the U. S. House of Representatives.
Former U.S. Sen. Dale Bumpers once said that he knew of no politician to whom principle counted more and politics less.
Snyder has sometimes been found voting all alone in the 435-member House against a meaningless proposition that was intended to set up members of his party for defeat. When party leaders told him he would be casting a needlessly dangerous vote, he said it was a stupid position and he would vote no, knowing that it would be used against him in the next election. It was.
That sort of courage and honor is only one reason we support Snyder’s re-election. He is what someone once called “an undemagogue.” We also think he is uncommonly wise and frugal. If a majority of his colleagues voted with him, the United States would not be running a mammoth budget deficit and we would be spending our taxes more wisely and helpfully for the American people.
Snyder’s opponent this year is Andy Mayberry, whose campaign is calculated to take advantage of the happenstance of his name, which is supposed to remind people of the mythical television town of Mayberry. Otherwise, his campaign is known for a few bizarre stands. Here is one: He wants every school to have government-enforced prayer.
The prayer that children heard each day would be the one prescribed by the predominant religion in the neighborhood: Catholic, Baptist, Muslim, Mormon, Lutheran, Jewish, whatever. Vic Snyder is the choice in Congressional District Two.