European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 12, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 the stars and stripes saturday july 12,1986 columns David Broder it takes guts to build a Campaign around ideas sen. Gary Hart the Early front runner for the democratic presidential nomination is doing some thing unusual. He is running for the White House not by sewing up commitments or signing up consultants but by seeding the political landscape with ideas. The coloradoan who is retiring from the Senate this year ran the new ideas candidate in 1984, when he had Little to lose by the Gamble. This time the polls put him far enough ahead of the Field that he might easily choose a More conventional strategy. But rather than resting on the credentials he gained from his nearly successful Challenge to Walter f. Mondale Hart is taking the risk of publicly defining his policy views and prodding other democrats to join in the dialogue. However it works out for him that kind of guts Ness deserves applause. Hart has Laid out the Broad principles of a foreign policy of enlightened engagement and some of its specific applications in three speeches at Georgetown University. He has published a Book on military strategy and Pentagon management called America can earlier this year and in i98s, he introduced legislation and gave major speeches on Trade and monetary policy education Job training and economic development. His work has an intellectual coherence that goes Well beyond the level of the average stump speech. The foreign policy lectures hang on the Assumption that the diffusion of Power to Europe Japan and the third world countries necessitates a new look at the soviet american contest. That thesis can be debated by those who still see a bipolar world. Even More challenging Are some of Hart s specific proposals. He argues that . Banks May be required to write Down some of their Loans to debt Ridden third world countries. He advocates pressuring the South korean government to permit open political opposition. He says it is time to raise the Issue of redistributing the nato defense responsibilities in Western Europe. If he is in tune with the majority of his party i opposing Aid to the Anit sandinista contras in Nicara Gua he is surely cutting against the Grain in condemn ing much democratic sponsored Trade legislation a backward looking protectionism a new form of isolationism. Whether Hart is right or wrong in All his views he is genuinely trying to Start a debate in the democratic party. He is not alone in this Enterprise. New York gov. Mario m. Cuomo has Given some notable speeches in the past is months and former Virginia gov. Charles s. Robb is also trying to define a pro Gram and philosophy for his party. But Hart s Effort has special significance. Cuomo is James j. Kilpatrick still shy about expressing presidential ambitions and Robb is the darkest of dark horses. Hart is a full blown front running presidential contender. When he talks policy in substantive terms he tugs the others into competing in the Arena of ideas. In a recent interview he said "1987 has to be the issues year for democrats and i m going to try to make it the cynical View of Hart s Effort is that he is simply trying to immunize himself against a 1988 repetition of Mondale s famous put Down question where s the beef i think that is a misreading of his motive. Han understands that in the heal of the 1984 primaries Mondale was not challenging my substantive ideas he was questioning my asking where s the beef was just a Semi polite Way of getting democrats to ask themselves who is tvs Guy Hart what do you really know about him that is a question Hart still has to answer by opening More than Bis mind to the voters and by demonstrating that he has leadership credibility with other politicians. But credit Hart with at least one important insight All too rare among democrats in 1986 Ronald Rea Gan won the presidency because of ideas ideas have Power Hart remarked particularly in a time of great change like this one when people Are looking for ways to understand the transition in their he is convinced that the Only Way democrats can win a National election again is if we talk up to people not and that Means organizing a serious policy debate before the political dialogue is reduced to 30-second to spots and 90-second sound bites on the evening news As will happen once the accelerated Calendar of 1988 primaries takeover. Hart will do hit part to push the policy debate to the forefront in the next 18 months but even As front runner he cannot do it alone. The democratic party has ducked the issues debate for the past is months fearing More wrangles would Hurt its chances in the november elections. But it cannot Duck them forever. A series of 1987 party sponsored policy forums involving the presidential hopefuls and other democratic leaders would be a real contribution to finding the direction the nation wants to go in the Post Reagan Era. C get Fough policies help combat drug abuse big Bill Bennett the . Secretary of Educa Tion turned up before a House committee last month to say some remarkably sensible things about the drug epidemic in our Public schools. He had several recommendations for coping with students who use drugs or Deal in drugs on school property. His first recommendation expel them. That Blunt proposal seemed to dismay Charles Range of new York chairman of the select commit tee on narcotics. The Rev. Jesse Jackson who testified the following Day also demurred. Agreeing that drug use is a National disaster Jackson thought drug Edu cation programs would be better than expulsion. Ben Jamin oilman of new York concurred kicking them out in t going to solve the problem he said. Thai s not educating the kids that s just scaring the hell out of Bennett is on the right track. He made it Clear that he certainly is not opposed to drug education he will publish a what works Booklet this summer summarizing the most effective pro Grams across the nation. He believes firmly that a Long Range answer lies in promoting a unified front among parents students teachers and principals. Meanwhile Bennett cited a couple of examples of get Tough policies that have worked wonders. Eastside High school in Paterson nj., was a Cal Dron of violence and terror before Joe Clark took Over As principal. The school had a drug education program three fourths of All High school students have heard drug education program but while the pro Gram was going on students were Selling drugs in the Halls. Clark got on the Public address system and announced flatly that there would be no More drugs at Eastside. Subsequently he expelled 300 students. There is no drug problem at Eastside today. Hundreds of Miles to the South in Atlanta North Side High school also had a rampant epidemic of drug use. It too bad a drug education program but one Day principal Bill Randolph found students in an Art class smoking marijuana and blowing it through the air vents. He took summary action. He sent a letter to every Parent warning that if i catch your child with drugs the child would be of to. Drug abuse at North Side said Bennett has just about rep. E. Clay Shaw of fort Lauderdale was the Only committee member to support Bennett s proposal i think it s about time that we quit worrying about the kid that we throw out of school who was nothing but a Pusher of drugs and we worry about the five that he s rest of the class. We be got to get him out let me add my own amen to the comments of Bennett and Shaw. Two weeks ago i attended a Confer ence of new York mayors at Niagara Falls. I kept asking these City officials most of them from quite Small towns what they regarded As their biggest prob Lem. I expected them to say getting liability insure they said their towns and Public schools Are undergoing an epidemic of addiction to this latest cocaine derivative. Newsweek Magazine last week had a terrifying account of the burgeoning under ground Market for the drug. The situation cries out for the very kind of toughness Bennett is advocating. Drug education programs alone won t do the Job. A couple of Yean ago i proposed that capital punish ment in a particular form be revived for dealers i drugs. My thought was to hang convicted offenders in a Public Square. Some readers were horrified. Others thought i was kidding. I m not kidding. Capital punishment May not be much of a deterrent against Mur Der but the sight of a few corpses swinging from t scaffold might work with drug dealers. And i cannot imagine a More heinous crime than the crime of push ing heroin or cocaine. Other Steps should be taken. President Reagan recently authorized the augmented use of the Navy and air Force in interdicting drug smuggling from South America. This should help. Local judges should be encouraged to impose harsh terms in prison for serious offenders. Local school boards and Parent teacher associations ought to throw their weight behind Ben Nett s proposal for Zero no measures will end the traffic entirely but if this plague is to be contained much More will have to be done than we Are doing now. C 19m Una Kraal pm sym Cau
