There was a time when Congressmen and Senators boasted that their experience in Washington was a reason to send them back for another term. That was before public disgust with congressional pay hikes, the savings-and-loan debacle and the government's inability to devise an acceptable deficit-reduction plan erupted into a throw-the-bums-out mood so intense that many lawmakers are afraid to face their constituents. As a result, incumbents from both parties are finding that the very tenure in office that used to be a political asset can now be a liability. They are scrambling to recast themselves as populist crusaders whose main reason...
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