European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 18, 1989, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes columns David Broder relax Washington Eisenhower s Back slowly the truth is beginning to Dawn on Washington. People and policies arc starting to fall into a familiar pattern. And the realization is grow ing that George Bush has not found a formula for extending the Reagan revolution. Instead he has re created the Eisenhower presidency. The Early indicators were misleading. While Dwight Eisenhower was elected in 1952 on a time for a change slogan ending 20 years of democratic control of the while House Bush s theme was continuity. While Eisenhower was a National hero. Bush seemed at first to be badly overshadowed by his predecessor and unlikely to command a Large following of his own. Hut less than one sixth of the Way into his first term this president has turned out to be As popular in his Way As Eisenhower a comfortable figure who most of the voters have decided is Well mean ing Well organized and on lop of his Job. If his speeches Are As forgettable As Eisenhower a his news conferences arc As frequent and professional. His Overall approach evokes Trust and opponents find their disagreements on specific policies hard to dramatize. Once the parallel is acknowledged it makes sense for Bush was raised As an Eisenhower Republican. His father was one of the general s Early Polit ical supporters and a Loyal ally in the Senate. Eisen Hower was the first president for whom George Bush voted. Like Eisenhower and unlike Reagan Bush s instinct is to seek consensus. His background is far More partisan than the general a a lifetime military Man who did not declare a party affiliation until he was persuaded to seek the presidency. But if Bush cares More deeply than Eisenhower Ever did about republicans winning elections for other offices he is As willing As Eisenhower was to do business with the democrats on Capitol Hill. And those democrats arc easy to draw into the bipartisan game. House speaker Thomas s. Foley d-wash., is a protege of the late sen. Scoop Jackson one of the key democratic legislators of the Eisenhower Era and a Man who believed that politics should Stop at the water s Edge. Foley obviously does t have the control of the House that Sam Rayburn had in the Eisenhower Era. But from Nicaragua to Lebanon to Poland to China. Foley has proven to be Bush s Loyal partner. William Buckley fli6ht Over on the Senate Side. Majority Leader George Mitchell a Maine is a far cry from Lyndon John son who held that Post during most of the Eisen Hower period when it comes to legislative showmanship. But Mitchell like Johnson believes that his party must be responsible if it is to regain the voters Trust. He is also cognizant that his own presidential Hopes no More implausible than lbs s seemed 30 years ago rest on making the Senate look More productive than partisan. What makes All of this possible is the crucial break Bush has made with the Reagan Model. Rea Gan came to the presidency convinced that govern ment was not the solution but the problem. For All his personal  that deep seated belief or prejudice put him at Odds with the rest of official Washington which depends on governmental activism. Bush As successful a careerist in the civilian Side of government As Eisenhower was in the military harbours no anti government sentiments. He enjoys government and believes in its Utility. Even More than Eisenhower Bush is ready to recognize Domestic needs that require government action. Like him he d rather things were done Inex pensively with a minimum of Federal paperwork and a maximum Reliance on the slates. Liui he accepts that there arc tasks to be done and that the Federal government has a role to play. Once that s conceded Congress the bureaucracy and the interest groups Are in a game they enjoy knowing that All of them will be to some degree winners. Legislators will have Bills or amendments with their names on them drug Bills Day care Bills disabled rights Bills you name it. Old agencies like Nasa and Epa which languished in the Reagan years will get new missions. And new agencies like the one bailing out the say Ings and Loans will come into being. Lobbyists will make deals with each other to carve up the expand ing Federal Pic instead of being Al each others throats As they were when Reagan was upsetting everyone s Apple carts. A few Cranky columnists like this one will fret that divided government is unhealthy and that important tasks like reducing the deficit arc being postponed. But As in the Eisenhower Era most Vot ers will Sec nothing dreadful happening to them. Of course the United states docs not dominate the world economic and political stage now the Way it did in the fifties. But the chaos inside the soviet and chinese superpowers provides a breathing space and people arc ready to enjoy it. Even the politicians the democrats on Capi Tol Hill and the republicans in the administration find the status quo easily endurable. They can Muster limited enthusiasm for the seemingly Remote Prospect of ousting the other party from its place of Power. It s so much easier to relax and play the familiar Low stakes game which is exactly what Washington is doing. Washington pail writer group Frank s Chic politics frightens off Public scorn the Gay liberation movement has advanced its position to the Point of intimidating anyone who raises his voice to suggest that homosexual activity never mind that it is widely exercised is nevertheless aberration Al. Robert Bauman was driven from Congress a few years ago when the news got out that he spent much of his spare time cruising for homosexual company. A year or so later or. Bauman an old personal Friend asked me to write the introduction to his autobiography. I did so remarking that Many strengths of Bauman the parliamentarian and the Young Man who raised himself through poverty to go to col lege and Law school were enviable. But i was forced to conclude that the word aberration Al had to be appropriate to describe the activity of some one who is willing to forfeit the affections of his wife and family and to endanger a professional career because of the compulsion to engage in Homo sexual activity. If someone loses his savings and for feits his Home because he is a compulsive Gambler one is entitled to wonder whether he is truly the master of his Fate or whether he is in the grip of a disorienting malady of sorts. Accordingly one says however sadly of the Gambler or of the Alco Holic or the drug addict that he has forfeited his claim to Public Confidence. But to say the same thing about a homosexual who has managed to wreck his private life becomes increasingly difficult. What organized Gay Dom appears to have achieved is an abnormal Security for homosexuals. It s an interesting social situation. Mary Mccarthy wrote a novel about an academician who sensing that he was about to be fired for incompetence joined the communist parly and successfully fought off the administration by insisting on academic free Dom. Randall Jarrell in his Evergreen novel pictures from an institution comments on the resolutely Liberal woman whose husband and children Are destroyed by a fire lighted by the local Al Cio. She cups and weeps about the loss of her husband Jerrold and her children. Fern and John but then dries her tears and says but now we have to hear the other Side of the  the combination of his Pri vate and Public activity seems to be working a Miracle for Barney Frank. His Public activity is a uniformly left Wing vote on All issues. One is entitled to wonder whether if Jesse Helms were caught in a Calhous editorialists would spend their Lime calling Atten Tion to the Noble purposes he has served As a senator. Jim Bakker who is being tried for extortion and other of lenses is greatly ridiculed because his profession has been that of a Christian evangelist. There Are those myself included who Abo Minate less the Gross behaviour of or. Bakker the lecher and hedonist than his blasphemous invocations of god to see him out of his present difficulties and establish him As the Saint he truly is. To Clear the name of or. Bakker would certainly require a Miracle. But the one absolutely inconceivable Mira Cle would be critical appraisal of or. Bakker s career based on what Good work he might have done by kindling the Christian spirit during his years As an evangelist. The reason to be Active in spread ing the word of the lord is simply not ideologically Chic. Whereas to do what Barney Frank does which is to vote for free Alfalfa for Alfalfa less people is Eagle scout stuff and what you do at Home or permit others to do in your Home becomes simply a matter of your private  to earn a rating of 100 percent by the americans for democratic action and simultaneously to engage in Homo sexual sex with a prostitute is an of combination. The question no longer is raised whether it is a decadent age that reaches such conclusions. Cosmopolitan people Pride themselves in their immunity to Shock. That immunity is of two kinds. The doctor who has seen 100 cancerous Liv ers is not shocked by the sight of one More. But neither is the sensitive Doc Tor immune to the sensation of pity. A society that has seen increasing signs of decadence is not shocked in the sense that it is not surprised by one More example of it. But if there is a Core of health then one is entitled to wonder whether the moral Axis of society is becoming Rusty whether the Basic sense of right and wrong has be come a Vermiform appendix. Universal Piess Syndicate the opinions expressed in the columns and cartoons on his Page represent those of the authors and Are in no Way to be considered As representing the views of the stars and stripes or the United states government