European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 17, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                10 the stars and Stripe columns wednesday september 17.1986 William Safire o Neill Reagan cashing in on drug hysteria an 11-year-old girl in los Angeles noticed a a fool tall marijuana plan growing in he Back Yard last week and turned in her parents. Police Are holding the girl in protective custody lest the parents speak sharply to her while an investigation continues. This is evidence of drug abuse hysteria As if he nation is on a High from its crackdown on crack. No wonder. News Maga incs have been conducting a circulation building War on drugs Tor months television net works arc finding prime Lime slots for documentaries deploring the crisis newspapers vie Tor the Mast lurid series on inc local Angle of the Issue now i National Vogue. Politicians know they can get on the air and in print by railing at the pushers at Home and the producers abroad. Poll sters Tell candidates that interest in drug abuse is no. I on the voters1 hit Parade. With this Media political symbiosis running rampant at Campaign Lime news junkies ask to drug abuse worse no than a year or two ago the answer is no. It has Long been serious and often tragic problem with Little jaw enforcement attention Given to stopping the inflow at our Borders. The difference now is thai budget balancing and lax Reform and Aid to the contras of Nicaragua Are All Hullsville and the thing to do to win attention awards High ratings and votes is to get aboard the fast railing drug abuse bandwagon. The Story escaping coverage Isth Way House speaker tip o Neill s democrats Are using the drug hysteria to undermine the budget discipline of Gramm Rudman and to find the Way tomake to increases palatable. While proclaiming that inc lives of our children transcend to Vilics the House democratic leadership has come up with a politically delicious Christmas tree Bill throwing billions at the problem. In his last Hurrah the speaker dares republicans to vote Down the stunting Resis Tance to the Stampede would open them to the charge of being soft on  he says this new spending is Loo urgent to suffer the restraint of Gramm David s. Broder Rudman if this Bill busts the budget in such a popular cause who s to oppose ii Oneill has telegraphed his next punch using inc newly discovered Nee to spend billions on drug combat some democrats of the Mondale school will support special tax increases to fight pushers. That is the Camel s nose under the tent when free milk for babies loses its Appeal find another cause for raising new Revenue. Republican Bob Dole of Kansas worried about deficits sees this As a popular Way to do what was hitherto no no and Speaks of checkoff on tax returns wheedling 15 from people due refunds which is hardly in the direction of tax reduction or simplification. President Reagan who though the had won the budget Battle by going on automatic Pilot suddenly finds himself in a sky filled with flak. His solution Don t argue with o Neil Lon Nar Coronnia because that would Cost seats in the fall elections. Go along Wilh some spending now Promise More later when the news trendiest move on to other causes and the promises need not be kept and outdo the democrats wit drug busting on the cheap. That Means drug testing of every fed eral employee with Access to sensitive information which Means about a Mil lion people. Most voters do not care what happens to bureaucrats anyway and the real loss of civil Liberty to government workers does not appear on the Federal budget. Next year when private employers expand the use of drug tests to humiliate and harass unwanted employees Reagan will be on his Way to retire ment. Thus he Reagan reaction to o Neill s stunt is to refuse to engage on the real Issue and instead to put on a Hunt of nil own. Liberals worried about election can no More oppose Reagan s phony testing War on suspected drug Wen than can conservatives object to the speaker1 Tricky method of budget busting and i increasing both ploys Are presented u Means of meeting Fie Public s concern about drug abuse. A political fraud is being  abuse ii real and requires action on Many fronts eradication interdiction education prosecution rehabilitation and beagles sniffing Luggage at every air port. But that action must be sustained and not hysterical without turning Chil Dren into police informers. Is purpose must be to save lives and not to serve any parly s hidden Agenda. Across the land women seeking higher office from Huss Sturgulewski in Alaska to Julie Claga in Connecticut women candidates like those two gubernatorial nominees Are on the move in 1986. Seeking higher offices in greater numbers than Ever before. An Accident a coincidence hardly. The smart operators have seen it coming and can explain convincingly Why it is happening now. Celinda Lake the candidate services director of the women s Campaign fund says that the breakthrough that is evidenced by women winning both parties gubernatorial nominations in Nebraska and both parties Senate nominations in Maryland has been a Long time coming. Most of us were dazzled when returns from last tuesday s primaries in nine states showed 32 women bad been nominated for statewide or Federal office. It capped a year in which six women have been nominated for the Senate nine for governor 10 for Lieuten ant governor and 53 for the House of representatives. Lake did not share the general astonishment. We re seeing the fruits of the third wave of recruitment she said. The first wave which accounted for almost All the victories up k the 1970s were the women who won As wives widows or in a few cases daughters of male politicians. The second wave dominant the past decade were the women who shifted their energies from Volunteer work in civic groups to politics an used their private sector credentials As an entry pass to Public office. In this third wave women who have made their Marks in lower political offices Are setting heir fights higher just As men have done All along. Sturgulewski and Belaga both republicans Are experienced legislators who beat male politicians including a former governor in one Case and a former gubernatorial Candi Date in the other to win the nominations for chief executives of their states. The opponents in the Mary land Senate race Barbara Mikulski d and Linda Chavez rare respectively a Veteran House member and a former Reagan while House aide. As Lake pointed out at a seminar sponsored by the women s Campaign research fund during Las month s National conference of state  having these credentials is vital to Success in jobs Wilh major responsibilities. In the Nebraska gubernatorial race which has drawn so much attention. Republican candidate Kay Orr is the slate treasurer and democratic contender Hele Boosalis is inc former mayor of Lincoln. Carolyn Warner the democratic gubernatorial candidate in Arizona has been serving As slate superintendent of Public instruction Norma Paulus the Republican candidate for governor of Oregon is the former Secretary of stale Harriet Woods the democratic candidate forthe Senate in Missouri is lieutenant governor Etc., Etc. These women Are doing it the old fashioned Way pay ing their duo and serving their apprenticeships. Because their credentials Are in order and they have records of competence and Success these and Many other women candidate Are having increasing Sucech in fund raising. Lake says that women challenger uncompetitive House races have been Able to new about 25 percent More on the average this year than in 1984. More important the credentials and experience these women candidates have earned help them to exploit their unique advantages As women. Reviewing the polls in her new Orleans talk i Esaid it is Clear that this ii an election that jul be overwhelmingly determined. By the Basic character of candidates. People Are looking for elected of dab they feel comfortable with that they Trust to do a goo Job. That they dust to Lake their Mteresa to the Date House and the .  that mind set Lake said makes this a very Strong setting for women candidates because intensive stud ies of voters attitudes the and others have made in thelast two elections show that is exactly the Type of thing thai people expect from us women the Quail tin people ascribe to women candidates Are Good character ability to listen ability to Lake average peo ple s concerns to  if you can demonstrate that you Are competent that you know How to do the Job and have a record of doing the Job you can run very Strong and successful campaigns Lake said. That is exactly what we Are seeing in state after slate this year and a Welcome sight it is. C wining ten i or