Freshman Wielding Reform Power; Virginia's Tom Perriello Gets Earful, and Asks to Hear More

Byline: Joseph Curl, THE WASHINGTON TIMES

LAWRENCEVILLE, Va. -- Rep. Tom Perriello is a no.

Even though he's a freshman Democrat in Congress, a mere seven months into office, he's a no. And even though he won by a whisker - 727 votes - in a rural central and Southside Virginia congressional district, he's still a no.

What's unusual is that the babyfaced congressman in the scuffed-up work boots holding court in a small gymnasium on Saturday afternoon is wielding some hefty clout.

I joined with other freshmen to state our fear that if there's an attempt to bring this up [the health care reform bill] before August, we'd all be nos across the board, he told Democratic leaders in Congress. If I didn't get re-elected, I could live with that.

The freshmen's move may have played a part in what House …

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Publication information: Article title: Freshman Wielding Reform Power; Virginia's Tom Perriello Gets Earful, and Asks to Hear More. Contributors: Not available. Newspaper title: The Washington Times (Washington, DC). Publication date: August 23, 2009. Page number: A08. © 2009 The Washington Times LLC. COPYRIGHT 2009 Gale Group.

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