Viewpoint
The Battalion Friday
Texas A&M University March 6, 1981
Slouch
By Jim Earle
“It appears that your midsemester grades will arrive at your
parents" about the time you get home for spring break, and
I m sorry. ”
Denis change name
of their last president
By DAVID S BRODER
WASHINGTON — Some time in the
last 30 days, the name of the 39th President
of the United States has been changed from
Jimmy Carter to Difficult Circumstances.
That fact became apparent when Walter
F. Mondale appeared at the reorganization
meeting of the Democratic National Com
mittee. He managed, in the course of his
remarks, to omit uttering the name of the
President for whom he and all his listeners
had campaigned, oh so recently.
When it came time for him to praise
retiring DNC chairman, John C. White,
Mondale said only that his old friend and
ally Ivad been, chairman under ‘Difficult
Circumstances. ”
How difficult the circumstances were for
the Democratic Party under Carter was
starkly displayed in an independent finan
cial audit that pro-Kennedy members of the
Party’s executive committee insisted on
having made after the election.
It showed, among other things, that the
Democratic National committee received
almost $1 million less in small direct-mail
contributions in 1980 than it had in 1976,
when Jerry Ford was in the White House. It
showed the party spent about $800,000
more in 1980 than in 1976 in direct support
of the presidential campaign, but only half
as much on voter registration. It also
showed the Democratic National Commit
tee paid out more money for Patrick Cad-
dell’s polls for the presidential campaign
than it contributed to all the other Demo
crats running for office in 1980.
It is that sort of pattern that explains Sen
ate Minority Leader Robert C. Byrd’s (D-
W. Va.) caustic comment to the DNC meet
ing that “never again must the DNC be
come the adjunct of the Committee to Re
elect the President.”
The implicit comparison to Richard Nix
on’s “Creep” did not escape anyone — and
that is about as cruel a jibe as any Democrat
can take at another.
But Byrd is not alone in his belief that
Carter was largely to blame for last Novem
ber’s Democratic debacle. Many others in
the states and in Congress blame Carter,
not only for the weakness of his own candi
dacy but for his pre-emption of party re
sources for his own doonafi,d^ ailse -
An effort has been made to soften the
criticism. Les Francis, an able former Na
tional Education Assn, organizer who
served in 1980 as executive director of the
DNC, put together a lengthy memo to
White, attempting to refute the “negative
criticisms” of the committee’s work.
The memo concedes at the outset that the
DNC has been hobbled by the “horrendous
debt” still carried over from the 1968 cam
paign. Actually, that debt was cut by two-
thirds to about $800,000 during the past
four years.
It observes that “for a variety of reasons,
neither the Democratic administration nor
the Democratic Congress paid sufficient
attention to the DNC in recent years.”
It notes that the prolonged nomination
fight between Carter and Ted Kennedy sap
ped the party’s energy and its fund-raising
ability. But then, Francis argues, that
under the circumstances, the DNC really
did quite well.
His evidence is curious. The political
targeting program under Chris Brown, he
says, “unfortunately performed flawlessly.”
Carter carried exactly as few states as
Brown had predicted he would.
He notes that many basic organizational
programs, with long lead-times for effective
payoff, were begun only in May or June of
last year. He noted that the heads of major
committee staff functions found themselves
in the closing weeks of the campaing work
ing for Carter in Santa Clara County, Calif.,
in Rochester, or in South Carolina.
But he does not make a point of the most
telling single fact of all about the relation
ship between the Democratic National
Committee and Jimmy Carter.
It is simply that the man who was making
this defense of the DNC, Executive Direc
tor Francis, was himsilf pulled out of his
party job to fill in at the Carter campaign
committee when Field Director Tim Kraft
was sidelined by the investigation of his
alleged drug use.
The freedom that Carter felt to take what
ever or whoever he needed from the Demo
cratic Party —- and not put much back in —
is why his name in party circles is “Difficult
Circumstances. ”
Warped
Crossover primary: Gone at las
By CLAY F. RICHARDS
United Press International
WASHINGTON (UPI) — The Supreme
Court has ruled unconstitutional the cros
sover primary — that political boondoggle
that contributed to keeping Edmund Mus-
kie, Morris Udall and Sen. Edward Ken
nedy out of the White House.
The crossover or “open” primary allowed
any registered voter — Republican, Demo
crat or independent — to vote in any prim
ary he choses, regardless of party affiliation.
It was not widely used, but often wound up
playing a significant role in Michigan, Wis
consin and California.
William Saffire, in his “Political Diction
ary,” describes the crossover primary this
way:
“The crossover theory holds that the
crossover voter is fickle, or mischievous, or
only interested in voting in the more hotly
contested primary, and intends to come
‘home’ to the party in which he is registered
later in the general election.”
Probably the biggest beneficiary of the
crossover primary was George Wallace in
1972. He won the Michigan Democratic
primary overwhelmingly, establishing him
self as more than a Southern candidate.
Polls later showed thousands of Republi
cans crossed over to vote for Wallace.
The Wallace victory further weakened
the candidacies of Sens. Hubert Humphrey
and Edmund Muskie — thus clearing the
way for the nomination of Sen. George
McGovern, probably the weakest Demo
crat in the field.
In 1976, President Gerald Ford and
Ronald Reagan battled neck and neck for
the nomination and California Republicans
worked under the unit rule, meaning the
entire state delegation would go to the
Initially, it did not seem surprising that
Reagan, running in his home state, beat
Ford overwhelmingly. But a subsequent
New York Times poll showed Reagan and
Ford dead even among Republicans who
voted and that conservatives — indepen
dent and Democrat — crossed overtoj |||
Reagan the victory.
Also in 1976, Rep. Morris Udall nan
lost both the Michigan and Wisconsin^
ary to Jimmy Carter. The crossoverp
ably worked both ways, but there iss
indication conservatives voted afl
Udall.
If Udall had won either primaryiti
have been the first step toward stoppii|
Carter steamroller in April and early|
As it was. Carter didn’t begin to I
maries until late May and that wastooij
In 1980, Wisconsin continued tol
Democratic Party rules and heldthe|jj
ary that led to the Supreme Court da
It turned out to be a wild freeforalj
only because of the Democratic!
tween Carter and Kennedy, but be
that time John Anderson was still
ballot in the Republican contest.
But the crossover did not workaso
vatives and liberals in both parties s
home to decide the tight races in t
party-
It s your turn
Senate gets laughs for Traditions 101
Editor:
Congratulations student senate! Out of all
the Aggie jokes I have ever suffered
through, the one told at Wednesday night’s
meeting was tops! ... Traditions 101, ha-ha!
This is a joke isn’t it? But hey, why stop
there? Why not:
Beginning Quading 201
Introductory Yells 103
or Bryan-College Station History 104
Any of these courses, combined with Tra
ditions 101, will surely encourage hoards of
National Merit Scholars and maybe a few
Rhodes Scholars as well. Congratulations
again senate for spending precious time and
money on such a noble and nationally cru
cial issue.
Danny Evatt ’81
Maybe A&M is getting too big and some
students don’t know about “Howdy.”
Please — What can you do about it?
“Howdy” is as traditional as the “Twelfth
Man.”
Betty Dean
tion between Student Government and-
Placement Center, we hope to pro'-^
Aggies with the best possible service
Students interested in summer*
should check these areas:
1. The “Summer Jobs” binder
Placement Center’s library.
2. The “Pink Sheets’ in the Place® $1 bi
Summer jobs
Where's "Howdy'?
Editor:
What has happened to “Howdy“?
This morning I walked from my home,
just a block off campus, to the Rudder build
ing. It was just before 9 a.m.
I met many students, including some in
the Corps.
I said “Howdy” to each and every one.
Some seemed not to hear. And those that
did said “Hi.”
It has been six to eight months since I’ve
walked on campus. At that lime there were
“Howdy” responses.
I sure did miss it — and I sure do hope
that this is not to be a trend.
Editor:
I would like to correct an error that
appeared in Friday’s Battalion article about
the Student Government “Summer Jobs
Program.” It was stated that the campus
Placement Center is not very active in find
ing summer work for students. This is not
true. An estimated 500 students found sum
mer work through the center last year. Dur
ing the past semester alone, over 200 com
panies were interested in interviewing
prospective summer employees.
Student Government wishes to comple
ment this Placement Center’s service by
attracting jobs in companies that normally
do not conduct interviews here (i.e. the
firms of former students.) Through coopera-
Center (for regular employers who*
need summer help.)
3. The “Summer Jobs Program”
the Student Government office
April 13.
Roger McConnel
he S
! r °g'
the I
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this.’
W]
nse
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Two Rays
Editor’s note: The presence of twofj
pie with the same names in the areacai
some unintentional and undue haras:
for one of those people Thursday.
Kenny Ray, a junior in Company E-lj
not the same Kenny Ray who submits
lettter criticizing yell leaders in Thursi!
Battalion. The Kenny Ray who submit#
the letter lives off campus.
By Scott McCullar
AN appeal: TO THE people
WHO GREW UP WATCHING
WALT DISNEY ON TV.
AS PART OF THE COLLEGE
TV MARKET YOURS IS AN
IMPORTANT VOICE IN
KEEP I NG A QUALITY
entertainment program
ON THE AIR FOR AN
IMPORTANT reason OF
the future:
THE CHU-DRE/V.
HELP MAKE THIS STRIP
USEFUL FOR A CHANGE;
CUT OUT THE LAST a PANELS
ANP PUT THEM IN AN
ENVELOPE, (DO NOT MEN
TION PISNEY ON THE OUTSIDE,
these get Tossed or
FILED away;
ANP send to:
XNC-
CDS
NETWORK PROGRAM MING DH?-
SI W- «. St.
N.v. , N-Y toon
TO THE ces NETWORK PROGRAMMING PlRECTORS*.
AS A STUDENT AT TEYAS A£M UNIVERSITY J
SUPPORT YDUR pEUS/ON TO AIR "THE WONDERFUL
WORLD OF Disney/' and request it be shown on a
WEEKLY BASIS IN A SUITABLE TIME SLOT. I BELIEVE THAT
TELEVISION IS CAPABLE OF QUALITY ENTERTAINMENT
AT TIMES AND CONSIDER THE WALT DISNEY PROGRAM
A FINE EXAMPLE OF ENTOY ABLE, EDUCATIONAL
PROGRAMMING,^ THE BENEFIT OF PRESENT FAMILIES
ANP FUTURE CHILDREN.
THANK YOU,
The Battalion
ISPS 045 560
MEMBER
Texas Press Association
Southwest Journalism Congress
Editor Dillard Stone
Managing Editor Angelique Copeland
Asst. Managing Editor Todd Woodard
City Editor Debbie Nelson
Asst. City Editor Marcy Boyce
News Editors . Venita McCellon,
Scot K. Meyer
Sports Editor Richard Oliver
Focus Editor Cathy Saathoff
Asst. Focus Editor . ... Susan Hopkins
Staff Writers Carolyn Barnes,
Jane G. Brust, Terry Duran, Bernie Fette,
Cindy Gee, Kathleen McElroy, Belinda McCoy,
Marjorie McLaughlin, Kathy O’Connell,
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Cartoonist Scott McCullar
Photo Editor Greg Gammon
Photographers Chuck Chapman
Brian Tate
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