Losses in House worry the GOP

Utah's U.S. House members say the Republicans' newly shrunken, slim 12-vote majority there will often be no majority at all on issues from Utah wilderness to abortion and maybe impeachment.

The trouble is, they explain, that many liberal-leaning or environmentalist Republicans often side with Democrats on such issues. And a loss of only six Republicans on any issue can now give Democrats the majority."It was already hard to get anything done this year" before House Republicans lost another five seats, said Rep. Chris Cannon , R-Utah.

"A lot of northeastern Republicans just don't understand us in the West, so any kind of Utah wilderness bill or creating a national conservation area in the San Rafael Swell (which is opposed by environmentalists) will, I'm sure, be put on hold until we can act with more clarity," he said.

Also, he said moderate to liberal Republicans probably also give Democrats majorities "on abortion and parental notification and funding for federal agencies that have a liberal, philosophical bent. For example, I think the National Endowment for the Arts can now breathe easy."

Rep. Jim Hansen, R-Utah, said when Republicans first won back a majority of the House four years ago, they often tried to use larger majorities to push through legislation without building coalitions with Democrats. He says that philosophy must change now out of necessity.

"Leadership has us out looking for ways to come up with meritorious compromises and ways to bring around the Blue Dogs (moderate Democrats) and make sure they get something out of it," he said.

But Rep. Merrill Cook, R-Utah, says many Republicans feel they failed to gain seats because they already have been giving up too much to President Clinton and Democrats and failed to push core Republican issues like tax cuts and education reform.

"I really think this has been a wake-up call for us," he said, adding he hopes it will make Republicans close ranks and work more closely together.

But Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah - like the House members - worries that Democrats will use relatively slim margins in both houses to stall things "with the full intent of making Republicans look bad because we are in the majority."

Republicans had hoped to gain enough Senate seats to give them a "filibuster-proof" three-fifths majority of 60 members needed under rules to cut off attempts to talk bills to death - but picked up no ground.

Hatch said, "They already are in the habit of filibustering just about everything," and he said the situation "may become even more difficult because Democrats are heartened by their performance in the elections."