Opinion:
Even Al Gore Isn't as Boring as Cong. Olver

By Izzy Lyman
October 2002 Print Edition

After listening to Rep. Olver address Amherst Town Meeting, I concluded even Al Gore isn't that boring.

The Congressman dropped by to praise Amherst for being the recipient of a meaningless environmental award. During his presentation, Olver, a former chemistry professor, droned on about greenhouse gases, the Antarctic ice shelf and his involvement with the Congressional Climate Change Caucus.

In a monotone voice, he told Town Meeting members (the ones who hadn't dozed off), "I believe that global warming is the most important environmental issue of this century."

Earth to Olver.

Fortunately, Matt Kinnaman, the forty-something Republican who wants Olver's congressional seat, isn't a climate control freak. Kinnaman strongly disputes Olver's full-of-hot-air prediction.

"Today's temperatures are significantly cooler than global temperatures during the Medieval Climate Optimum about 1000 years ago," says Kinnaman. "The most important environmental issue of this century is the increased well-being of the earth's population, through wise use of the earth's energy resources, enlivened and renewed by our God-given ingenuity."

God-given ingenuity? That's how Kinnaman - a former teacher and program director for non-profit enterprises - talks. He lives in Lee and believes in lower taxes, a strong military and the right-to-life for the pre-born.

Such ideas, of course, also make him a conservative. You know, those folks who give the free-market and the Almighty their due. They also shiver when the name "Robert Reich" is uttered. Kinnaman is the common-sense contrast to a partisan Democrat like Olver. The Congressman may live in Amherst but his real residence is a liberal parallel universe. It's an eerie place where no federal regulation is too cumbersome and no tax is too high to fund utopian, unconstitutional schemes.

During the 107th Congress, Olver co-sponsored bills aimed at directing fellow lawmakers to "enact legislation by October 2004 that provides access to comprehensive health care for all Americans." He supports pondering slavery reparations (H.R. 40) and is more interested in conserving global bear populations (H.R. 397) than he is about unborn Americans, given his pro-abortion voting record.

Not surprisingly, the American Conservative Union selected Olver for a spot on their "House Worst and Dimmest" list. Americans for Better Immigration gave the congressman a grade of "F" for his reluctance to reduce illegal immigration. The Gun Owners of America went one better: they gave him an "F-" because he is an "outspoken anti-gun advocate."

Since 9-11, Olver has distinguished himself by voting against several anti-terror measures, such as the Terrorist Bombings Convention Implementation Act.

The act allows the United States government to use capital punishment against convicted terrorist bombers. Olver, apparently, is more interested in sparing the lives of al-Qaida fanatics than bringing justice for those citizens who were killed in the World Trade Center attack, like Jessica Sachs, a UMass/Amherst graduate.

Are there enough residents in the 1st Congressional District who are dog tired of being represented by a lightweight leftist? I hope so. It sounds like a cliché, but Kinnaman is dead-on when he describes Olver as "out of touch."

Astute observers of the culture need only observe the success of the Fox News network, the popularity of the pro-family values Signs movie, the support for the "under God" phrase in the Pledge of Allegiance, the relentless flying of Old Glory, and the excitement over the Left Behind (Christian thrillers) book series, to understand that Americans, in general, aren't enamored with progressive causes. Even Pope John Paul II recently cautioned devoted Catholics about the "noisy propaganda of liberalism."

This November voters have a choice - they can elect a Representative whose values are in sync with those of Main Street America. Matt Kinnaman has the ability to declare, "Free people know better than professional politicians how best to live their lives, and how to make the most of the opportunities and blessings of freedom" without sounding smarmy. John Olver, on the other hand, wants to save the planet, and he can't even manage to sound enthusiastic about it.