European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 27, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 columns the stars and stripes thursday february 27, 1986 William Safire Gorbachev s biggest woe is in his own backyard Mikhail Gorbachev celebrates the first anniversary of his Assumption of Power at this week s 27th soviet parly Congress. He will be celebrating the achievement of control of he 300 members of the Central committee. He has already replaced about too we expect him to replace another 100 at this meeting. On the politburo of the 13 full members at the last Congress in 1981, four remain. One is Gorbachev an other is Andrei Gromyko now a figurehead. Only two Are holdovers from the Brezhnev Era and Only one of importance the last of the ukrainian Mohi cans Vladimir Shoecr Bieuky. Some shift in one year. But control without purpose is self defeating. The great question at the 27th Congress is to what end will Gorbachev put his Power How will he use control before control abuses him As it has his predecessors Western eyes Sec that question in terms of arms negotiations International adventurism support of terror ism. But that is not uppermost on the mind of the party Congress. The new generation in charge knows that the internal economic system must be changed soon or the soviet Union will cease to be a superpower. The nation cannot feed itself. That terrible weakness on the farm has been masked for decades by whopping purchases of Western Grain. That Grain has been paid r in hard currency earned by the foreign Sale of soviet Oil. Gas. Gold and arms. But the crisis of Gorbachev s first year which should permeate the inner councils with a sense of Droud is the collapse in the Price of Oil and the resultant drop of natural Gas revenues from Europe. The russians Are looking at losses of Sio billion a year nearly half their foreign earnings. That Means they will not have the Money to put bread on millions of soviet tables. They will lose their ability o cover up the fail ure of their agricultural system in effect the mighty . Is at the mercy of Grain Selling Argentina an Canada. Now we get to the anomaly facing the new wave at he 27lh Congress. Wresting control from a Geron Toca by was relatively easy gaining control of the debilitating control that is the old men s legacy will be harder. Central control has Stul tidied and corrupted production and distribution and created an exploiting bureaucratic class unknown to capitalism. Go to a food store in Moscow you will find no checkout counter. You wait for and Purchase each item separately before you get in line for the next item. The state seller in Complete control is hopelessly inefficient. In the same Way the communist leadership s need far control stemming from distrust of the people is a drag on the development of technology. To create a generation of High technicians a nation must provide its George will youth with Access to computers. In the West hackers Are at work on personal computers around the clock straining at the naps of their envelopes becoming the Vanguard of technological change. In the soviet Union the thought of providing such Access is anathema be cause it Means instant Samizdat and such spread of information Means loss of control. At this Congress Gorbachev will have to choose a priority most Likely he will be forced by the present stagnation of Industrial growth to put the building of new Industrial machinery ahead of consumer demand for More food production. To assuage Farmers and offer Hope to Consumers he has academician Tatyana Zaslavskaya running controversial experiments on collective farms and she has reported that family units tend to be the most Success Ful producers. The secret re introduction of the family farm with its inherent Market orientation might cause an upheaval among communist . The new ruling elite is not Likely to accept the Rawji Cal transformations Gorbachev Speaks of and i doubt he has the daring to try Hungary s half capitalistic is Tern or Lenin s new economic policy. Instead listen for exhortations about the human i Factor meaning harsher discipline of absenteeism Andi drunkenness Ana Black Market ering perhaps the introduction of the Subtle torture of unemployment. As Elii Abath to ague of radio free Europe writes if people could be cajoled bullied or even scared into working i bit harder drinking a bit less and cheating the system on a slightly More modest scale a great Deal of Slack could be taken pushing the people and denouncing venal offi feb will not rejuvenate the failing system. The Specter haunting the 27lh parly Congress is the startling to nomic lesson of the 20th Century Freedom is Motel efficient than control. Pm c new York Tolmei news service w/7/ fhe White House be Gephardt s next Stop on election Day in 1984, Missouri s third congressional District was in a melting mood giving its heart in several directions. In the presidential race Ron Ald Reagan massacred Walter Mondale there 65 percent to 35 percent. But Rea Gan ran 35 percent behind the democratic congressman who was unopposed. That Man rep. Richard Gephardt is one of the democrats fair haired boys literally and metaphorically. Folk Wisdom is that red hair such As his indicates a volatile nature. Wrong. Gephardt Mili. Unity avoids Militancy. His emotional equilibrium resembles that of Dickens lady do Doc who was so Well bred that she could have ascended into heaven without displaying indeed without feeling any heavenly rapture. He was not born with a Silver spoon in his House let alone his Mouth. During the depression his parents neither of whom had a High school diploma moved from a farm lost. Louis where his father drove a milk truck. Today the father s son is considered not least by his House col leagues part of the Cream that has risen to the top of the House. Gephardt May soon try to Rise much higher. If Gary Hart and Mario Cuomo Are the front rank of democratic presidential candidates he is in the front of the second rank a promising place. That is remarkable considering that he is in the House. The Washington Assumption is that god or what is much the same the founding fathers created the House to bore Mankind. There Are so Many congressman that it is hard for any to become conspicuous. Conspicuous Ness is purchased in the Coin of identification with splashy National issues. Gephardt first attracted attention and precious Little of it by his attention to Hospital Cost control an Issue As recon Dite As it is important. Public attention to an Issue is Apt to be inversely proportional to its complexity and importance. The House is not known As the Mother of presidents. Only James Gar Field went directly from the House to the White House. In 1976, however. Rep. To Udall d-ariz., lost four primaries new Hampshire Massachusetts Wisconsin and Michigan to Jimmy Carter by fewer votes than Oklahoma s sen. Fred Harris quit pretending you Don t remember him siphoned off from Udall s Liberal base. Had Udall won even two of those primaries he would have been nominated. Qualities important in House leadership Are different from qualities required of presidents. A House Leader is a splendid spider weaving a web thai ensnares 218 members a majority. Gephardt becomes for him animated when describing the thrill of getting 218." but Success in inc House requires a legislative Leader to rub the edges off is sues the to Eltor to build coalitions. Presi dents Mua often Lead by arousing passion to put edges on issues. Legislators lives Are swallowed by meetings. Consider the democratic Cau Cus of which Gephardt is chairman the fourth ranking House leadership Post House leaders held 160 meetings just to cobble together support for the Gramm Kudman Bill. Gephardt loves the House but has seen the limits of life within what essentially a 435-person committee ? a h pcs Diu in 1 prospects Are threat ened by the fact that he is guilty of Well premature reasonableness. In 1978, he opposed the creation of a National consumer Protection Agency. Today that idea seems As dated As William a Anninos Bryan s free coinage of Silver. Gephardt of pos dra regulation of used car Sara i i think it k link la buying a Gephardt favored tuition tax credits when the budget permitted and Favoro taxing some health care fringe Benefit he opposes abortion busing and addition Al gun controls. He has voted against a increase in the minimum wage and against Extension of the equal i guv amendment ratification deadlines a presidential candidate such might make him hard for some Demi to Swallow but he also would be very for republicans to handle. As a leading advocate of Tatj i form Gephardt symbolizes the to mation of american politics. Fifteen ago the democratic Tel Ligensa was ing with arguments for a no growth today Gephardt insists that a age mint of growth u the Standard which policies should be judged. He i an Era m which grasping reactionaries a publicans say inc top tax rate should be " percent and Seething egalitarians a crafts say it should be 38 percent. Gephardt has just turned 45. He three children Ages 15, 12 and 8. Wow asked How one runs for president witf""1 sacrificing one s family Gephardt t the Only honest answer i Don t know,1 the nation will be enriched if he d cars How. To Wuh Englon Post writ i group
