European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 11, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes thursday september 11,1986 columns David Broder Reagan making pitch for gop a Oriff in Senate in St. Louis insurance broker Jean Conrad is a target for Ronald Reagan this fall. She s a nominal Democrat who voted for Reagan in 1984 and thinks he s done 3 pretty Good Job Overall despite her concern about the growing National debt and her Dou his thai the social Security system will be around for the generation alter her own. Rut at this Point. Jean Conrad plans to Vole for it. Coy. Harriet Woods the democratic candidate for the scat sen. Tom Eagie Ion. Do. Is vacating. She thinks former gov. Chrisl Ophir kit Bond the Republican nominee did a pretty Good Job As governor but har Riet Woods would be a very Strong sen Ator. She s never minced her words and maybe it s because i m a woman but i d like to Sec her in  a reporter knocks on her door to ask what if president Keagan crime to St. Louis his fall and made a speech saying it was very important to him personally that kit Bond be elected because if the democrats take control of the Senate they will Block him from doing anything his last two years i d think Long and hard about it Jean Conrad says. I d have to Missouri is one of perhaps a dozen slates Likely to hear that kind of Appeal from Reagan As he invests his time and personal popularity in the struggle to keep the republicans shaky 53-47 Senate majority intact. Many voters in Missouri and in the Pittsburgh area where i was also door knocking last week dismiss out of hand the idea of Reagan swaying their votes. But he does t have to reach every one even a few waver ers such As Jean Conrad could make the difference. The irony is that to be effective Rea Gan must overcome the lessons he taught the voters in his last two campaigns. In areal sense he is running against himself. One past lesson is the idea that party loyally does t really mean much. In his two presidential campaigns sex demo crat Reagan helped millions of other defecting democrats to rationalize their votes for him with the line i did t leave the democratic party the demo uralic parly left  now it s a Long reach for him to come Martin Gottlieb Back and argue that the Only Way that same voter can demonstrate his loyalty to Reagan is to vote the Republican ticket in november. The Cement of old democratic loyalties has chipped away for people such As Jean Conrad who does t Sec much leadership at the National level from the democrats. But Nei ther is she ready to be glued into the Reagan album As a Loyal Republican. Aside from Reagan she says i Don t see much leadership there  the other thing that makes Reagan s sales Pilch so Lough this autumn is that it goes against the Grain of the personalized presidency which he did not invent but has brought to 3 new Peak of proficiency. At least from Eisenhower s Lime on Ward the operative Rule of while House Public relations has been thai the presi Dent lakes credit for All the Good news and someone else lakes the heal when things go wrong. Reagan s team of image makers has brought that doctrine to the Teflon level of efficiency where democrats complain nothing Slicks to the president except the glory. Reagan has managed to engender and to identify himself with a lot of Good feelings patriotism optimism assertiveness in inc world and a variety of Good causes from the fight against drugs and terrorism10 inc quest for lower and fairer taxes. He also has managed to shuck off blame for budget deficits huge Trade imbalances loss of Industrial jobs and stub born regional unemployment letting it fall Onlo other people especially con Gress and the democrats. The problem is that six years of this kind of propaganda is almost Loo successful for its own Good. If this omnipotent father figure of a president inc Banger of All Good things is not just the wizard of pm a Humbug then surely nothing As insignificant As a switch of party control in the Senate could undo his magic Powers. If on the other hand Reagan is now to portray himself As part of a governments must take responsibility for the fail ures of that governmental system As Well As its successes.  Posl Herb lock is on vacation democrats trying out a new idea on the voters the democrats have an idea it s not new. And it s not 100 percent respectable but it is providing them a sort of theme for the 19s6election, and that s something i hey Haven t had in a while. They Call it populism. Some might Call it demagogue cry. In South Dakota a democratic candidate for the Senate Thomas Daschle runs an and saying what do those in Power Tell us. That our Hopes and dreams Don t count. From Pennsylvania Avenue to Wall Street they be decided our dreams can  in Indiana a Democrat tells the press the biggest Appeal we have now is standing up for the Little Guys against the interests otherwise beyond their control a democratic congressional candidate in North Dakota runs an and saying now the cry in Washington scentral America. You bet we re being threatened in Central America in Iowa Runimas North Dakota Montana South Dakota  now that May All sound kind of Hokey and empty but through it runs a real Credo the populist one the Powers that be Are bad Guys who Don t care about you and me. Sidney Blumenthal a political reporter for the Washington Post makes Clear in reporting the above examples Why these democrats an sounding so much alike they re All listening to the tame pollster. One of their pollsters likes to Point out that if voters arc asked whether they favor expenditures for making airports airlines roads and Bridges safer or for building a new advanced missile system to Stop enemy attacks they reject Star wars 22-1. In other words Don t go after Star wars As dangerous which is Liberal thinking not populist go after it As something that takes something away from the voter the same pollster says that when people were asked whether Federal Money should go to education or to combating the communists in Nicaragua the voters by 84 percent to 1 1 percent favored handing Nicara Gua to Gorbachev As a present. The message for democrats in that poll Don t say the United states should be on the Side of peace Tell the voters the contras want their Money. Emand. Identify. Still whatever else you might say about these Margi Nally demagogic Neo populists they Are certainly Bette than Chuck Robb. There is. These Days a democratic style that is the opposite of demagoguery. It treats governing As a management assignment. Actually it s a Republican style too but on them it looks better it is passionless and competent it Aims to build a majority coalition Forin offensiveness. Its rallying cry is we like Reagan personally but sometimes he seems a bit ill advised Don t you think Robb is its Beacon. The democrats have gone through being liberals no Liberal progressives moderates Png matits and every combination of those words. It would be sad to see them All turn into Robb Tike managers before the take a Little fling at populist demagoguery. The democrats problem is that the eco nomic woes of their constituents have comple origin. The deficit. Democrats think has Hurt Farmers by driving up real interest rates and has Bun american exporters generally by driving up the value of the Dollar. You re bored right the part where Robb was being vilified made tolerable Reading As did the silly rhetoric quoted at the lop. But la deficit stuff is the pits. Ii is a scientific fad that there Are no void in deficit bashing. The subject is too abstract the numbers too big the connections to economic circumstances Loo indirect Enier populist demagoguery. Well listen Franklin Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan did l build their great governing coalitions by being responsible and Boring. They delivered the populist message you re being victimized and i m Here to help. There s nothing so terrible about the message itself. Roosevelt and Reagan managed to tie it to some policy proposals. Someday these modern democrats might too. You never know. Diun thud by tin n T York Tum him Sonia