The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, June 09, 1976, Image 2
I I ! | Rage 2 THE BATTALION WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9, 1976 Udall’s humor transcends frustrations CLEVELAND — It has been a long, long campaign for Morris K. Udall. The weariness of the effort that began almost two years ago with those first exploratory trips to New Hampshire and Wisconsin is etched deep in his craggy face as he slogs through these final days in the wards of Cleveland. Unfolding his long body from a cramped seat on his campaign bus, he rallies himself for another effort by calling on his one resource not limited by the federal campaign act -— his humor. “Come on, you Stop-Carter people,” he tells the re porters, who are as tired as he is. 'It’s gonna be a grand rally of the faithful. Hubert Humphrey will be there — in spirit. Jerry Brown will deliver the invocation. Frank Church will read the minutes of the last meeting. And I will give the message.” David S. Broder The Udall-for-President cam paign is not one that will rank among the classics. Unless there is a miracle here in Ohio on Tuesday, Udall will go back to Tucson and Washington empty-handed — hav ing failed to win a single primary of the score he entered. As the candidate would concede, it has been a botched up campaign in many respects. There were do zens of tactical and strategic errors, small and large, that diluted his ef forts and diminished his returns. Udall himself bears direct re sponsibility for the failure to fit his brother, Stewart, into a stable, non-abrasive role in the campaign. A procession of campaign managers testifies to his inability to put his own campaign house in order. The frustrating series of second- place finishes, studded with exam ples of what-might-have-been, con firmed the critical judgment of some House colleagues. They said in ad vance that Udall was a man of un common ability who lacks the steely determination and quick instincts that spell the difference between victory and defeat. But if frustration was predictable for a man whose efforts in Congress have often been stymied, it was equally predictable that Udall would acquit himself with honor. dignity and good humor in his quest for worthy goals. He communicated to a broad na tional audience the convictions he has voiced for 15 years in the House and in his home district: a respect for the human and physical envi ronment; a commitment to social justice; and a belief in institutional reform and a strict standard of per sonal political accountability. All this he conveyed without con descending or pandering to the pre judices of a particular audience. No one but Mo Udall would have re minded the prideful voters in New Hampshire, on the eve of their primary, that “a week from tonight, you won’t get a presidential candi date to come within 100 miles of this state.” And no one but Udall would have made them laugh at them selves and their inflated self- importance. Humor is his trademark, and it offended some people to have a presidential candidate try to be en tertaining. But the humor was di rected at himself and the foibles of politics. It was his way of maintain ing his own sense of proportion. Long before he became a candidate himself, he warned against the power-seekers who pursue the pres- idence with a grim, relentless, all- consuming determination. Their exercise of power will reflect their pursuit of power, he said. By staying funny, Udall stayed true to his own nature and convic tions. But he was also honest in more important ways. He did not back off from his support of school desegregation in Boston or the De troit suburbs, and he did not disown 40 years of Democratic programs in an effort to become “anti establishment. ” So Udall can live with his memories of this campaign. A more interesting question concerns the conscience of what used to be called the liberal community. Udall did not assert an inherent claim to liberal support, even though he was early in the contest. “There was no obvious choice” among the many liberal aspirants, he said the other day. “But after Massachusetts and surely after Wis consin and New York, it was clear” that he had defeated the other lib eral contenders and emerged as Jimmy Carter’s real rival. But those he had defeated and who shared his positions — Birch Bayh, Fred Harris, Milton Shapp, Sargent Shriver, among others — either remained silent or endorsed other candidates. So did many other liberals. Had the votes that went to a single one of those candidates, Fred Harris, been shifted to Udall, he would have beaten Carter in New Hampshire, Wisconsin and Michi gan. It takes no genuis to calculate how different the Democratic pic ture would appear today. But Udall is not given to recrimi nations, even about Michigan, where the leaders of the United Auto Workers, the most liberal union in the country, worked ac tively to defeat the surviving liberal candidate because he was “a loser. ” All Udall will say about Michigan is that “it was kind of poignant to read in that post-primary poll that one out of ten Carter voters said they really preferred me, but thought I had no chance to win.” Udall lost Michigan by two-tenths of one percent of the vote. He lost Wisconsin and a lot of other states by small margins. The political his tories will show that record. One hopes they will also record the re spect Mo Udall won from those who have watched his campaign. (c) 1976, The Washington Post Company m CLOTHES TO FIT EVERY LIFESTYLE 707 Texas f Ml. MIS§ <PNE§>?... TAKE A LETTER.. To CONGRESSMAN HAYS. IfeatrWayne.'. Much as I sympathize with you in your present predicament (conmA) I peel that {br the good of the Mouse and the tfemocratic p&rty you must step down from your committee chairmanships (period) Opportunity knocks The Battalion needs reporters and photographers. Anyone in terested in working on the summer issues is invited to attend a 3 p.m. Thursday meeting in Room 222 of the Reed McDonald Services Build- CRO 1 lumpln Him. 8: WHE al bike i ler Foil SPOE old Coll THU lyale,’ If you cannot attend the meeting, but wish to volunteer, leave your name and phone number with the Student Publications secretaries in McDonald 217 or call 845-2611 be tween 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Guest viewpoints, in addition to Listen Up letters, are wel come. All pieces submitted to Aggie Forum should be: • Typed triple space • Limited to 60 characters per line • Limited to 100 lines CKO lashvot SPARKEY'S Save in the cost of Dining out CHINA RESTAURANT Lunch Only by joining now THE COLLEGE GR0 pened c Zero M AUK Zachry brung.” CHE tournai nutes pi Rm. 14 GR0 Humph LUIMGH & OIIMIMER (Valid until Sept. 15, 1976) ORDER NOW LIMITED NUMBER. Only $9.95 FARMER'S MARKET DELICATESSEN Call 823-7506 or Order Your Membership Nowl Cbe Battalion Red Barn Opinions expressed in The Battalion are those of the editor or of the writer of the article and are not necessarily those of the university administration or the Board of Regents. The Battal ion is a non-profit, self supporting enterprise operated by stu dents as a university and community newspaper. Editorial policy is determined by the editor. LETTERS POLICY Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words and are subject to being cut to that length or less if longer. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit such letters and does not guaran tee to publish any letter. Each letter must be signed, show the address of the writer and list a telephone number for verifica tion. Address correspondence to Listen Up, The Battalion, Room '217, Services Building, College Station, Texas 77843. Represented nationally by National Educational Advertising Servic es, Inc., New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. Mail subscriptions are $16.75 per semester; $33.25 per school year; $35.00 per full year. All subscriptions subject to 5% sales tax. Advertis ing rates furnished on request. Address: The Battalion, Room 217, Services Building, College Station, Texas 77843. Rights of reproduction of all matter herein are reserved. . Second-Class postage paid at College Station, Texas. Editor Jerry Needham. Managing Editor Richard Chamberlain Sports Editor Paul McGrath. Campus Editor Lisa Junod Photographer Steve Goble Layout LeAnn Roby, Susan Brown; Reporter Sandy Russo' Mail Application To: THE COLLEGE LUNCH & DINNER CLUB 3200 South College Bryan, Texas 77801 Name. Address. City. Zip. enclose $. for membership(s) at $9.95 each. ^ (Zeb^etexia, §§§§§5§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§5§§§ EL TORO RESTAURANT §§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§ HERE'S HOW IT WORKS: Casa Chapultepec You pay for one dinner and receive one dinner free in each listed restaurant one time. You and your guest(s) may select any dinner from the restaurant’s regular menu. You need not order the same dinner as your guest. No restrictions or limitations of any kind. Present your coupon to waitress when ordering. Your membership is normally valid five days a week, Sunday through Thursday, ex cluding days closed and holidays listed. Your guide book will list any exceptions or additions. Some restaurants are valid seven days a week. The College Lunch and Dinner Club begins April 15, 1976, and runs through September 15, 1976. Money Back Guarantee: Examine your membership. If you are not satisfied, return all materials unused within ten days for full refund. 1 he Country Kitchen •flam Kants Restaurant i