REBUTTAL

I have always enjoyed reading the Daily Pilot, and have always

appreciated the willingness of our local paper to cover issues and

candidates in more depth than the “big” papers.

For that reason, I don’t object to the recent article reporting that

the “U.S. Public Interest Research Group” did not give me or my fellow

Republican, U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, high ratings. But I am surprised

at the Pilot’s willingness to uncritically parrot this obscure group’s

press release (“Report: Cox, Rohrabacher have poor voting habits,” June

7).

The article did not describe who this organization is, or even what

the votes they rated were actually about. While the group characterized

its position on these issues as the “public interest,” that description

surely is in the eye of the beholder:

* I was scored as having “poor voting habits” (that’s what the Pilot

headline said) because, for example, I voted not to increase funding for

the National Endowment for the Arts by $5 million above current levels.

* I supposedly voted “wrong” because I supported legislation giving

the federal courts jurisdiction over class action lawsuits when the

plaintiffs and defendants reside in different states.

* I was also scored as having voted “wrong” for supporting the Small

Business Paperwork Reduction Act.

* And I was “wrong” to vote for the Financial Services Modernization

Act (bipartisan legislation, supported by President Clinton, which

permits consumers to buy stocks and bonds from affiliates of commercial

banks).

It would be in keeping with the tradition of the Daily Pilot to

provide a more complete picture next time. Or, at least, to give as much

play to the findings of groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce,

Consumer Alert, Citizens Against Government Waste, 60-Plus, the National

Taxpayers Union, and the American Security Council -- each of which

consistently rates my voting highly.

Finally, for the record, the “U.S. Public Interest Research Group” was

not labeled as a liberal interest group, but it should have been. It is

opposed to smaller government, against tort reform, against restraining

spending, and opposed to free enterprise and small business. Since these

are all things I support, it is natural we disagree.

CHRISTOPHER COX

U.S. Representative,

Newport Beach