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The bill will need all the help it can get. Differing versions of the complex legislation are pending in the House, and the Clinton Administration opposes the measure passed by Pressler's committee. It would phase out many government limits on the growth and pricing of communications services, changes worth billions of dollars to the companies involved. The White House wants to protect consumers from price gouging when a cable or telephone company holds too much power in a single market. In essence, the fight this week will be between those who want to deregulate quickly, predominantly the Republicans, and those, generally Democrats, who would deregulate gradually and in a few cases not at all. Pressler, typically, has been on both sides of the issue, having voted in 1992 to further regulate a cable industry he now is struggling to deregulate. "I'm for as much deregulation as possible," says Pressler. "But the fact that all the companies affected are kind of growling means the bill is probably good."
The 53-year-old native of Humboldt, South Dakota, achieved his present key position through the quirk of seniority. After serving in the House for four years, Pressler was elected to the Senate in 1978 and was promptly assigned to the Commerce Committee. (He tried to mount a presidential campaign the following year, but few took the effort seriously.)
While thought of as an oddity in Washington, Pressler is better accepted at home. On the surface, in fact, his resume -- and his ambition -- resembles that of another politico from a rural backwater state: Bill Clinton. Like Clinton, Pressler set his sights early on national prominence and at one point met President Kennedy at the White House. "He was the first freshman who ever came to me right away and asked, 'What do I have to do to be a Rhodes Scholar?'" recalls William O. Farber, professor emeritus at the University of South Dakota. Pressler, like Clinton, did become a Rhodes Scholar; he later graduated from Harvard Law School.
But the key to Pressler's electoral success is his carefully honed image as the farm boy who never forgot his roots. He likes to have his constituents see him ice fishing or driving his antique John Deere tractor. He also works overtime to bring federal dollars into his state and boasts of homey accomplishments such as helping to authorize the Mid-Dakota Rural Water System or obtaining a "digital switch for Aberdeen." Pressler even uses negative stories about him by the national press to enhance his standing locally. "I work as hard as I can, as honestly as I can, [and] feel good about myself," he says. "I decided long ago I want to be a good Senator for South Dakota."