European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 14, 1980, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday. September 14, 1980 the stars and stripes Paga 15 it tos hew aircraft be a Sambo of this  s James Reston Don t blame candidates might be system the american people seem to be agreed on at least one thing in this presiden tial election namely that they have been asked to choose Between a couple of unsatisfactory candidates. But who asked hem Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan were chosen by a larger democratic vote than Ever in the history of the american presidency and if the people Don t like them they have either to Wame themselves or the nominating process. This however is not a very popular subject for debate in this country for it implies the almost unpatriotic thought that maybe the judgment of the people is not infallible or that the american system for nominating presidents is not very Good. Nothing can be done this year however to Reform the reforms of the nominating process. We arc stuck with Carter or Rea Gan and can protest against this unhappy Choice Only by voting for John Anderson and for a bipartisan government of National Unity that has lit la Chance of being elected. William Buckley Carter s refusal to face Anderson in the first debate which May be a major Tali Cal Blunder almost provokes Chr people to do , there is no Hope that Carter or Reagan will oppose the nominating svs Tom that has brought them to the top. The Campaign is being fought out on the proposition that the failures of Carter in his Lisl term and the silly statements Reagan has made in the last 25 years will govern heir actions in the future and therefore disqualify them for the presidency. All these negatives were known by the people who nominated them or did t take the trouble to Vole but the interesting thing is the both Are now re appraising their records and trying to adjust to present problems and future prospects. What is particularly disturbing Aboul this Campaign so far is its emphasis on the manipulative tactics and personalities of the candidates As if the election of either Carter or Reagan would somehow Deal with the staggering and intractable problems of the world and remove the crisis of Confidence among the american people in their  shallow and negative argument on both sides it that a competent government and Confidence among the people can be restored by rejecting the other Guy that electing Carter or Reagan or keeping an Derson out of the debates would make All that difference. Nothing could be further from the  is the myth of television politics. Jimmy Carter says he will not debate with John Anderson at least in the first to confrontation but if he insists he will have to face the Wrath of the league of  voters and that could be More formidable than anything else. But these tactical and personal questions Are not Likely to resolve the problem of How to govern the Republic. For As James l. Sunquist of the Brooking institution has pointed put recently in a Brilliant essay on the crisis of competence a lament Tor the Mother country London the political Pace Here is As energetic As the Pound against the Dol Lar is High. The big news of course was the stunning indecision of the trades Union conference meeting at Brighton when presented with a petition to align itself with the striking polish workers Yeats ago Back in the Days of Aneurin Bevan the motion would have gotten near unanimous approval a few communist led unions dissenting this time after much debate under the guidance of Secretary Len Murray the Tuc declined to declare in Solidarity with the strikers settling instead for a diffuse message carefully designed not to alienate the communist government of Poland. By contrast american unions were beginning to collect Money to Send to the strikers and the longshoremen were refusing to offload polish  much for the Solidarity of the working men. But having said this it must be added that the people who run the trades unions of Britain Are for the most part politician bureaucrats. Membership in the labor party is Down from the High of one million after the War to under 300,000. And it it widely supposed thai a Large minority voted tory i the last Lime around for reasons a under i stand Abl As inflation unemployment labor Union chaos and International economic humiliation. In 1977, 10 million worker Days were lost in Britain due to strikes the so i Cia lists remember were in Power. The Fig ure contrasts with 2.5 million in France and 6 86,000 in Germany. Relative productivity reflects these figures. Starting with a base of 100 each in 1954, Britain in 1977 had risen to 168, France to 266, Germany to 277.the government of mrs. Thatcher ably advised by minister for Industry sir Keith Joseph is doing the right things rather More slowly than some had hoped. But the Speed at which reforms can be effected is an aspect of democratic rhythms. And Britain has developed its own gait which is easy going. The Hope in hopeful circles is that the stamina will not give out. Fiscal and monetary restraint will work miracles bul Only Over a period of time that May or May not match the Faith and patience of a people who Are free to change the government and Are constantly being urged to do so by those politicians who arc hawking free lunches. A Leader of these is our old Friend Tony Benn. Perhaps the most economical Way to characterize him is to quote his recent statement that the equally dreadful alter natives for Britain and the world Are Josef Stalin and Milton Friedman. Tony Benn is the moving spirit behind the manifesto of the National executive committee of the labor party which will be proffered for adoption to the labor party conference in october. This document had been characterized by the economist As basically a Coll Clion of labor conference resolutions passed Over the years reheated to give them a redder tinge. The manifesto Calls As usual for such cultural niceties As abolish ing the House of lords and Fox Hunting. But also it desires to  banking and insurance pharmaceuticals microelectronics construction companies Oil. Power plants commercial ports Anil anything else i have forgotten to mention and of course wage and Price controls. The trend in the country is of course in the opposite direction Ine conservative party having prom ised to de nationalize a lot of companies now losing Money and performing inefficiently. The labor manifesto introduces a Resolution unprecedented in the history of demo cratic practice. It pledges not Only to Rena tonal inc such industries As arc set free but to confiscate them from those British investors who bought equity in them in Good Faith. Such a Resolution proposed in the United slates would be unconstitutional but such restraints Don t bother Tony Benn who has followers not Only in England but in the United Stales where next week he will receive an honorary doctorate form Williams College. Sir Keith Joseph a scholar of aristocratic Mien and manner who profoundly believes that British socialism has primarily victimized the British worker is almost plaintive when he reminds you hat there is still in England some of the bit of everything workers management skills integrity Industry. Add to these Good humor. What has happened to Britain in the past Genera Tion is particularly sad for just that reason it could t have happened to a nicer coun try. In univ of i pm in our National  our problems will not be solved by anything so simple As a change of leadership to Reagan or the re election of Carter. The american governmental system Sunquist observes has built in structural features that have always presented severe difficulties for any president but he adds that these obstacles to effective government columns comments arc not primarily personal but institutional and will probably be More difficult in the Kos than they were in any other decade of this Century. One can identify Only a few periods in Vlic entire 20lh Century says Sunquist when relations were close enough or presidential leadership Strong enough. To achieve major innovations in controversial areas of Public policy. The most notable of these were the first two years of Woodrow Stilson s administration when the new Freedom was enacted the first term of Franklin d. Roosevelt when the new Deal took form and the first two years of Lyn Don Johnson when the great society was founded. Each of these Short but frenzied ? Active intervals came after a massive presidential election landslide which established the president s credentials As a Leader but clearly no such landslide by Carter or Reagan is to be expected this year. Nei ther presides Over a unified party. Both have to face congressional rejection of presidential leadership and even of the leaders of their own parties in the Congress and neither Carter nor Reagan can do much about this dispersal of political Power. Carter and Reagan arc not the authors but the victims of Init crisis on How to nominate presidents and enable them to govern. The people have chosen them bul they can t blame them for a system beyond their control. There is no Point in making Carter and Reagan seem even worse than they Are since they a Etc chosen As we say by the people who will have to live with one or the other for the net four years. Jimmy Carter promised in 1976 to pro Duce a government As Good As the Ameri can people and in a Way be kept his Promise bul this is not very reassuring. Cd naw Vort 71/rttl tha opt Slont apr Ted i lha co in and cartoon on Mil my Capra wit Thow Al if author and Ara to no with to a  Ai  Mari is it t Sun and Sirica or a unlit of slam Miramant