European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 23, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 columns the stars and stripes George f. Will Dukakis should worry about Jackson contrast Washington this cily of pollsters and heir clients was somewhat Abuzz la a sunday when a now Yurie poll showed Michael Dukakis support tailing and Jesse Jackson s rising and the difference smaller than the poll s margin of error intensity mailers and Jackson had cornered the Market on it. Of can both trends reversed. What had happened in he Connecticut and Wisconsin primaries was happen ing in new York. It was what a Connecticut democratic Leader had called a reality As decision Lime Drew near voters Drew Back from using heir Voles merely 10 Send a message of have some other form of Tun. Instead they voted As though they were picking the person who should have custody of nuclear weapons and control of the value of inc currency. The subsiding of Jackson s surge showed Why republicans should be worried this year for a change. Democrats seem serious about winning. Candidates As Well As voters make reality in 1952, candidate Adlai Stevenson addressing new York s Liberal party made merry atthe opens of rank and file conservative republicans who Stevenson said every four years suffered agonies. They suffered because their party s Nomi nees driven by political necessity came to term with the voters approval of the democratic parly s Handiwork an activist government. Noting that re publican platforms resembled democratic plat forms with a four year lag Sieve non said that such plagiarism is a form of Progress this is the time when even the most obsolete Republican becomes momentarily reconciled to the machine age. He listens he is very Apt to listen with a stiff upper lip while his candidate Calls for those greater social gains which a few minutes be fore they called wild eyed socialism. The season when Republican hearts regularly throb with such thoughts is of course the autumn of presidential years. This is indeed a truly remarkable interval sort of pause in the Republican occupation and i be often thought it might Well be called the Liberal hour thirty six years later the transformation of american politics is symbolized by he fact that new York s Liberal party has withered. And the process of accommodating political realities works in the oppo site direction. It might be too much to say that elections Pri Mary As Well As general bring democrats voters As Well As writers to a conservative hour. However, today like republicans yesterday do finally flinch from acting on some of i hair Funda Anthony Lewis mental impulses including the impulse 10 have too much Liberal fun. More people than Are voting for Jackson have jacksonian impulses. They vibrate like tuning Forks whence Speaks partly because he alone among the Candi dates seems occasionally to speak with unfeigned Fer Vor. This should unsettle Dukakis because some of Jackson s Appeal is a judgment against Dukakis. And George Bush May meet a similar problem in new or leans democrats May be anticipating the wrong Jackson the problem probably will not be that he will misbehave at the Atlanta convention demanding too much and putting too Radical a face on the party. Rather the real problem May be that he is Loo Good too eloquent stirring charismatic. He May be to much of a contrast with Dukakis. By the time Jimmy Carter was renominated in 1930 at Madison Square Garden his Campaign already faced an Uphill climb. But it became even Sleeper be cause of a speech made on his behalf. By the Lime Ted Kennedy finished his rousing philippic against All re publicans and All their works democrats had had a tantalizing tale of a kind of campaigning of which Carter was incapable. Kennedy s speech sent Carter Forth looking especially Limp. Before Bush takes too much pleasure contemplating Dukakis potential problem with the Jackson contrast he should imagine his own new Orleans convention in August. Outside the climate will be like that inside a Sauna. Inside the Hall will be a warm Bath of bathos As the party gets weepy about the Gipper. As the apotheosis of Ronald Reagan reaches its apogee Bush May seem More than Ever like a stunted sapling that having lived too Long in the Shade of a Large tree has not grown. Many people believe Bush resembles a Willow not an Oak. Dukakis Calls to mind . Wells complaint about Henry James desiccated characters who never make Lusty love never go to angry War never shout at an election or perspire at Jackson s strength stems from hit overflowing vitality and from the con Trast will the two other most prominent figures of the political moment. Dukakis could prove the right Man for the times Michael Dukakis has had a grudging reception from some National political pundits right through the Prima Ries. I be was too Boring they said. He did not meet the voters yearning for uplift for Romance. They told him he would have to do something to make his image More exciting if any of that bothered Cov. Dukakis he did not show it. He never docs. He just went on campaigning his Way Stead ily rationally on his issues of compe tence and integrity. And now he is the Likely democratic nominee for president. It is an astonishing political Story really Victory by understatement. People Carou the country opponents and sup porters both Are learning something that Massachusetts has understood for sometime. Never underestimate the Intelli Genic or determination of Michael Dukakis. To come out of the new York primary As he did was a particular Triumph of character and political Nous. You could hardly imagine a political Jungle with More malarial bogs in it than new York politics in 1988. There was mayor Edward Koch turning up the tension with vulgar race bailing. There was sen. Albert Gore insisting thai inc prime Issue of the Campaign was which candidate showed the Mol fealty to the maximalist policies of prime minister Yitzhak Shamir of Israel. To steer Clear of that Seething ass of haired and extremism looked impossible but Dukakis did it. He emerged from new York Wilh not Only Victory but dignity. And he emerged As a competitor of the other candidates not an enemy. Thai could be an important asset he confronts what will be his first great Challenge if he is the nominee to Al inc full support of Jesse Jackson forthe fall Campaign. The two men will at least approach uie inescapable sensitivities of the situation from a starting Point of Mutual respect. Dukakis has other assets for the task. He is a believer in the politics of inclusion. Ai least he has been since his defeat for governor after his first term. Since his re election he has worked successfully for consensus with business and other inter ests that have opposed him. His willingness to reason and Compro Mise with opposing views must have had a special attractiveness in new York it was in such contrast 0 Koch s politics of abuse and division. The mystery of inc new York primary was Gore. How could he have allowed himself to be used by the mayor a Media Man David Garth and other Slick Era for their bizarre purposes How could he have thought that the Way to National office in this country was through association with those who use the tactics of racial and religious Divi Sion some in the press still Sec Dukakis despite his impressive new York Victory As a Winner by default in the absence at a More dramatic candidate like Mario Cuomo. Solemn television commentators said that Many new yorkers who vol cd for him would rather have had an other candidate la what recent presiden tial election would millions of voters not have did that Well reporters tend to be romantics about democracy we forget that when John f. Kennedy started his primary Campaign for the presidency Many Pui him Down As dry too. No doubt default was one reason for Dukakis primary Vic tories. Bui he is his own Man now passion is important in to i pics and Dukakis will be flawed As a presidential candidate if he cannot con Vince us that he cares but it is not so to me Ihil the voter ate hungry for uplift As such. They have Hod that in the White House for seven Yean and enjoyed it but they May in Starling to worry about waking up with a hangover. This could be the time for the Candi Date of common sense. The american right evidently fears la u suiting to use it dirtiest word on Dukakis left la evidence is thai he opposed to secret War on Nicaragua which two third of americans have consistently opposed. Michael dukakis1 bet is thai Ameri cans Are ready for a president who Lis tens who reads who would not Lei a spokesman invent his words. He is a cautious Man a pragmatist which used to be a political trait congenial to Ameri cans. He May also have another Quality it until in politics As president Reagan has shown Luck. After All he might have been endorsed by de Koch. No Weili Tun no Filc. The opinions no nil in tit Cohut us a Toofil of twi Wjt or Pant in Otto re Zubon ind in in of Ingr u he u Kemt a Ting in item of the Sun and stripes or Lite unite stain he
