Word: peppering
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...Claude Pepper is at the peak of his career...
...Claude Denson Pepper is like a vintage automobile with new parts: he gets better and more powerful with age. By an odd convergence of historical trends, Pepper's unshakable New Deal liberalism is in phase with the graying of America, even at a time when conservatism marches forcefully through Washington's corridors of power. Some 36 million Social Security recipients, and millions more who are nearing retirement, count on Claude Pepper to protect their rights and wellbeing. And Pepper has doggedly done...
That should be especially evident this week; President Reagan is scheduled to sign a historic package of Social Security reforms designed to save the system from insolvency. The undisputed champion of the elderly, Pepper had held the fate of the delicately balanced compromise in his hands. He had fought against all cuts in benefits, gave ground only grudgingly when concessions had to be made to keep the legislation alive, and responsibly withheld the veto many of his more zealous followers had wanted him to wield. Says Pepper, accurately and with no false modesty: "If I had not voted...
After 14 years as a U.S. Senator from Florida and 20 years as a Congressman from the Miami area, Pepper is at the peak of his astonishingly tireless and durable career. He demonstrated his political punch in the 1982 congressional elections, stumping with surprising energy in 26 states. Of the 73 House Democrats he supported, 54 won. The difference he made varied, of course, from race to race. But his presence never hurt. "Claude was the most sought-after speaker by Democratic candidates in 1982," recalls House Majority Leader Jim Wright. "At one rally for elderly people, we expected...
...While Pepper's critics contend that he exploited the Administration's hastily prepared and ruefully withdrawn initial proposals for cutting Social Security benefits, he is liked and respected by House colleagues of both parties. Last January he became chairman of the House Rules Committee, which can determine not only the timing of legislation but sometimes whether a bill comes to a vote at all. He reluctantly relinquished his chairmanship of the House Select Committee on Aging. "It was wrenching," he says. "Like choosing between a brother and a sister...