Rostenkowski’s Battle

Zip Dobyns

Daniel David Rostenkowski (better known as Rosty) is fighting for his political life and his personal freedom. He has been a member of Congress since the end of the 50s, supposedly wise in the ways of politics, but he misjudged the seriousness of the felony charges against him stemming from the post office scandal in the House of Representatives. To the dismay of President Clinton who counted on Rosty’s help to pass a bill on universal health care and who campaigned for Rosty’s reelection, the U.S. Justice Department has indicted Rosty on a variety of charges. He is accused of using taxpayer money to pay staffers who never showed up for work, of illegally obtaining cash from the House post office and buying furniture and gifts. The money involved is relatively small potatoes, but if the government proves its case, Rosty could spend some time in jail. He has already been forced to resign from his influential position as chairman of the Ways and Means committee.

I am indebted to Chicago astrologer Sonja Foxe for Rosty’s data: January 2, 1928 at 2 A.M. in Chicago, IL. His local chart is calculated for Washington, DC. Rosty’s chart shows an interesting mixture of idealism and practicality. Neptune dominates the chart from the tenth house of career and it is closely quincunx Jupiter and Uranus in its sign of Pisces in the fifth house. Jupiter is, of course, a co-ruler of Pisces and it also rules a corner of the first house of personal identity. Pluto, ruler of the Ascendant, is in the Sagittarian (ninth) house, repeating the identification with idealism in some form. Both Mars and the Antivertex in Sagittarius say it again. Yet our two major lesson factors, Saturn and the south lunar node, are also in Sagittarius so we know there is some kind of challenge in the area of beliefs, values, ethics, etc. Chiron, which is like Jupiter, is also prominent conjunct the Descendant, reiterating the high focus on faith and ideals.

As our readers know by now, an identification with the Absolute can be manifested by feeling inadequate and/or guilty since we can never do everything perfectly, or we can feel that we have a right to do anything we want. A more comfortable place is in the middle—accepting humanness and trying to constantly do better but still enjoying the journey.

Rosty’s chart is also strongly earth so he is certainly able to be practical. In fact, as a traditional “pol,” he was noted for his ability to cut “deals.” Politics has been called the “art of the possible.” A column in the June 3, 1994 issue of the Wall Street Journal contrasted Rosty’s willingness to compromise with the intense ideology of many of the new members of Congress who stick to their principles even when they might defeat fellow Democrats. Columnist Paul Gigot commented that some of the new House members almost considered it a sign of dishonor to get a Republican to vote with them, and that they might well miss Rosty when he was gone. A failure to compromise leads to gridlock.

Rosty’s earth includes a stellium in Capricorn in the third house, Chiron and the Moon in Taurus, and Juno in Virgo in addition to activity in all the earth houses. An earth-fire emphasis can be a steam roller, and the first house Scorpio adds to the strength of will and tenacity. Rosty worked hard for the voters in his Chicago district and they will miss his efforts if this proves to be the end of his political career.

The asteroids are amazing, as is usually the case in the charts of people who impact the world. A clue to the overconfidence which helped to bring Rosty down is N Hybris (hubris) on his Ascendant. He could have avoided his current struggles if he had resigned and not run for reelection. In fact, he could have walked away with several million dollars by resigning before the new law went into effect, when it was still legal to keep unspent campaign contributions. That identification with the Absolute can invite a really insidious feeling that it is OK to do what we want since we are doing so many good things for the world. P Hybris is square the MC as the overconfidence is challenged by the Law.

As readers know by now, Pallas is usually prominent in the charts of consultants of all kinds including lawyers and politicians. Rosty’s natal Pallas was exactly conjunct Mercury in Capricorn (the sign of bureaucratic structure) in the third house of communication which includes the media and the mail among other meanings. More astonishing is Laverna, the patron goddess of thieves, exactly conjunct Mercury and Pallas, since it was the post office scandal which initiated Rosty’s trouble and the media have certainly publicized it. P Laverna at 29 Capricorn was quincunx N Daniel at 29 Leo as the scandal hit the media. Natal Daniel was conjunct Neptune within 8 minutes of longitude as another statement of idealism which can lead to disillusionment if it is not securely grounded. P Davida, Rosty’s other name, is square natal Mercury-Pallas-Laverna to hammer home the message! P Bellona, a war goddess, opposes natal Davida as Rosty fights the government’s Justice Department. I just never get used to the amazing specificity of the asteroids. There is no way that materialistic science can explain these patterns.

Many astrologers distrust an even-hour birth time, but I think that Rosty’s time is pretty accurate. His P MC has just finished a two-year conjunction with N Chicago and it will be conjunct P Chicago for another year as he battles to keep the loyalty of the voters who have kept him in office for 35 years. When his chart is calculated for Washington, DC where he has worked for all those years, he has P Williams and P Darwin on the local Descendant. Both he and Bill Clinton are fighting for their own political lives and for what they believe in, and the political survival of both is in question. P Xanthus (another name for Apollo—a sun god) is on Rosty’s N Descendant for the limelight. P L MC is quincunx P Libitina (goddess of death) and P Aletheia (goddess of truth), both in 28 Taurus, and it is just starting a quincunx to N Uranus to form a yod which fits Rosty’s current separation from his power position. P L Antivertex is conjunct P Washingtonia as he faces his accusers in the nation’s capital.

Rosty’s P Moon will cross his P MC during September-October 1994, so the fall will be an important showdown time. P Sun is square the lunar nodes and P Saturn and opposite America, not very encouraging aspects. P Sun is also conjunct Philosophia and Makover as Rosty considers his future. P Makover is conjunct N Darwin, square Pluto, and opposite N Chicago reinforcing the message of a struggle for survival. In every chart, there are mixed aspects, some harmonious and some conflict ones. Rosty’s most positive aspect is a trine from P Jupiter to his natal MC but P Jupiter is also coming to a square to natal Sun. The patterns look like a change of career. Rosty probably won’t get totally off the hook, but I think the prosecutor will also not get all he asks for. The consummate pol will probably be able to find a compromise somewhere in the middle.

Copyright © 1994 Los Angeles Community Church of Religious Science, Inc.

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