Champion of The Elderly

Monday, Apr. 25, 1983 By ED MAGNUSON

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At 82, Claude Pepper is at the peak of his career

"There are only two Democrats who really bug Reagan," says a presidential aide. "One is Tip O'Neill, and the other is that Congressman who keeps talking about Social Security."

That Congressman watches the world through trifocals. He wears a pacemaker in his chest to quicken his heartbeat when it slows. One of his heart valves is synthetic; it replaced the natural one that developed a calcium deposit. He is nearly deaf without his hearing aids. A bulbous nose dominates his rumpled face, which looks forever melancholy even when its owner is not. He is 82 years old.

But Claude Denson Pepper is like a vintage automobile with new parts: he gets better and more powerful with age. By an odd convergence of historical trends, Pepper's unshakable New Deal liberalism is in phase with the graying of America, even at a time when conservatism marches forcefully through Washington's corridors of power. Some 36 million Social Security recipients, and millions more who are nearing retirement, count on Claude Pepper to protect their rights and wellbeing. And Pepper has doggedly done so.

That should be especially evident this week; President Reagan is scheduled to sign a historic package of Social Security reforms designed to save the system from insolvency. The undisputed champion of the elderly, Pepper had held the fate of the delicately balanced compromise in his hands. He had fought against all cuts in benefits, gave ground only grudgingly when concessions had to be made to keep the legislation alive, and responsibly withheld the veto many of his more zealous followers had wanted him to wield. Says Pepper, accurately and with no false modesty: "If I had not voted for it, then there would not have been a package, and there would have been complete chaos."

After 14 years as a U.S. Senator from Florida and 20 years as a Congressman from the Miami area, Pepper is at the peak of his astonishingly tireless and durable career. He demonstrated his political punch in the 1982 congressional elections, stumping with surprising energy in 26 states. Of the 73 House Democrats he supported, 54 won. The difference he made varied, of course, from race to race. But his presence never hurt. "Claude was the most sought-after speaker by Democratic candidates in 1982," recalls House Majority Leader Jim Wright. "At one rally for elderly people, we expected 200, but 800 showed up and waited for an hour and a quarter to hear him." Adds California Congressman Tony Coelho, Democratic congressional campaign committee chairman: "No single person had more of an impact on the 1982 elections. His mug was all over this country—on posters, on banners, on TV and billboards. He was a symbol to the elderly and the helpless."