European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - October 25, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 the stars and stripes tuesday october 25,1988 Andrew j. Glass push must come to shove for democratic party for a Long time political analysis had a theory about Why the republicans rarely won National campaigns. In presidential primaries the gop Eastern Liberal Wing would take on the Midwest conservatives. The losers in this intramural fight would take a hike Al lowing the democrats to prevail. It was Only when inc two sides got together that they emerged victorious. In 1952, gop liberals nominated Cen. Swift it d. Eisenhower defeating backers of Ohio s sen. Robert a. Lumc out to be a conservative but nobody knew that then. After their in Mph the easterners took a Young conservative. Sen. Richard m. Nixon of California As Eisenhower s running mate thereby fusing the two wings. La was a gop article of Faith in those Days hat they had to balance the ticket. In both i960 and 1968, Richard Nixon by then the presidential nominee picked perceived liberals. Sen. Henry Carol Lodge of Massachusetts and gov. Spirit. Agnew of Maryland As his running mates. How things have changed How easily inc phrase divided democrats comes1o mind these Days. It is they who now need to balance their ticket while the re publicans blithely nominate twin conservatives. Should he win however George Bush could move smartly to the left. Class lulls. And Bush comes from a class thai believes governments should solve prob lems. As opera lovers know it in t Over till the fat lady sings. Still in looks As if the final aria will lament the fall of Michael Dukakis. While the Bush crowd troop Down from Yale and Wall Street to pop Champagne corks the democrats Are Taptto be drinking a bitter Recti Mintory brew. We shall have Jesse l. Jackson freehand Bright after his partial eclipse in Dukakis Shadow preparing to seek the1992 nomination. He will doubtlessly argue that inc democrats lost because they failed to keep Faith with their Liberal heritage and offered up a pallid Carbon copy of the gop Agenda. Jackson sees vast numbers of alienated amen cans Jim Fain Suot pot marching in the Vanguard once they seize upon a cause worthy of their sup port. And we shall have inc revolt of the democratic pragmatists. While they Are split among themselves they unit around the notion that Dukakis pan dered to Jackson at the Atlanta Conven Tion and then failed to distance himself sufficiently from his Radical views. Such figures As Sam Nunn of Georgia and Charles Robb of Virginia who expects to join Nunn in the Senate a Cal year will no doubt maintain that the liberals had their Chance with Walter f. Mondale in 1984 and again with Dukakis in 1988, Only to blow it both times. They la Call for leaders who see the world through a different prism than those who fell before them. Yet the Finger pointing that will come As the republicans prepare to hold the while House for at least 12 consecutive years overlooks one Point both sides in this democratic feud had a Chance to make their Case in 1988 and both came up Short. White a hero to Many Blacks Jackson could never gain More than 20 percent of the White primary Vole and often came away Wilh far less. For their part demo cratic moderates either chose not to run for fear of being thrashed or else col lapsed for Lack of political oxygen during the Tough slogging. It s also Likely that Well see lots of talk from both factions about inc need to change the rules in order to get a Belt Rhandle on the game. And the party pros will have much to say in private about the ugly role that race now plays in the political process. However until the democrats unite behind a Leader who appeals to a Broad Range of voters and not jus those who come out in primaries they arc Apt to gel More of inc same. The republicans Aren t going to move out of inc Way until they arc rudely shoved Side by daring men and dramatic events. Con web a
