European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 20, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Thursday october 20, 1994 commentary the stars and stripes Page 17 taking on reaganism1 -.   Isky for democrats those of us who believe that campaigns should have consequences Are encouraged by the Way this 1994 election has developed. What began As an empty exercise in Congress bashing is taking on some dimensions of a Clear partisan an ideological Battle. The change began late last month when the republicans who had Bee Content simply to run against what they Call the Clinto Congress and its democratic majorities decided to Tell people what they would do if they gained control in next month s voting. The contract David s. Broder with America signed by 300 re publican incumbents and Chal lengers on sept.27, promised votes in the first 100 Days on constitutional amendments to required balanced budget and to limit congressional terms on a series of tax cuts and on unspecified measures to strengthen National defense. Even before the Ink was dry on those signatures president Clinton arid congressional democrats started firing away and the barrage has increased i intensity As election Day draws closer. Now it is the theme of presidential speeches and a $2 million democratic National committee to and Blitz claim ing that republicans want to carry the country Back to what president Clinto called the failed policies of Ronald Reagan s administration. I the decision by the White House to pose the Choice in 1994 As Reagan ism  is a High risk strategy. For weeks White House political adviser Tony Coelho had been saying that the democrats would try to avoid making 1994 a referendum on anything and in Stead seek to localize the contests. Make voters choose Between the familiar Friendly favor doing democratic incumbent and the unknown Republican Chal Lenger Coelho said. What changed the strategy was Clear evidence that it might permit if no actually Aid and abet a rout by the re publicans. Several Public polls demonstrated that incumbency was t what i used to be and that republicans for the first time in 40 years were actually gaining an. Edge on the democrats in what politicians Call the generic vote question would you rather have a Democrat or re publican represent you in Congress even in the Republican presidential landslide years of 1980, 1984 and 1988, More people answered a  autumn the Edge has. Swung to the gop by As much As 12 Points in an Early october times Mirror  unchanged that could yield the first Republican controlled Congress in 40years. What was worse from the demo cratic viewpoint was the flood of Field re ports warning that disillusioned demo cratic stay at Home non voters might tithe election Day balance even further to the gop. Private polls in Many state mirrored the pattern of a Columbus Dis Patch Gallup poll on the Ohio Senate race. When Republican it gov. Miked wine was matched against democratic businessman Joel Hyatt Dewine had a10-Point Lead among the 803 registered voters in the poll. But when Only the Likely voters were counted his Lead exploded to 19 Points. In a leaked memo presidential pollster Stan Greenberg tried recently to reassure congressional democrats that the president knew what he was doing when he decided to nationalize the mid term voting by casting it As a Choice Between the Reagan policies and those of the Clinton administration. His research Greenberg said showed that the Best Way to energize prospective democratic Vot ers is to Tell them that the democrats want to go Forward and address the problems of Ordinary people while the re publicans in Congress want to go Back tothe Reagan policies of tax cuts for the wealthy exploding deficits and cuts iri.medicare.". /  ,.- that is of course a definition of the1980s that virtually All republicans and Many Independent voters would reject Asa partisan distortion. Indeed Green Berg s own memo acknowledged that the1980s Are remembered approvingly by 2.v5" times As Many people As remember them with distaste. But the democratic task at the moment is not to persuade the sceptical it is to mobilize the base. Greenberg has spoken publicly of his concern about the turnout problem in the times Mirror Survey the Only demographic groups i which democratic congressional Candi dates enjoyed a significant margin were Blacks hispanics and people with less than a High school education and with less than $20,000 income All of whom Are what politicians Call Low propensity Vot ers who Are difficult to get to the polls these Are among the minority of voters who have no nostalgia for the 1980s. I Hopes of mobilizing them the Clinton administration is challenging Reagan ism a strongly As the Republican contract sign ers arc endorsing its major tenets. Bot sides now Are trying to polarize the Electo rate. The result May help finally to re solve which Way the ambivalent american voters want the government to move to Ward tax cuts and either fewer govern ment services or the risk of higher deficits with the republicans or the More activist and expensive Clinton Agenda. C Washington Post a arizone cd be quiz a Hiz Robert Redford s our show now causing astir in the nation s press and motion picture Heaters explores dishonesty on a grand scale in a mass  Are other examples As Well but less conspiratorial. /. ,.-,- -. In 1953, four years before the Twenty one program portrayed in the Redford movie i was on a nationally televised daytime quiz show and they fed me  Twenty one there were no meetings no plots no threats when i taped the big payoff in february 1953.i was picked out of the audience based on a questionnaire my Bride had filled out when we entered the studio during our honeymoon trip to new York. Without prior notice the show s staff gave me an Swers when i stammered on their questions. They provided me with three of the four an Swers backing off Only on the last question which would have won us a trip to  that s All right. I could t have gone to Paris any Way. I had a Date with the . Army in three weeks  the motives were different with the Biff. What the producers were seeking i believe Vas an  have a dolt such As me plucked out of the studio audience and either too frightened to answer reason Able questions or too dumb would not make for a de cent program. But a Young married Man about to go off to serve his country during the korean War was Worth putting on to. When they realized quickly that i was Hung up on the first question they fed the answer to me. This kept the show going and kept the soon to be i in the fore front. That first question had to do with How Many Gold medals babe Didrikson won for the United states in the 1932 olym pics. Two a Book tells me today on that Day in 1953, i did thave a Book to research instead i had emcee Warren Hull Tell. Ing me that i had Ive seconds. As i stared helplessly ahead i noticed one of the show s staff members waving two1 fingers and mouthing two with his lips. Two i said and moved on to the next round. I can t remember the next two questions but i did know the answers to them either until the wigwam Ger and lip Purser gave them to me. The final question was about the Green Mountain boys of the american revolution. Bingo i had the an Howard Kleinberg ser. It was Ethan Allen i would Tell them and Fly Offtor Paris. Now we All know of Ethan Allen s role in that organization Hull continued but can you Tell me who was his associate in forming that fighting group lost totally lost i searched and searched for wig daggers and lip purses. Nobody budged. This Guy is As dumb As Aii Oak tree they must have been thinking we gave him three freebies let him sin with the last one. And i did. Answer sch Warner but we came away with a Bunch of prizes that really i had not earned. Rather than massive amounts of Cash that came with prime time quiz shows we were bathed in about $1,000 Worth of costume jewelry gloves Luggage a dress a purse and one giant Box of  laundry detergent the last being deposited in a trash barrel at la Guardia Airport. Nothing asked of me on that program would have in stalled me As a Genius and  the difference be tween the big payoff and Twenty one. In addition to the Cash the experts who were show cased on Twenty one became part of our folklore. I went into the army for the next couple of years. C Cox news service