For 26 years, Republican Congressman Robert Michel has played well in Peoria, the Everytown of American politics. He has become an institution there, much like the local Caterpillar Tractor plant. But along with much of the nation, Peoria (pop. 124,000) has suffered the ravages of recession and unemployment. Caterpillar has laid off 8,000 employees, and joblessness has hovered at 16%, the highest rate since the Depression. So for the House Republican leader, who shepherded President Reagan's budget and tax cuts through Congress, the overriding...
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