Hustings on Hudson: McGovern in N.Y.
NEW YORK
By MERYL GORDON
GRACIE MANSION! Here I
am at Gracie Mansion,
waiting out front with a cur-
ious crowd for Sen. George Mc-
Govern (D-S.D.). I've flown
here from Ann Arbor to watch
McGovern campaign in the pri-
mary...
And with the roar of a police
siren McGovern's car pulls up
along with two press buses and
several police cars. McGovern is
swept through the gate as the
press bus unloads all these
people with cameras, notebooks
and tape recorders. Secret Ser-
vice must check us all in. Do I
look like a reporter?-The Sec-
ret Serviceman seems to think
so and I rush through the gate
with the others onto the
grounds of Lindsay's home.
But there's nothing to rush
for. By the time we're allowed
in, McGovern has gone inside
for a private talk with Lindsay.
Ms. Lindsay and her daughters
begin serving soft drinks to the
100 media people roaming about
the lawn.
People are socializing, talking
casually and all of a sudden they
begin to run across the lawn,
leaping over chairs and tables
running in a collision course
nearly mobbing Lindsay and
McGovern as they emerge from,
the house.
The press shove microphones
in their faces and climb on top
of each other to yell out ques-
tions and record the answers.
I am almost transfixed, see-
ing McGovern in the flesh. He
isn't on radio or TV or news-
print but here, right in front of
me, talking softly but clearly,
telling us that Lindsay has not
given him official support but
that the situation is friendly.
I don't have too long to watch
McGovern though. People start
rushing for the press buses I
rush on the bus with the others
and realize hey, I'm on the bus!
But not for long-the bus
pulls off onto a noisy street in
Harlem and we're at a rally
for McGovern. We descend into
the black and Puerto Rican
crowd and the cameramen be-
gin to position themselves for
the kill.
There's a Latin band playing.
People carry "Jorge, si: Nixon,
no" signs. Babies, dogs, and
people lean out of windows, it's
a colorful carnival scene and
here he is folks!
McGovern is mobbed with
handshakers and well-wishers as
he leaves his car and walks to
the podium for a short speech.
He tells the people about his
minimum income plan and they
love it, they cheer noisily . . .
and with a smile and a wave
McGovern is off again back to
his hotel, the Biltmore.
Up in the press room on the
14th floor, there's an open bar
and loads of telephones and
typewriters. I don't have to file
a story yet, so I wander around
trying to become familiar with
a few selected faces before it's
time to leave again.
At last everyone is on the bus.
Cameramen wiggling down the
aisles, the bus jolts and streaks
off down the street honking its
horn and zooming through traf-
fic to take us to a synagogue-
McGovern is going to give a
major policy speech on Israel.
The press storms to the syna-
gogue and takes over. Flash
bulbs pop. The audience is a
little doubtful, but as McGovern
expresses his support for the
state of Israel they begin ap-
plauding and cheering him on.
Later, back in the press room,
the journalists begin to live up
to their reputations--a poker
game is organized, drinking be-
gins in earnest.
The next morning I awake to
a screeching alarm and the
sound of a rainstorm. It's pour-
ing outside. I dash over to the
subway then to the hotel and up
to the pressroom. The faces are
less intimidating this morning-
so what if he works for The
Times, today t am wearning
blue jeans and a t-shirt.
The first stop is at a Harlem
church. As we walk in, we're
handed cardboard fans with
photographs of Martin Luther
King and a family at church. I
sit down next to T. H. White
(of "Making of the President"
fame)'s son, David. He is doing
legwork for his daddy's next
book. We discuss that for a few
minutes, then McGovern arrives
and the choir starts in.
It's Sunday morning religion
time . . . and I am falling back
to sleep as the preacher talks
about the new religion and the
old religion and the importance
of believing in Jesus. I'd really
like to listen but my eyes are
closing. Suddenly the noise be-
gins, cameras flash and I awake
to see McGovern ascending to
the podium.
McGovern gives a speech
similar to the one he gave at
the rally, talking about his plan
to help poor people. He re-
sponded to the criticism of this
plan by a Nixon aide, which was
on the morning paper's front
page. McGovern quotes are be-
coming vaguely familiar. He has
a fine presence in a church. A
politician at all times, he men-
tions Father's Day and says he
wishes he could be with his own
children.
As the speech ends I head to-
ward the back of the church,
but am intercepted. "McGovern
is having coffee and doughtnuts
with the church members,"
someone whispers. I make an
abrupt about face (hmmm.
coffee) and enter a tiny room
where McGovern is being mob-
bed. The press takes up the
entire room, there's no room for
the congregation. The reporters
are eating all the doughnuts and
coffee and punch. They stick
stick close to McGovern, shov-
ing microphones from all direc-
tions. Well, I'm no dummy re-
porter, so I stand there and I
listen to the same questions ask-
ed over and over and over again
. . . but McGovern is smiling,
always smiling. Gradually the
press lets him alone, and he
talks with people briefly.
The next morning's event has
been canceled because of the
rain so we head back to the
press room ... I'm dreaming of
reading the Sunday Times and
getting some more coffee.
No sooner am I comfortably
established on the floor of the
press room, than the call comes
out, "Buses! McGovern is leav-
ing to go on some visits to the
Jewish community." So, down-
stairs we go again.
This time we have an all-
time maniac bus driver who
goes through red lights, stop
signs, anything . . , suddenly
the bus swerves to a halt on the
street of a residential neighbor-
hood and we're off. People run
up to the door of a rabbi's
house-we're in a different
world, young boys with payot-
long curls down' their cheeke-
and black suits and round
brimmed hats, old men with
white beards and yarmulkas.
. Most journalists rush into the
house. I try to enter and am
barred, first by a man who tells
me that no women are allowed
although two other female
journalists have already enter-
ed) and then by a woman. I
argue with her in the hall way.
"You're wearing pants," she
said. "I think it's horrible that
there are other women in there."
In a while, we headed back to
the bus, then another stop in
the rain at another rabbi's
home, this time Sen. Abe Ribi-
coff (D-Conn.) introduces Mc-
Govern, telling the rabbi "Mc-
Govern is a mensch." Here it
is-pure ethnic hype.
Back on the bus, Secret Ser-
vice announces "We're expect-
ing some trouble at the next
atop, The opposition is going to
be there." The press mobilizes
for flight. Reporters are fight-
ing their way to the front of the
bus to be able to jump out be-
fore the bus comes to a halt.
There's a large crowd and I can
hear screams of "We want
Jackson," "We want McGovern,"
"Down with McGovern," "Jets
for Israel" and "Never again"
the cry attributed to the Jewish
Defense League. People begin
pushing and shoving and there
are cries of "Hit him, hit him."
I am worried. Suddenly, a police-
man pushes the crowd in front
of me. McGovern is safely back
in his car. I see a club raised,
but not descending and I rush
for the press bus as it begins to
take off. There's pandemonium
outside but the police cars clear
the way and we take off.
Safe at the press room I talk
with a photographer about the
increasing security precautions.
He points out, "If anyone wants
to shoot McGovern, today and
tomorrow are their last chances.
Once he's nominated, they'll
have no chance to get close to
him. The pressure's on now and
I'm glad the Secret Service men
are around."
I'm glad also-for the first
time, the police are friend and
not enemy.
I'm off the bus for the night
now, I can write my story and
relax, but McGovern can't stop
yet; he'll be on that campaign
trail today, making that final
push.
4L t£c4t4an tU1!
Edited and managed by students at the '
University of Michigan
Editorials printed in The Michigan Daily express the individual
opnions of the author. This must be noted in al reprints.
TUESDAY, JUNE 20, 1972 News Phone: 764-0552
Summer Staff
BOB ANDREWS :..... . .... . ..................... Associate Sports Editor
ROBERT BARKIN , . . ...................................... Night Editor
JAN BENEDETTI .. .. . ......... .... Night Editor
ROSE SUE BERSTEIN . ........................ .............. Co-Editor
DANIEL BORUS .................................. Sports Night Editor
ROBERT CONROW ..... . . . ................................. Books Editor
LINDA DREEBEN .. . ...............................,..... Night Editor
DENNY GAINER . -..... ....................... . Photography Editor
ANDY GOLDING ..... ....... ........................ Business Manager
MERYL GORDON ... . ............................... Assistant Night Editor
HARRY HIRSCH ... ........... ... . ................... Display Manager
SHERRY KASTLE . ................................. Circulation Manager
KAREN LAAKKO ............................ Classified Manager
ELLIOT LEGOW .......... ,...................... ......... Sports Editor
ARTHUR LERNER ............................................. Co-Editor
DIANE LEVICK ................ ............ Assistant Night Editor
DAVID MARGOLICK..... . ..... . . .Photographer
SHEILA MARTIN .......... ....... General Business Assistant
JIM O'BRIEN . ................................. Science Editor
CHRIS PARKS .... . . ...................................... Night Editor
NANCY ROSENBAUM ........,............... Assistant Night Editor
PAUL RUSKIN .. ........................ Assistant Night Editor
ROLFE TESSEM . ................. . ..................... Photographer
PAUL TRAVIS .. .................. . ... . ....... . ............ Night Editor
GARY VILLANI . . ........ . .......................... . Photographer
JIM WALLACE ........................................... Photographer
DEBORAH WHITING .................................. Circulation Assistant
CAROL WIECK . .................... General Business Assist ant
NIGHT EDITOR: CHRIS PARKS
NIGHT EDITOR: PAUL TRAVIS
ASSISTANT NIGHT EDITOR: DIANE LEVICK
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR: ROSE SUE BERSTEIN
PHOTO TECHNICIAN: DENNY GAINER
The Bar of Justice
Letters to The Daily
Day care voting their own sexist life styles threat- care far outweighs such consid-
ened by a child care center for erations. We urge those concerned
To The Daily: non-working class women. with traffic flow to join usin
THE HUMAN Rights Party sup- HRP supports the right of all the fight for a complete system
ports the appeal to the Ann Arbor women and men, whether they of public transportation, which
Zoning Hoard of Appeals by the work or not, to child care for their would cut down on traffic all aver
Community Day Care and Pre- children. All human beings - over Ann Arbor. As for property values,
School Center, Inc., which seeks half of whom are women - have they are skyrocketing all over the
to establish a child care center the right to develop themselves city, and a child care center won't
in the neighborhood bounded by outside or inside the home, as change that. The last time we
Stadium, State, and Packard. This they choose. All women and men, heard the old argument a b o u t
organization of parents has satis- including those on welfare, have property values was when it was
fied every technical requirement the right to stay home with their used to try to .block blacks from
needed to obtain the Board's ap- children if they wish. And if they moving into white neighborhoods.
proval. A large majority of the choose to participate in activities Those who argue against t h e
neighbors within the specified 300 away from home, child care must Community Day Care center
feet of the proposed center have be available for them, would have society stagnate in the
signed a petition in favor of it. interests of a few. HRP rges
Yet the Zoning Board appears rather that we move forward on
ready to reject their proposal. E BOARD'S HESITATION al- the basis of our systematic plat-
Why? so suggests that some of its mem- form, to serve all the people.
hers may be against another as-
A number of neighbors who op- pect of the proposed center. The
pose the center have informed the Community Day Care group wants LASTLY, WE WANT to remind
Community Day Care group that to serve its neighborhood, b u t the Board that we are watching
they feel women who can afford also feels a responsibility toward carefully the steps they take on
not to work should stay home with low income areas. Therefore, it this appeal. They have allowed the
their children. The hesitation of has set a quota, for both children group two public hearings to en-
the Board members suggests that and staff, of 50 per cent from the able the evidence to be presenced.
they may suffer from the same neighborhood and 50 per cent low HRP strongly suggests that tSe
bias. We suspect that some Board income from outside the neigh- Board open to the public the meet-
members are favorable to propos- borhood. Given the fact that the ing in which they actually decade
als for child care centers among Community Day Care group h a s this - and all other issues. The
poor and black people, because satisfied all technical requirements decision-making process, as well
such facilities supposedly k e e p for approval, a rejection by fise as hearings, should be open to re-
black mothers off ADC by enab- Board would certainly suggest that view by the public, which t h e
ling them to work. We suspect that the latter is in favor of continued Board supposedly repcesenta. If
some Board members grudgingly segregation of high and low in- they wish to refute the charges
acknowedge the need for child come, black and white children. made above, they mast let us
care in families where the wife The other arguments against the see who votes for and against the
must work out of financial neces- The oter are agit the seeh, and agans
sity. Finally, we suspect, t h at proposed center are that it would center, and let us hear the reasons
much of the hostility to 'the Com- increase traffic flow in the area for their votes.
munity Day Care proposal arises and decrease property values. HRP -The human Pithts Party
because some Board members feel believes that the need for cI'Pd June 19