S oturday, August 17, 1974 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Five
Sometimes you need a weatherman @00
(Contnued from Page 4)
This was the coordinatorship,
a symbolic though not particu-
larly powerful position.
Shoichet remembers thinking,
"Re-humanizing means Rain-
bowizing ... they want to take
over, They want to run for
counci."
AS A RESULT of party
schisms, a primary was neces-
sary in the second ward. The
race set Shoichet, RPP-nomi-
nee David Sinclair and Lisa
North against each other in a
bitter campaign. Shoichet won
the nomination.
HRP didn't follow the Rain-
bow strategy in 1973. They ran
hard for mayor and in three
out of four city council races,
and lost every election. Since
then, the Sun and RPP (though
formally separate since Jan-
uary 1973) have taken consist-
ent stands against HRP, and
have made few attempts to
work from within the party.
"Both HRP and the Sun be-
lieve in socialism," F e n t o n
agrees, "but we don't believe
in their kind of third party."
Cahill attributes HRP prev-
ious council tactics to circum-
stances and personalities. "It
was unfortunate," he admits,
"but we survived. The consen-
sus of HRP now seems to be
one of down with disruption and
alienation."
WECHSLER mentions t h at
since 1972, HRP has received
between 18 and 26 per cent of
the city-wide vote. "If that
doesn't give an organization
legitimacy and constituency,
what does?" she asks. "People
view us as the electoral arm
of the radical movement in
Ann Arbor. They approach us
with ideas to bring up on coun-
cil . . . Students, women, gays,
blacks, working people, disil-
lusioned liberals, committed
radicals - these are the peo-
ple we see ourselves represent-
inv." she explains.
The Sun accuses HRP of dis-
regarding the very peo'Ie they
consider their constituency by
onerating too theoretically and
not uractically enough.
Barbara Weinberg, Sun art
director, gives a recent exam-
ple that disturbed her. At an
Aoril meetine, some Democrats
brought petitions which s u p-
norted reneal of the sales tax on
food and drugs. Weinberg
claims that Wechsler obiected
to the netitions because t h e y
"weren't radical enough . . .
we should reneal all sales tax-
es . . . I can't support it."
WENBERG claims that af-
ter an hour and a half disus-
sion about imnerialism. nriori-
ties and other issues, HRP vot-
ed to snoort the petitions butt
not to circulate them actively.
"This i a sten in helnine neo-
nle." Weiberg says incredulons-
lv. "What could be bad about
it?"
Wechsler defends her stand on
ideoloev, saving that it's im-
portant to learn from the nast,
to understand it and use it to de-
velon tactics and strateev for
the future. "That's all ideol-
oev's enod for." Wechsler con-
cedes. "But I consider it crc-
ial for HRP to avoid nast mis-
takes of third parties."
One of these crucial mistakes,
according to Wechsler, is sup-
orting a "liberal" candidate.
"That "sually signals the de-
mise of that third party," she
says.
Fenton and Plamondon come
down hard on HRP for not mak-
ing enough of a distinction be-
tween Democrats and Republi-
cans.
THE SUN draws distinctions
to a certain extent, stating that
Democrats support capitalism
while they do not. However,
they characterize most Repub-
licans as "rabid bankers," and.
use Jamie Kenworthy and Col-
leen McGee as examples of
more acceptable Democrats.
"The Democratic party can
never be reformed or taken
over," Wechsler says. "It is, as
is the Republican party, a poli-
tical party that represents the
interests of the ruling class.
Convincing people of that, that
the Democratic party cannot be
a vehicle for social change, is
the prime task of the left. The
Democratic party is an obstacle
to building a mass-based left in
America."
This conflict can be traced di-
rectly back to differing concep-
tions of HRP's role in local poli-
tics. The re-humanize people,
or those at the Sun, run to win.
Those whom the Sun labels
elitists consider running an end
goal in itself.
AT THE same time that the
Sun attacks HRP as elitist, it
objects strongly to the struc-
ture of the party, which is de-
signed to be as democratic as
possible.
hill explains. "They wanted to
talk until everyone agreed. They
don't realize that a coalition
party has to be run differ-
ently than a collective."
THE SUN didn't publish be-
tween February and June of
1973, due to lack of funds. Pla-
mondon says that it was around
this time that the Sun separated
from RPP. "We started the
paper with the idea of giving
it away," he says. "We created.
the system and the organization.
Our overall goal was to create
something and turn it over to
the community."
Fenton believes it was a mis-
take to be tied to the Rainbow
People's Party. He emphasizes
the fact that there are no RPP
members on the editorial board
of the Sun, although Plamondon,
Ross, and John Sinclair are
contribting editors.
"Contrary to what most peo-
tics - demonstrations, threats
to tear down the city if the
summer rock concerts are can-
celled. They want money from
the city."
However, Plamondon insists
that he "doesn't relate to con-
frontational politics." Fenton
seems to agree, suggesting that
it's time for HP to act "re-
sponsibly" and build their cre-
dibility.
"The best way to change
HRP is not to encourage them
when they wip," Weinberg stat-
es. "This will give them an in-
flated ego and they'd think they
were doing the right thing."
Plamondon stresses that this
is not a power play, and that
the Sun feels a responsibility
for the direction of things that
happen in the community.
HOW MUCH influence the Sun
actually exerts on the com-
munity is open to question.
"I think they're incredibly isolated and opportunistic. They have a
very minimal effect on the community, and I don't consider them
part of the left at all,"
I. .>'Jr- w ! w w"{ V-!: fl k ' f. >" "{1 ." :1 > ".'- i . Yy: J>w.*w.w ^"yw^>+, r:l
dicated that the party is now
more anxious to win. The
strongest campaigns were in
wards one and two, with lower
priority given to the races in
other wards. For one reason or
another, HRP has conceded
that a figure or two in the
public eye increases their vi-
ability as a party.
ANOTHER tactical change is
evident at city council meet-
ings, where Kathy Kozachenko
(HRP-Second Ward) continues
to pursue HRP goals with per-
sistence. However, her style is
appreciably less inflammatory
than her two predecessors.
HRP recently finished a suc-
cesful petition drive to place a
"preferential voting" plan for
Mayor on the November ballot.
Allowing each voter to express
a second preference, the pro-
posal would virtually guarantee
a Democratic Mayor while al-
lowing HRP to run hard without
fear of "splitting the vote."
Significantly, the Sun supported
the drive against an unsuccess-
ful Democratic drive for run-
off elections for both Mayor and
Council seats that HRP activ-
ists felt could very well squeeze
them out of any City Council
representation at all.
Meanwhile, over at the Sun
several cars sport Ed Pierce
bumper stickers, and two Rain-
bow-affiliated bands did a bene-
fit for Harold Moon's unsuccess-
ful bid for the Democratic
State Senate nomination.
But the Sun staff insists that
it is not anti-HRP, and it is
too early to tell what will hap-
pen in November.
Jill Lawrence is a 1974 gradu-
ate of the University, and writes
for Herself. Since this article
was written, RPP has formally
disbanded, but most of the dy-
namics described in the story
remain intact.
Fenton claims that when only
50 or 60 people come to a mass
meeting, there is a real danger
of losing control. Republicans
or Democrats would find it easy
to determine HRP policy if they
brought enough people to a
meeting.
Wechsler is scornful about the
Sunn's objections, noting that
RPP is the only group that ever
tried to pack a meeting.
"Every person's voice is equal
at these mass meetings," Fen-
ton persists, "whether they're
off the streets or have been
working there for years . .. We
think the steering committee
should decide policies based on
knowledge, skill, and opinions
expressed at mass meetings."
"I'm shocked to hear they're
in favor of that kind of sys-
tem," Cahill counters, "where
the steering committee would
make decisions and the mass
meeting would advise. They
want elitist control. The only
people interested in that sys-
tem are people who are a mi-
nority."
FENTON, PLAMONDON and
Weinberg believe that the for-
mality of HRP meetings cats
off their contact with r e a 1
people. "The meetings are us-
ually on University property,"
Plamondon protests. "Never at
the park or the Blind Pig." He
describes cases where workers
and old women have been dis-
couraged from speaking be-
cause of three-minute speech
limits and other rules of parlia-
mentary procedure that they
are unfamiliar with.
Shoichet, however, replies that
"the only time a three-minute
limit was ever enforced was at
that gigantic three-hundred per-
son meeting to select the '73
steering committee. If we had
not, things would've lasted a
week."
"The RPP wanted to have
meetings where there was es-
sentially unlimited debate," Ca-
SURPRISE TAPES
THIEF LIFTS
DALLAS (AP) - The thief who
stole a tape recorder and sev-
eral tapes from the car of
Francis Andrews of Tomball is
in for a surprise - the only
sounds recorded on the tapes
are heart sounds.
Andrews, 42, who lists his oc-
cupation as "heartsounds" work,
told police he was in Dallas
working at the Veterans Admin-
istration Hospital when someone
broke into his car and stole the
tapes. Also lifted was a "digital
heartsound scope" he invented
and values at $25,000.
Andrews told police the scope
is one of only two in existence.
He said he was installing the
other one at the hospital. The
scope is a machine used in
heart research.
ple think," Fenton begins, "the
economic activities of RPP
have left them totaly broke and
in debt. RPP is small - it's
confined to about seven people.
But their views have spread.
They're not the domain of
RPP."
Shoichet concedes that the
Sun has improved over the last
eight months, and has gotten to
the point where it will print
critical letters. However, he
still considers the Sun "a pri-
soner of RPP ideology."
IT IS surprising that HRP's
David Cahill considers the Sun
a good paper and is now on the
staff. But while the staff puts
out a good paper, Cahill says
that "the staff members are
not very good politicians. They
are good at confrontational poli-
"I think they're incredibly iso-
lated and opportunistic," Wech-
sler says. "They have a very
minimal effect on the com-
munity and I don't consider
them a part of the left at all."
"HRP is not receptive to
RPP constructivity within t h e
party," Cahill concludes, "be-
cause the RPP strategy is to
destroy the party and pick up
the pieces. They don't have too
many popular supporters. The
1973 second ward primary was
indicative. They put everything
into it and lost. They insisted
they were the people and it
turned out they weren't the
people."
It is doubtful that persistent
criticism from the Sun and RPP
has had direct influence on
HRP policy. However, some
changes are evident. HRP's
1974 city council campaign in-
________ .0
INGMAR BERGMAN WEEKEND
I NGMAR BERGMAN'S 1968
HOUR OF THE WOLF
Bergman takes on again as he did in PERSONA, the power of one
person's insanity or silence over another. Perhaps his most charming and
terrifying film, populated with bats, eccentric figures, and nightmarish
events, Max Von Sydow as the painter whose sanity is disintegrated under
the pressure of an old erotic obsession. As the line between reality and
imagin*tion is obscured, Berman brings our common nightmares to light.
Max Yon Sydow, Liv Ullman, Ingrid Thulin.
NEXT WEEKEND: Milos Forman's TAKING OFF
THE CAMERMAN (1928) with Buster Keaton
TONIGHT at 7:30 & 9:30 ANGELL HALL
C N A I tickets on sale AUD. A
at 6:30 p.m. adm. $1