European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 26, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse In the spotlight All of a sudden Bye. Dion near new York times he Story of Gary Hart s Rocky relations with the press is old news. The new stay is about Bruce Babbitt Babbitt languishing at the Back of the pack is getting a Tot of positive attention these Days and it is starting to gel on the nerves of the other democratic presidential campaigns. The press has put Bruce Babbitt on a said Terry Michael press Secretary to sen. Paul Simon of Illinois. Bruce Babbitt has played the press Ike a piano and the press has been a willing instrument " it is certainty True that Over the last month the journalistic attention to Babbitt has been the stuff of press secretaries dreams. Significant articles drawing attention to the Little known candidate s policy positions and background As a widely respected governor of Arizona and free of embarrassing disclosures or Chili isms. Have appeared in the new be Public the Washington monthly time Newsweek the los Angeles times and the Washington Post the most extensive recent discussion of his candidacy in the wow York times reported in comparing the democrats economic views that Babbitt alone had altered a detailed accounting of How he would Cut the Federal budget deficit. The press coverage has translated into those infinitely valuable pictures on television the Abc news program night me ran a Long report on Babbitt asking Why to was suddenly the beneficiary of such Good Fortune in the press. So did Abc news on the today show last week. Why is there such locus on Babbitt and Why is it coming at Inis crucial Point in the Campaign right before the Iowa caucuses the candidate himself sees it As a Happy Accident. He says most editors postponed writing profiles of him until the very end hoping he might drop out. Bui Babilt did not drop out so he is finally gelling some of the attention now when it May count the most that others got earlier. Hal Bruno political director Tor Abc news says Babbitt has also won notice because of his splendid Campaign organizations in Iowa and new Hampshire and a Good organization leads the press to take a candidacy More seriously. Further Dotty Lynch poll local editor of lbs news. Said dark horse candidates have surprised political reporters so Ollyn in the past that unlikely winners like Babbitt Are getting More attention in 1968. Reporters Ore protecting said Lynch who worked for a dark horse in 1984 Gary Hart and while Many journalists would argue thai this makes no difference it is a fact that Babbitt is Personalty popular among reporters and political operatives alike. There s no doubt that Babbitt is a likable Man with a sense of humor and especially a sense of humor about said Fred Martin Campaign manager Lor sen. Albert Gore or. Of Tennessee. Operatives Tor the competing campaigns say they accept ail these factors with equanimity. What upsets them is thai Babbitt is also winning attention because of his support for a National sates tax. They think this Means that reporters Are injecting their own value judgments in their coverage. A willingness to Call for higher taxes and put some limits on social Security has become a litmus lest Lor political courage among political reporters. Martin charges. Michael of the Simon Campaign says the very reporters praising Babbitt s courage will write the party s political obituary later this year if new fanes became the Centrepiece of the democrats 1938 program. Faced Wilh what they see As favourable press for a rival Tho other democratic Camps Are Starling to counterattack. The Simon Campaign Lor example is circulating a study showing that Babbitt s proposals for a National sales lax would hit the Middle class and the poor much harder than the wealthy. In Michael s View any candidate who rises through press notices can also. Be brought Down by them. In any Case it is not yet Clear How much Good the press attention will do Babbitt. In the Public polls in Iowa where he must do Well to slay in the race he has nudged up Only slightly in recent weeks. But several pollsters for other democratic presidential candidates Are reporting a modest surge for Babbitt in their private surveys. In either Case he is still a Long shot and the talk among democratic politicians is focusing on other candidates. At the lop of the chatter is the idea that Gary Hart failed to use the recent democratic debate in lbs Moines to Rise above his competitors. He thus failed in the popular View to meet High expectations he had Sel for himself. Richard a. Gephardt in the meantime was on a Small Roll coming out first in an Iowa poll released last week by Wiz to in Boston. Gephardt now threatens Paul Simon who had been Percsi void As the Leader in own. And Michael s. Dukakis no had been Simon s main challenger. The main lesson is that opinions Are changing so fast among Iowa democrats that any of lira lop three contenders and perhaps even Babbitt could win. But the Survey also underlined a political truth that mitigates against the positive pics Babbitt is getting the poll suggested that a key to Gephardt s Lead was Tho wave of television commercials he has been running in Iowa. The Point la that paid advertising can have far More Impact on voters than anything reporters write or broadcast Dee. Especially if the reporters Are writing Lor newspapers far from the scene. The Babbili Campaign knows this which is Why it is running the most altering snippets irom the press reports As you guessed it on a television commercial. Meanwhile. Iho pot Lical world recalls that the track record Tor candid Les whom the press seemed to like is not so promising John 6 Anderson As a Republican and Ihnn an Independent presidential candidate in 1980, won substantial at Len lion for taking what were perceived to be unpopular stands Anderson did not win a single primary and got 7 percent of the vote in the general election Jody Powell who served As press Secretary to president Carter noted that rep. Morris a Dali of Arizona was better liked by the press in 1&76 than Carter was Carter won anyway. The stars and stripes Page 13
