European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 25, 1981, Darmstadt, Hesse                                William Safire january 1981 the stars and stripes Page 15 on scale of inaugural address rated a 7 the line originally ran no barriers born of going Over a draft of the inaugural address with writer Ken Ronald Reagan said theres been such an increase in antisemitism around the world lets include the word As the phrase read no barriers born of bigotry or discriminate speech was crafted with on a scale with lincolns inaugural addresses and Wilsons first at the Kenne Dys at Nixon first at eight and Sec Ond at Carters at four reagans inaugural rates a respectable to Grade it in detail Structure he gave two the first was an cd style warning of economic coupled with an attack on big govern ment As the source of our after his first draft of Reagan was disturbed at what he told aides was an impression that i will Back away from the campaigns economic promises he inserted no Compromise to buttress that antigovernment theme of the first he used the device of these United states Are As if by construing the singular United states As he could reinterpret our Tom Wicker can Reagan pay his economic dues Ronald Reagan was inaugurated As the 40th president of the United states for one reason above All others because High inflation and interest rates and continuing unemployment convinced the Public that his economic promises offered More Hope than Jimmy Carters discredited poli if that is then the primary Standard by which Reagan should be judged in the coming years is his Success or Lack of it in righting the Economy most particularly in bringing Down the rate of Price conservatives will of course that there were other causes for reagans electoral College closely none seems remotely As important As economic discontent and the Public desire to try a new the Public certainly endorsed the Republican candidates promises to Cut Federal spending and slash income tax rates by 10 percent a year for three consecutive but he proposed these Steps primarily As a Means to the greater end of revitalizing the Economy and controlling the new president won with his Promise strengthen the nations Mili tary but this was a matter of credibility rather than since Carter made the same in his final budget the outgoing president called for a billion increase in fiscal 1981 military spending and recommended future rises of 5 percent after Reagan will not find the Money to do much one of reagans most consistent themes was that he would get the government off the backs of the but neither a Post election poll by Gallup nor a new York time subs Survey of those who voted found a demand for diminished Public serv nor did Reagan contend in his Campaign that getting the government off our backs required anything so Radical As a re peal of the new Deal and its he worked hard to reassure the voters of his support for social for one Good and throughout the Campaign he prudently slipped toward the Cen Ter from his More rightward stance in the that reflected the historical fact that the american electorate does not choose Radical whether of the left or Reagan opposed abortion a contradict since his approach would return government to the backs of women and the equal rights two Good Rea sons Why he got the support of the moral majority and other cultural counter revolt they were an important element of his but it can hardly be said that their concerns were his major or that As president theres much he can do about Reagan no doubt will try to keep Faith with All those who supported him for any of these but the pattern of his and his personal teams transition activities leaves Little doubt that consider the Economy not just his first priority but the principal test of his and few men have entered the White House facing a More Complex the Lon term inflation rate is running at 10 and in 1981 a wage spurt of 10 percent or so is expected As workers try to catch in the familiar inflationary social Security benefits and others indexed to the Cost of living will increased payroll taxes and a minimum wage Rise have already Given the Economy its first inflationary shot of productivity gains that might compensate Are not in and the trend has been not Carters proposed military let alone any that Reagan effects beyond will be particularly since it adds nothing to Supply in the spending cuts that might offset the military increase will be if at in a Federal budget in which approximately 75 percent of expenditures Are uncontrollable from hard tout entitlement programs such As medicare and food Stamps to interest payments on the National what open might do to american prices is unpredictable but what the immediate decontrol of Domestic Oil and Gas will do is the effect of the proposed Reagan tax cuts is hotly disputed conventional economists say it will be but others insist the plan will generate in vestment and hence expand the tax base to compensate for lower tax we shall Carter found that even an induced recession  slow As a downturn used to compensation to the Unzem helps keep demand High and in the 1980 slump factory wage Levels actually Rose by 11 so Reagan faces a task perhaps As Formi Dable As that which confronted Franklin Roosevelt 48 years ago and without the emergency conditions and congressional majorities that gave for virtually a free All americans wish their new presi Dent Well but none should expect Mira cles nor demand Quick c new York times in reminding us that the nation was formed by the the new president seemed to realize he might be Over emphasizing his Point he had to with a touch of that he did not intend to do away with in the second begun about half Way he resurrected he forgotten american and evoked memories of patriotic National will and individual Sacri both speeches fitted the the second More but wore not thematically Jive him a c for Struc slogan he took the Era of National renewal from his elect Ion eve drafted by Anthony 1 flinch at Era Ever since our Era of negotiation turned out to be not As secure As our Era of Reagan put the inaugural committees slogan new beginning based on an unoriginal line of his in quotation acknowledging its theme without pushing it too a b for not straining for new deals or new Choice of words he referred to the Transfer of Power As the Transfer of author a Nice distinction in a passage denigrating centralized the president used exemplar rather than example in exemplar of freighting the phrase with inherent his Good Choice of words was marred by our reluctance for which should have been our reluctance to engage in con give him a minority sensitivity the insertion of bigotry was noted earlier Reagan added or stars of David to the markers bearing crosses in Arlington he was meticulously Loo they Are not As often but markers bearing the Only official government Monument with a Cross is at Robert Kennedy Reagan directed his writer to consult with Vernon Jordan of the Urban for some passages from those Reagan wrote the Best line of the speech How can we love our country and not love our countrymen that was not Only memorably but designed to remind some of his supporters that patriotism can not be separated from social a for Mark hat Fields my fellow countrymen was redundant president reagans my fellow Citi was countrymen is a Good word to use in an inaugural because Many presidents began with my today such a salutation would be considered tone More important than quotable phrases is the general impression a speech leaves on an reagans especially the second was serious rather than moving rather than the inaugural address was the product of his own mind and his own life what we heard is what we Churchill he is but Reagan he really the crowd gave him a medium not More than a b but he was working to the person in the living he made Only two attempts to move the crowd with applause preferring to establish a sense of intimacy with the television setting to face the inaugural West Ward was a stroke of helping the speech Rise above the suggestion by Richard Moore to Point out the monuments was and the symbolism of breaking with tradition to face the Vista of the Amer ican continent was a poem that Churchill sent for during Britain crisis goes and not by Eastern windows Only when Daylight comes in the it applies to our own search for new sources of and to the new presi dents in the Sun climbs How slowly but the land is c new York times