A triumphant Newt Gingrich, the Georgia Republican in line to become House speaker, returned here Friday vowing "cooperation, yes; compromise, no" as the GOP Congress prepares to confront the Clinton administration in January.
Gingrich said American voters, by overwhelmingly ending 40 years of Democratic congressional rule, have given Republicans a mandate to enact their "Contract With America" program.Gingrich, the 16-year House veteran who specialized in aggressive tactics as minority whip, indicated a no-holds-barred pursuit of the Republican agenda to shrink government and lower taxes, dropping the pretext of bipartisanship voiced following the historic elections this week.
"I am very prepared to cooperate with the Clinton administration. I am not prepared to com-promise," said Gingrich, making his first appearance in the nation's capital since the election to address the Washington Research Council, a think tank studying election results.
"On everything on which we can find agreement, I will cooperate. On those things that are at the core of our contract, those things which are at the core of our philosophy and on those things where we believe we represent the vast majority of the Americans, there will be no compromise," Gingrich said.
"So let me draw the distinction: Cooperation, yes; compromise, no."
Later, Gingrich, surrounded by reporters shouting questions, dismissed the premise that compromise was a hallmark of govern-ment. "If you have an election and the American people have made a choice and they want to go in a new direction, you owe them the opportunity to at least try to go in that new direction," Gingrich said.
Asked what he would gain by forcing President Clinton to veto legislation, Gingrich said, "You gain great clarity for the American people to decide which direction they want to go in and to send the right signal."
But Gingrich also said he believed Republicans and Clinton could cooperate on legislation such as the line-item veto and welfare reform.
The Republican's 10-point contract pledges that within the first 100 days of Congress, the House will vote on a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution, a line-item veto, tax cuts, defense increases, welfare reform and budget cuts. They contend they can balance the budget by 2002 without slashing programs and that it will cost nothing to strengthen the military.
Democrats contend the Republicans have made $1 trillion in promises without saying how they will pay for them.
Gingrich also said that if the congressional session sinks into "petty partisanship," the American public will turn away from both parties.
"If this degenerates after a historic election back into the usual baloney of politics in Washington and pettiness in Washington, then the American people, I believe, will move toward a third party in a massive way," he said.
"I think they are fed up with this city, they are fed up with its games, they are fed up with petty partisanship," Gingrich said.
Republicans continued working on their historic transition as Texas Rep. Dick Armey, currently No. 3 in the GOP House hierarchy, announced he has the commitments to become majority leader, the No. 2 post in the House.
The GOP, picking up 52 seats so far, will have at least 230 members in the 435-member House next year. Democrats will have 202, and there is one independent. Two congressional seats are still being contested. The Senate will have a 53-47 Republican majority.