Rep. James A. Traficant, Jr.

By Matthew Peter Balic

When Rep. James A. Traficant, Jr., a "Rust Belt" Democrat from the 17th district of Ohio, addressed a group of Albanian Americans this October at the United Nations in New York, he received a rousing ovation. The congressman was doing what he does best, speaking out for human rights and self-determination for those to whom freedom has been denied.

"A violation of human rights anywhere is a violation of human rights everywhere," Traficant told his audience, underlining a personal commitment that rejects political expediency and brooks neither exceptions nor omissions. As a result, Traficant, with no ethnic or religious ties to the Middle East, has earned the respect of his colleagues and astounded political observers. When the speaker of the House recognizes "the gentleman from Ohio," people listen if it is the representative from Ohio's 17th district, who dares to speak out on behalf of the human rights of Palestinians, a subject seldom discussed frankly in an election year.

Refusing to Act Against Underprivileged: At Home and Abroad

The former Mahoning County sheriff (1981-1985) has a proud history of defying special interests and defending their victims. As sheriff, he attracted national media attention when he was jailed for contempt of court because he refused to process court-ordered foreclosures on the homes of several unemployed steel workers in his economically depressed community. Traficant sees a direct connection between his defense of the homes of steel workers in Ohio, and his condemnation of the indiscriminate and vindictive Israeli demolition of the homes of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.

Traficant first came to public attention as a star quarterback at the University of Pittsburgh during the mid-sixties. After his graduation, he played professional football briefly with the Los Angeles Raiders. When he returned to Ohio he served as a drug counselor until his election as sheriff.

Traficant had become a popular folk hero by the time he won the 1984 Democratic congressional primary, over the opposition of local Democratic Party bosses who then opposed him even in the general election against a Republican opponent. His popular support nevertheless carried him to victory over the Republican incumbent, and launched Traficant's congressional career. In 1986 he was returned for a second term in the House of Representatives by an overwhelming majority.

A Favorite Son Candidate

Always a free spirit, the Ohio congressman campaigned earlier this year as a favorite son candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. His purpose was to dramatize the economic plight of the "Rust Belt. " Now, in his 1988 bid for re-election to Congress in November, his outspoken defense of Palestinian human rights is targeted by a Republican opponent who charges that it undermines a US "special relationship" with Israel.

Traficant, however, is an effective communicator whose witty "sound bites" successfully compete for space on national as well as local television because of his earthy, feisty language. The lively and confrontational congressman is also a popular guest on radio and television shows.

Like many congressmen from economically depressed areas, Traficant focuses on bread-and-butter issues at home. His district has lost 55,000 industrial jobs in the past decade and his responses are quintessentially populist: "Let's take care of America First ... .. Invest in America," and "Buy American." Traficant has solid credentials to back up his campaign. In Congress he has been the author of numerous incentive bills to promote investment in America and to support "buy American" policies.

Asked during the current campaign if he was a protectionist, the congressman replied with a smile, "All members of Congress and the executive branch are protectionist. The problem is that the majority of them are protecting the interests of foreign nations."

Concern Over US National Debt

Traficant expresses concern that the US, now the world's largest debtor, is slowly going bankrupt while worrying about Third World debts and financing the defense of Europe and Japan. He compares the situation to that of a man who helps pay his neighbor's rent while the bank is foreclosing on his own house.

Traficant would cut foreign aid across the board by 50 percent because, he believes, at least half of the money never reaches the people of the countries being aided. He would use the savings to reindustrialize economically blighted areas in America, and restore jobs to Americans.

As a result of the intifadah and the rise in worldwide consciousness of the Palestinian struggle, many congressmen now privately express admiration for the courage of the Palestinians and revulsion at Israeli military brutality. In public, however, most are voiceless. Only the gentleman from Ohio has repeatedly spoken out on the floor of Congress, with his every word being transmitted to a nationwide television audience.

First in Congress to Criticize Israeli Brutality Toward Uprising

On March 9, 1988, Traficant first startled Congress by sharply criticizing Israeli brutality and violations of human rights in the occupied territories. Citing shocking statistics and eyewitness accounts of the suppression from the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, he told congressional colleagues that "the time has come to speak out against the abuses of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip ... A roar of outrage should be the voice of the House, and everybody should hear it."

Traficant followed up the next day with a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, saying "the beatings and shootings" of teen-agers "are not acceptable to us (Congress) and the American people." He concluded by urging the prime minister to give peace a chance and to reconsider a land-for-peace international conference as outlined in the Shultz plan.

Traficant has continued to remind members of Congress of their obligation to speak out on behalf of Palestinian human rights. On August 10, he told his colleagues: "The Palestinians are also God's children. They have a right to self-determination and ... they have a right to freedom."

Traficant is pleased that the overwhelming majority of calls and letters his speeches have elicited from across the nation have been positive. From Arab-American groups he has received standing ovations and tearful embraces. Addressing Jewish-American audiences, Traficant's warmth and sincerity overcome most of the initial concern and reserve. After addressing such audiences he has received, in addition to polite applause, numerous contributions from American Jews who view Israeli policies in the West Bank and Gaza as immoral and self-destructive.

Meanwhile, to his blue-collar constituents, the congressman remains "Jim," "one of us," and "family," bucking the Washington establishment and trying to restore industries and jobs to the US heartland. If he is re-elected, it will demonstrate to faint-hearted colleagues in both houses of Congress that support for human rights—even for Palestinians—need not be politically fatal.

(Readers wishing to support Representative Traficant's re-election campaign may contact the Traficant for Congress Committee, 1823 Basil Ave., Youngstown, OH 44514.)

Matthew Peter Balic is a consultant and free-lance writer in Washington, DC.