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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 19, 1999)
m Battalion O PINION Page 5 • Monday, July 19, 1999 . Where, oh where, has my Liddy Dole gone? Marginalized candidate can still beat George W. Bush if she capitalizes on her talents liHi- .1 1 • , . r-v _ 1 „ T + ^ * *^1 ,9 rhey, te-runni arly Ma »e byai rst spa ( Pd, aroi: Chin United world's e newt time, anfare te shov all, topi ipacecia amped ined (i an :tion c that 1 1 the Ji photos ocket i skeleto ry am i tVDi ?t percl lilding ssemb! 1 nguel ts likf folio 1 Beverly MIRELES ecratt essel bi mplex is said. ot tal stitutes tions lizabeth Dole is now the Republi can’s equivalent a party favor and is been dismissed as ich, ■hanks to George Bush’s relentless nd-raising and con- ant media hype, Dole fltering. Her poll libers have dropped from 15 to 7 per- ‘rtt. She has consistently beaten A1 Gore in jpartisan polls, but in the GOP straw ills, she cannot seem to get past the eamroller that is Bush. Ber pursuit of the nomination is now pendent on the hope that Bush will ale a misstep. Bhat most Republicans think of her as e obvious No. 2 in a Bush-Dole ticket is severely diminished the role she Bts to play. Boor Liddy Dole. Mas she gotten pushed aside or what? lokly bread gets more attention than this Bian does. B>l<e many professional women. Dole as been confronted with the secret max- nlf gender politics - a qualified woman Bwin the nomination, but only if there not a man available to fill the post. ■he is quickly learning that being the lost accepted female candidate does not lean being the victorious candidate. Breeding has trained her to grin and ear this hard truth. Southern belle-style. Bowever, if she continues to act in licit a reserved way, she’ll be grinning nd bearing it all the way back to the Wa- flrgate Apartments. Ber only chance now is to get out there nd show a thing or two to prove gender ihluld not be the only calling card of her tandidacy. ■There are three main factors in the race lofthe nomination - money, temperament and experience. Dole needs to reaffirm her positions on these three things in or der to weaken Bush’s stranglehold on the lead. • Money: It is the necessary evil of every candidate. Dole has raised about $3.6 million, not a bad figure. However, Bush has at least $37 million bankrolled. In order to use her obvious monetary disadvantage against Bush, she could campaign against “buying” the presiden cy. Americans, though thoroughly jaded when it comes to money in politics, would resent the thought that Bush, who has over 10 times what the other Republi can candidates have, deserves the presi dency. And the public should resent this. ''Moldy bread gets more attention than this woman does. 77 Bush may be the poster boy for big money, but he certainly isn’t the image of strong leadership. Dole can remind them of this. • Temperament: Dole needs to drop the “preparedness is second to godliness” act. Spontaneity may not be her strongest point, but by allowing the robotic image she has gained to take hold, she’s harm ing her candidacy. Being thoughtful does not have to get in the way of Dole’s image. People want prepared presidents but not timid ones. Unfortunately for Dole, the need for intense preparation can be misconstrued as the inability to make important deci sions. If she can shake the automaton image, then she definitely is on her way to showcasing her experience. • Experience: This is Dole’s true ace — she is more qualified than Bush and Sen. John McCain. After serving as president to the Red Cross and holding two cabinet posts, her record tops both McCain and Bush in public service. As Red Cross president, she had to make informed decisions at a fairly quick pace. Bush’s governorship can hardly boast the same experience. Texas gover nors are typically weak. She desperately needs to show she is the most qualified for the nomination. Those veiled barbs of hers will not do the trick. They will only remind voters of the “Little Miss Perfect” moniker that New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd has already saddled Dole with. Liddy Dole has the chance to win the Republican nomination for president, if she has the good sense to use her advan tages. If Dole sticks to the issues and rein forces the notion that the other Republi cans running do not have a strong issue to stand on, she has a good chance to make a jump in the polls. For the Republicans who haven’t caught Bush fever, she might be exactly what the ticket calls for. For those who already have bought into Bush lock, stock and barrel, Dole is patient. She will be waiting and ready for when he stumbles. Beverly Mireles is a junior microbiology major. Jeff Smith/The Battalion Wealthy nations must consider ^welfare of less affluent countries More fees should be optional ■east LANSING, Mich. (U- £ 1/jRE) — According to a recent ^ /^Bort by the United Nations De i a careBopment Program, the increas- ;t, said ■globalization of world arrestjconomies is widening the eco- in Ifietmic disparity between the d Morld’s most developed and yer, 1 east developed nations, jes andprhe reoort warns the increas ebeen -easons )ortunii iring, said. ?d aftei i Bark ; d bee: dam ie iva : And if it is true that un checked globalization will plunge the world’s underdevel oped nations further into pover ty and plight, then is the United States or any other globally suc cessful nation obligated to assist the unsuccessful nations or limit their own success to limit the damaee it inflirts? doubtedly, needed when dealing with free-market economics. We learned that lesson rela tively early in our history as a nation. We have been attempting ever since to strike a balance between unchecked competition and con cern for the welfare of the eco- W a V V regis tration loom ing, I have been flipping through the fall registra tion schedule, and noticed it lists 17 sepa- rate fees — Seventeen. Some of these fees are neces- S^rv Rut r>thp>rc aro inct r>lair-> Marc GRETHER The fee arrived a few years back when a group of students decided their cable bills were too high and wanted help from everybody else in paying for them. Somehow, they convinced enough other people to go along with their coercive plan, and now, all pn-campus students are stuck with their legacy. The health center and Rec Center fees are two more fees farced on students. However, 4.u ~~~ 4. r — _ _ facilities and an amazing rock wall. But why should a disabled person be forced to pay $50 a se mester for it? They may not be able to benefit from it. For that matter, why should a lazy person be forced to' pay a Rec Center fee? They will defi nitely not benefit from a Rec Center they choose not to use. The career center fee is an ex ample of a good fee. For starters, ' e fee is optional. The career ■nter stays in business because 'ople want it, people need it id those people are willing to ty for it. Even some mandatory fees e good fees. The computer ac- ss and library fees help pro- ie services all Aggies need. Most other good fees (lab, lysical activity and distance ucation) are only assessed to jdents taking specific courses, lese fees are needed because me classes cost more than tiers. It makes sense that □se taking the classes pay for ?m. Attendance at a university is t required. Nonetheless, stupid, coercive, ilectivist fees should not be ced on students once they get re. Marc Grether is a mathematics graduate student. jstion you. Badges can be pur- ised at K-mart for $4 plus tax. 1 it the students of Texas A&M enow their rights and to be are of these men. Scott McCrosky Class of ’98 The Battalion encourages letters to the ed- Letters must be 300 words or less and iri de the author’s name, class and phone iber. the opinion editor reserves the right to edit ;rs for length, style, and accuracy. Letters ' be submitted in person at 013 Reed Mc- iald with a valid student ID. Letters may also nailed to: The Battalion - Mail Call 013 Reed McDonald Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843-1111 Campus Mail: 1.111 Fax: (409) 845-2647 E-mail: battletters@hotmail.com