There is an axiom in politics that nothing is permanent, so remember that today’s adversaries may be tomorrow’s allies.
So it was pleasantly surprising, but not shocking, that organizations tied to two people who engaged in one of the most spirited and storied political battles in Spokane history will be joining forces to improve civil discourse.
George Nethercutt will be joining the advisory board of the Thomas S. Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service at Washington State University, and his foundation will be providing an endowment for a lecture series with the institute.
For those who don’t remember — because it was 28 years ago — that’s the same George Nethercutt who, as a political novice, defeated then-Speaker of the House Tom Foley in 1994. It was a heated campaign with nine debates crammed into less than two months. It was also a local race with national implications, with a record amount spent by the candidates and outside groups.
For Republicans, it was a delicious victory. For Democrats, a stunning loss. No speaker of the House had lost a reelection bid since 1862.
Nethercutt went on to serve 10 years in the House, ran unsuccessfully for the Senate, and then returned to his earlier job as a lawyer. Foley served as U.S. ambassador to Japan, worked at a Washington, D.C., public affairs firm and served as an elder statesman of his party.
Both had a love for civil discourse and finding compromise to tough problems they wanted to pass on through a legacy. For Foley, who died in 2013, it’s the institute at WSU, which holds his memorabilia, papers and records from 30 years in Congress and several more as ambassador. It supports research on public policy, brings nationally recognized speakers to events on and off the Pullman campus and supports student internships on public service.
For Nethercutt, it’s the George Nethercutt Civics Foundation, which has sponsored tournaments where students compete on their knowledge of civics and internships for young people to travel to Washington, D.C., to see the workings of the federal government.
The foundation will be endowing a speaker series on civil discourse and civics education through the institute. Once or twice a year, an advisory board will select a nationally recognized speaker on civics and government.
The idea was hatched a year ago by David Condon, who was recruited for the institute’s board by Foley’s widow, Heather, during his second term as Spokane mayor.
He recognized that the institute and foundation have similar goals of advancing civic engagement. About a year ago, he approached Nethercutt with an idea for the organizations to join forces.
Nethercutt is suffering from a neurological disorder, progressive supranuclear palsy, that makes it increasingly difficult to speak and walk. His son, Elliott Nethercutt, said the foundation has evolved over time, but the mission remained the same.
“The foundation did a lot of good, bringing people back to Washington and showing them how the federal government functions,” he said. But the foundation’s overhead was “tough to keep up” and partnering with the institute made sense.
“There’s so much polarization in politics that a program within the Foley Institute, with endowed lectures from all sides of the political spectrum will keep the dialogue going,” Elliott Nethercutt said.
Foley and Nethercutt did not remain adversaries after the ballots were counted in 1994, Heather Foley said. The long-term congressman invited his replacement to lunch in the House dining room after the election. He was following the example of his predecessor, Walt Horan, 30 years earlier.
They kept in touch, and in 2000, Nethercutt sponsored the legislation that renamed the federal courthouse in Spokane the Thomas S. Foley Courthouse, and the area outside the Walt Horan Plaza.
“He always believed, once the election was over, if you hold a grudge, it doesn’t make sense,” Heather Foley said of her late husband.
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