For the first time in more than a quarter-century, longtime U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, heads into November not entirely sure what the new year will bring — but he knows what he won’t be doing.

“I would not be a good hired-gun lobbyist, representing miscellaneous causes, and I’ve had no conversations with the Obama administration about a position,” said Edwards, who was defeated by a 25-point margin Tuesday by Bill Flores, R-Bryan, a first-time candidate and retired energy executive.

Edwards spoke with the Tribune-Herald on Wednesday about the election cycle, the upcoming lame-duck session and his future.

Edwards as a teacher?

“I’ve always dreamed of teaching someday,” Edwards said. “I’ve enjoyed my interaction with youth and students during my years of public service.

U.S. Rep Chet Edwards, D-Waco, leaves the polling place Tuesday with his wife after casting his vote.
Rod Aydelotte/Tribune-Herald

“Whether anybody would want a former member of Congress to teach, I don’t know.”

The congressman, who lives with his family in Northern Virginia and leases a home in Waco, said he wants to move back to McLennan County.

“Waco is a very special place to me — it’s where I met my wife, it’s where we married, and it’s where my children were born. This community has been good to me over the years, so my first priority would be to look for a way to settle back in full time in Waco.”

He didn’t rule out running for elected office in the future but said “it’s not on my radar screen at all.”

“I don’t know whether I’d ever again want to seek office,” he said, “but my interest in giving something back to our community and country hasn’t changed with this election, so in some way — as a private citizen or otherwise — I want to keep giving back.”

Before the year is out, Congress will meet to take care of unfinished business.

The lame-duck session is expected to be a busy one. Lawmakers need to pass several spending bills to keep agencies functioning into next year, and the Bush tax cuts will be on the docket.

“I intend to keep working for McLennan County until Jan. 2, and that includes doing everything we can to support Mr. Flores in his transition period,” Edwards said.

“We’ll let his staff know we truly mean it when we say we want to help in the transition,” he said, pointing to having a good system to transfer ongoing cases for constituents seeking help with federal benefits and discussing pending local projects.

Final session

He said one unfinished legislative goal stands out in his mind.

“I would give anything to try to get the Waco Mammoth Site bill that we passed in the House over a year ago through the Senate.”

The bill would designate the Waco park — home to the largest collection of skeletons from mammoths that died in a single natural event — a national monument.

It is being blocked in the Senate by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla. As a rule, Coburn opposes new national monuments on the grounds they create ongoing federal costs.

Edwards said he has talked to Coburn’s chief of staff and is looking at ways to make sure the bill doesn’t die with the end of the session.

Edwards also talked about the future of the Democratic Party, which suffered defeats both nationally and locally.

“Sometimes we learn more from our losses than our victories,” he said. “It’s important to sit down and understand that people feel the party has overreached — the party has to redefine itself, particularly nationally.”

Partisan politics

Edwards also reiterated his frustration with the lack of bipartisanship in Washington.

Instead of forging compromises, the two parties in recent years have traded turns in power, with each pushing policies too far to the left or right before being cast out by the voters, he said.

“It would have been possible to put together a (health care reform) bill 75 percent of American people would have supported,” he said, citing the Democratic legislation he opposed as an example.

Beyond that, Edwards said party primaries and partisan redistricting efforts have led to “a weeding out of the moderates.”

Though Edwards took flak for endorsing President Barack Obama during the 2008 Democratic primary, he said he had no regrets about the decision.

Edwards noted Obama’s promise to get past the partisanship of Washington so evident during previous administrations.

“That obviously has not happened. and I don’t blame him for that any more than I blame President Clinton or Bush for that,” Edwards said before ending on a positive note.

“There are still a lot of good people on both sides of the aisle, and I’m an optimist about America’s future,” he said, noting the country has navigated tough periods throughout its history.

“I see the goodness of our country every day.”

mshapiro@wacotrib.com

757-5707

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