“George Bush is brilliant; he’s sitting in the White House with less than one-half of the vote.” This tribute to the president comes from a member of Congress who agrees with hardly any one of Bush’s policies. That congressman is Michael Capuano, a Democrat who represents the Eighth Congressional District of Massachusetts.

Two weeks ago Representative Capuano spoke and fielded questions from some 100 interested constituents. As the words quoted above indicate, he readily acknowledges the president’s political skills and sees the Democratic Part badly outmaneuvered. He sees his party too often more interested in “being right” than in winning elections.

Capuano locates the source of his difficulties more with fellow Democrats than with Republicans. “My problem is with us,” he explains, because members of his party so often choose to adopt a pure position, as for instance on gun control, rather than one that will win success at the polls.

However, the Republicans who currently control the Congress also trouble him. Speaking of their efforts to pass their agenda he goes so far as to say: “This is a jihad of the right wing.” He does not hate these leaders; rather, he admires their skill in winning seats in the House and Senate from a national electorate that polls show to be evenly divided between the parties.

But, if these Republicans continue to control both houses of Congress and George Bush gets elected to a second term, Capuano foresees disaster for his own priorities. “Every issue my constituents care about is under attack,” he says. “It’s going to make the last four years look like kindergarten” he adds. “They will do everything they can to destroy our programs.”

For fear people think him simply anti-Republican in general, this congressman points out his admiration of the Massachusetts Republicans who flourished when he was a young man. He cites Frank Sargent, John Volpe, and others who represented a Republican tradition very different from that of Tom DeLay, Bill Frist and other leaders of the Congress now. He regrets seeing the few progressive Republicans being marginalized in their own party.

The last straw came for him when a proposal was made when “they tried to take away overtime pay.” According to him, legislation was introduced into the House to abolish overtime in certain circumstances and, to his shock, the proposal got 204 votes. He regards such legislation as un-American.

He also worries about the Medicare bill that would provide some coverage of prescription drugs for older Americans. “Within 10 or 15 years,” he warns, “the entire Medicare system would be gone.” The proposed legislation, still in conference committee, would set up competing health private health programs that could undermine Medicare as we have known it. (As of this writing AARP has endorsed the bill, much to the distress of the legislation’s critics among whom I count myself.)

To him, the leaders of Congress have become wilier than previously. “They have given up direct assaults,” he says. Instead, they cleverly insert what they want in bills that have good things too. One of his biggest complaints is the way so many moves increase the federal deficit because “every penny of the deficit comes out of the Social Security Trust Fund.”

During the course of the hour-and-a-half meeting, Capuano offered his views on many other issues. Of the so-called partial birth abortion act recently passed with much hoopla, he says “not a single abortion will be prevented” by this legislation.

This congressman has developed such low expectations as to say: “I think it’s a successful Congressional year when nothing happens.” He is convinced that the American public wants stalemate at the present time and, given the way things are, he welcomes it himself. The alternative is bad things happening.

This former mayor of Somerville says: “I am proud to be a hard-nosed politician.”  He does not shy away from a description of himself that many Americans would judge unfavorably.

You may wonder why this columnist is writing about the political views of a congressman speaking to members of his district. My rationale for doing so is my belief in the importance of older people staying in touch with issues of local, national, and international significance. I took the session with Mike Capuano as a sobering lesson in civics.

Some people, I realize, think later life is a time for standing aside from politics and devoting oneself to travel, leisure, reading, spirituality and other such interests. I cast a vote in favor of all of the above, but I also feel concern about the legacy we are leaving to our children and grandchildren, and their descendants.

Frankly, I feel anxious about the directions in which our country has been heading. My spirituality pushes me toward an active concern for the wellbeing of our fellow citizens and for the world community. For me, at least, advancing age cannot be used as an excuse for throwing up one’s hands and disavowing involvement in the issues that shape the world we ourselves live in and, one day, will pass on to others.

Richard Griffin