European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 13, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 columns . Rosenthal the stars and stripes dream of gentler nation May be Tough to realize George Bush says it so often and so deliberately that the Assumption has to be that he Means it. He want to use he presidency to help make the United Stales a Kinder gentler nation. The president elect has offered no information so far about How he plans to do it. The rest of us can simply dismiss the whole thine As an unpleasant piece of Politi Cal hypocrisy coming Tram a Man who fought one of the least kind and gentle campaigns in recent american his tory. But automatic cynicism and Assumption of ill intent terribly fashionable at the moment Are not particularly useful. They Are the emotional equivalent of illiteracy. Both Are intellectually blinding. It is much More interesting of assume that Bush Means it even if he has. Not Cyl figured it through. It is an intriguing Choice of words. They Are Bush sown so even if it speechwriter wove them into a slogan they Ioctl us something about How Bush sees himself and would like to be seen. What other president would use them probably not Ronald Reagan because he docs no have the sense of self inquiry that those to words so unusual for a politician imply. Anybody who comes out so often for kindness and gentleness seems to want More in himself and those around him. Jimmy Carter might use those words. In at least one Way he made them a reality his emphasis on human rights heard in the cells of political prisoners around the world. Kindness to the oppressed is toughness to their tormentors. Neither Franklin d. Roosevelt nor Lyndon b. John son used the words and in both men s careers there were signs of cruelty. For did Little to help the jewish Refu gees from Germany. Lbs was not kind enough to the country to dig it out of Vietnam. But in their presidencies both men did in some ways make the nation More kind and gentle. For gave dignity and some Security to . Johnson gave Blacks part of their due through civil rights legislation. Bush can Start showing that his heart understands Whai his Mouth says by cutting out the Nasty hard Guy enforcer talk read my lips. One false move you Are history. You can hear the ugly chatter of the automatic pistol from the to screen see Beery men in bars nudge each other approvingly. It is mean talk from anybody and from a president a mean example. Bush can speak of the need to respect the beliefs of others redemption for his Flag waving insults to Michael Dukakis. It would lid rather than diminish Bush to say one Day that he regrets those slurs George will a Emil Cost mis one. It would help if he got to know Blacks better so hat every time he raised his hand in Welcome they would not flinch expecting a pal on the head. That will Lake Effort time and will establishing his own record As a Man deeply interested in human rights at Home and abroad. That May mean facing Down american businessmen and Kremlin Logiste who urge him to give the russians Al the Money and technology they want Quick before the germans Comer the Market. It will also mean facing Down the next third world Marcos who comes along instead of putting his around him. A president cannot eliminate All foreign tyrannies but should not pick his favourites in kindness to the victims. Bush can do those things himself. The Price is Only self examination and self control he has demonstrated both. -., there is one other obvious Way to make the country gentler eliminate handguns useful Only to criminals and make other guns harder to get. Bush turns his Back on gun control. But he will not be Able to avoid a More critical prob Lem if he Means what he says Money. It would be Kinder to All of us if drug enforcement and therapy were adequately funded. It would be a Gen Tler nation if there were enough Money to Deal with the mentally or economically wretched in the streets. How will he Back up his promises to become the Edu cation president unless he provides More Money for Early Start programs and Day care where education be is one of his definitions of presidential kindness. Can he bring cleaner air and water free. Where will he get the Money for All those things the struggles against miserable education drugs homeless Ness polluting filth if he opposes All new taxes to raise the Money making the nation Kinder and gentler is a Fine goal for a president worthy of the office and the country. H Speaks Well of Bush that he set it. Now he will have Loans wer that important question that candidates ignore but presidents Cannou yes but How. A new it Immo the Pemo crafts seem Foeri of ego is a fuel of politics and some democratic politicians their egos smart ing and their prudence telling them to put distance Between themselves and the debris Are offering this piquant explanation of Dukakis downfall his Campaign did not return our Telephone Calls there they go again those democrats. People lend to be diligent about doing what they do Well and democrats Are diligently working on losing the next election by ignoring the lesson of this one. They Are abetted by the Media unwitting helpers of unappreciative republicans. The close relationship Between political journalists and political opera tors produces Post election analyses that encourage in democrats the soothing be Lief that their party s problems Are in the nuts and bolls of the machinery and not in the party s mind. A. V granted had Wiser democrats been heeded Dukakis would have campaigned belter gone Here rather than there run this rather than that and an would have done marginally better. But losing 40 slates and 426 electoral Voles is not a marginal loss. However Post or tems Are preoccupied with preoccupation is encouraged by the Media which have a Micro View of poli tics because of the Day by dryness of journalism. Journalists talk to political tacticians and to and behold learn from them that tactics Are All and that the tactics Wouldhave been dazzling if the tacticians Calls had been returned. time for a dec View. Dukakis wis the second strongest democratic candidate in 24 years. Bush s Victory margin of under g Points in the popular vote was Well below the republicans 13-Poinl average in their first six victories since mid Century. In those victories republicans averaged 455 electoral votes better than Bush s 426. So so Dukakis was decapitated but not drawn and quartered. Some Consolation for the deceased. Yes Dukakis came close in a num Ber of Stales. But As politicians say Clos Only counts in horseshoes and hand Gre Nades. The 1927 Yankees won a lot of one ran games which made them More not less impressive. Blarrie voters first democrats say voters were gulled by trivialities the pledge of allegiance Acle Etc that better Dukakis tactics could have countered. Actually Dukakis was Lucky. Trivialities worked so Well thai Bush never needed to use the lethal stuff like Duka Kis endorsement when pandering to Iowa s peace lobby of a ban on flight testing missiles. Such a commitment Loun lateral disarmament makes Willie Horton look like Winnie the Pooh. Rodney Dangerfield democrats say Dukakis achievement 23 Oul of every so votes was is the goal respect or Power some democrats say 46 percent in t chopped liver. But Bush gets 100 percent of the presidency. Here arc 49 million reasons for looking beyond the minutia of Dukakis tactics in the last 36 years 49 million More Voles have been cast for Republican presidential candidates than for democrats. Maybe seven losses in 10 tries says something about the democrats message. If democrats had won 70 percent of the elections and piled up a 49-million-vote. Surplus perhaps the Media would say the message mattered More than tactics. Xiv a a ,. Two years ago a Democrat said if we can t beat Bush we have to pick an other they should pick the Good of . Dukakis lost All 11 Stales of the Confederate Stales of America. Restarted 138 electoral Voles in the Hole 155 adding the Border Stales of Kentucky and Oklahoma. Democrats devised super tuesday to Force their candidates to court the South Early in the nomination process. They held their convention in the South. They plucked their vice presidential nominee from the South. They lost the South and the border155.4 v conventions and running mates Are marginalia. Voters think the message Ismore important. Super tuesday was a failure because so Many moderate democrats weary of the party s National Mes Sage no longer Vole in. Democratic Pri Maries. In Florida s primary the two most Liberal democrats Dukakis and Jackson got 60.9 percent combined. In november a conservative demolished " Dukakis in Florida. V ". Look at tuesday s result and ail How Many stale that Dukakis won would Sam Nunn Hove lost How Many that Dukakis lost would Nunn have won the answers none and Many. Then there is a third question How Many times docs the electorate have to hit the democratic party across the Bridge nose with a crowbar before the party gels the Point remark Able beast that party. Its nose wears out crowbars
