Conservative Democrats

When Sheriff Robert G. Pepersack Sr. assesses his chances in the November election, he takes on the tone of a football coach trying to rally his team.The Republican incumbent barely survived a primary challenge from a little-known and poorly financed challenger, John E. xTC Moran IV, a 30-year-old former deputy suing the sheriff's office over his dismissal."That one is over. It's like the game we played last week. We have to move on to the next one," Sheriff Pepersack said.Mr. Moran got 11,024 votes to the sheriff's 12,156.

Democratic County Council candidate Thomas Redmond's two primary opponents yesterday crossed party lines and endorsed Republican incumbent Carl G. "Dutch" Holland.A. Shirley Murphy and Elmer E. Dunn Jr., who described themselves as conservative Democrats, said Mr. Redmond lacks integrity and has had scant community involvement in the 3rd District, which includes Pasadena and the Marley Neck peninsula.Mrs. Murphy said she was especially upset by the conduct of Mr. Redmond's campaign workers.

*TC Democratic hopefuls are telling voters that Republican state Sen. Christopher J. McCabe's conservative positions put him far to the right of most of his constituents, but the incumbent says he fits very comfortably in a district he describes as moderate to conservative.James P. Mundy, a high school political science teacher from Ellicott City, says he's so confident he'll win the Sept. 13 Democratic primary that he's focusing on campaigning against Mr. McCabe. But Mr. Mundy's opponent, Michael B. Dupuy of Silver Spring, says that could be a mistake.

WASHINGTON -- When word began to circulate recently that Sen. David Boren of Oklahoma might resign to become president of the University of Oklahoma, some chills of apprehension ran through the Democratic Party.It is not that Boren is considered an irreplaceable icon within his party. On the contrary, he put some noses out of joint in the White House last year when he balked at President Clinton's energy tax proposal, then voted against the budget bill even after Clinton had yielded on the issue.

WASHINGTON -- President Clinton's decision to indulge in a little labor-bashing on "Meet the Press" is the kind of baffling politics that is likely to make it more rather than less difficult to win approval for the North American Free Trade Agreement.There is no question that many voters, particularly in the South and Far West, are put off by organized labor's influence in American politics. The Republicans have demonstrated repeatedly in recent years that their charge of "special interest" can have real sting when applied to unions.

Murphy running for council, seeking to unseat HollandShirley Murphy, a Pasadena businesswoman, has announced her bid for the 3rd District County Council seat.Mrs. Murphy, a security and fire alarm supplier, said she was asked by conservative Democrats to challenge Republican incumbent Carl G. "Dutch" Holland for the seat. Mr. Holland unseated Democrat Edward "Buddy" Ahearn in 1990.Mrs. Murphy kicked off her campaign Sept. 9 with a fund raiser at her Riviera Isles home.She is one of two Democrats who have announced their plans to compete in the September 1994 primary.

WASHINGTON -- Ensnarled in presidential election politics, a major crime bill died last year as Republicans and Democrats refused to compromise on such difficult issues as capital punishment, death row appeals and gun control.This year was supposed to be different. With Democrats controlling both the White House and Congress, many hoped the impasse would break."It's time we put aside the divisions of party and philosophy," President Clinton pleaded last month in a ceremony announcing his commitment to push for the same crime bill that failed in 1992.

IT SAID in the paper yesterday that Sen. Paul Sarbanes has raised $290,000 for his re-election bid. Ninety-five percent of his contributors and 93 percent of his contributions came from out of state.It seems to me I've heard this song before.In 1982, Sarbanes was running for re-election to the Senate for the first time. He was one of the top targets of national right-wingers. An organization called "Nick-pack" -- the National Conservative Political Action Committee -- said it would spend what it took to defeat him.The organization specifically, and conservative groups in particular, were really feeling their oats.

Victory for President Clinton's economic package in Congress neither assures him long-run success nor ends the battle against huge deficits that endanger the country's well-being. To gain his narrow wins in the House and Senate, the president had to accede to demands from conservative Democrats for added cuts in federal spending to offset what they believe is an overemphasis on taxes in the administration bill.Under agreements feverishly worked out with wavering members of his own party, Mr. Clinton committed himself to a talk fest on spending reductions next month in suburban Philadelphia and an added $10 billion in cuts through the regular appropriations process.

WASHINGTON -- With a critical House vote scheduled this week on President Clinton's tax and budget proposal, he and his congressional allies have launched a major effort to win support.Democratic leaders estimate that they need 30 more votes to pass the bill. In the scramble for support, about 60 key House Democrats have been asked to attend a White House strategy meeting this morning.The vote, now scheduled for Thursday, "could make or break this presidency," said a leadership aide who asked not to be identified.