_. W - Page 8-Sunday, February 17, 1980-The Michigan Daily _W ip, - . - . - "W gop (Continued from Page 4) Additionally, he finds himself confronted always with the question of his age. He is 69. While other world leaders are even older than that, America has been graced throughout history with a succession of relatively young presidents. In order to combat that sensitive issue, Reagan has had to beef up his campaign activities, come down from his mountaintop isolation, and meet the people. So far, it has worked. The crowds have come out in huge numbers like the good old days. BUSH, HOWEVER, has a more complex and profound problem. As a suddenly prominent contender, Bush has to meet high expectations. With all the publicity and hoopla surrounding him, he must either win New Hampshire or come very close. If not, his campaign may be perceived as going downhill, a media- imposed projection that may be a self- fulfilling prophecy. Beyond that, now that he is the media's golden boy of 1980, he will have to measure up to its standards. Already a story has leaked out accusing Bush of taking money illegally from the Nixon slush fund in 1970. The candidate vigorously denies the charge, but it's still in the minds of the voters. Since he was Republican Party chairman during Watergate, dirt is bound to pour out linking him to something devious and deceitful. If his popularity increases-and there's no reason why it would not-reporters will begin to investigate him with a finetooth comb. On the ideological front, Reagan and Bush are remarkably similar. Both assume typically hardline conservative stances on most of the issues-from the twin foreign crises in Iran and Afghanistan to the plight of free enterprise here at home. Each favors loosening controls by federal regulation authorities, and significantly building up the country's war resources. Both opposed SALT and the Panama Canal Treaty. Reagan and Bush have both given ringing endorsements of nuclear power. So in what areas do the two GOP contenders differ? Simple-style. For years, though manifested in a mellow and restrained manner, Reagan's conservatism always seemed to frighten even his own party members. Good Lord, they'd say, that man will plunge us into a nuclear holocaust. And though the country is in a post-Howard Jarvis age of economics, and though the rekindled- distrust toward the Soviet Union has shifted many Americans to the right, many are still afraid of the former California governor. Bush, on the other hand, appeals to both moderates and extremists-reminding people of the where-does-Jimmy-Carter-stand campaign of 1976. No one is quite sure, but so far they like what Bush is saying, as well as how he's saying it. It looks at the moment as if the race may be a two-man affair, but there are openings for the others in the field to make a comeback. Due partly to his belated start and his staff mishaps, Howard Baker's campaign still hasn't generated the enthusiasm many anticipated. A last-minute organizational blitz save the Tennessean from total- embarrassment in Iowa, granting him third place with approximately 14 per cent of the vote. His campaign, however, is suffering in New Hampshire, and third place again seems to be his most optimistic prospect. Pouring his enormous financial reservoir into the political waters, John Connally-who has even resisted a chance to get federal matching funds-has only received minimal dividends. He placed fourth in the Iowa caucuses, and appears headed for the same fate in New Hampshire. Yet, his chances hinge on the Deep South, a powerful territory for the homegrown Texan. He has thrown a lot of money and time into the March 11 South Carolina primary. Although he has collected the endorsements of Sen. Strom Thurmond and other influential state Republicans, Reagan is also strong in that region. The rest of the party's hopefuls appear to be on the verge of either bowing out completely, or dramatically reducing their efforts. The liberal wing's representative, Illinois Con. John Anderson, scored highly in an Iowan debate, but has been unable to overcome low level name recognition, blocking chances to reap necessary financial reinforcements. Another congressman from that state, conservative Phil Crane, has been running the longest for the job-he announced formally almost two years ago-but faces too many conservatives who prefer Reagan. Kansas Sen. Robert Dole, the party's vice- presidential nominee in 1976, has run a poor campaign, and appears to be on his way out. The latest polls show Reagan and Bush running almost dead even in New Hampshire. A victory for either one would not knock the other one out of the race, but it would provide important momentum for the victor of the "Big Mo" as Bush refers to it. udo One thing's 'for sure. A seemingly certain Reagan romp, forecasted for the last two years, has turned into a two-man tussle destined to provoke many months of bitter and tense campaigning. Both men covet the presidential prize so much. dems- (Continued from Page 5) sympathetic or easy on the previous Kennedy candidacies, and the new, Watergate-inspired cynicism was "not this time." In Iowa, the nation's first caucus state and the first test of strength of the 1980 season, Carter made good on his mid-summer pledge to "whip his ass" if Kennedy challenged him for the nomination. The president piled up a resounding 2-to-1 victory over Kennedy and sent the Massachusetts liberal into a time of introspection to reassess his candidacy. The next primary round is New Hampshire.- It has the potential to make or break the Ken- nedy challenge. A victory-there, or at the very least a showing as strong as the Maine vote, would add momentum and much-needed fun- ds to what was only last week a faltering campaign. Such a result could also force the president out of the Rose Garden and on to the campaign trail, since allowing Kennedy's stump charges to go unanswered may even- tually cost Carter votes. The unknown factor in the Democratic political equation is Edmund Brown, the young governor of California and former Jesuit seminarian who quotes Zen and professes to speak for a new generation of political leader- ship. His enemies call him an opportunist, but he is really a pragmatist, taking issue positions individually on the merits of each, not accor- ding to any prescribed, pre-defined ideological umbrella. Thus, he comes out con- servative on fiscal matters and liberal on social policies. He wants to balance the federal budget and further gay rights. He op- poses draft registration and nuclear power plants, and he wants to enact protectionist trade legislation to stop the influx of imported goods. By taking such divergent issue positions, it is still unclear whether his long- shot candidacy will steal votes away from Kennedy's left or Carter's right. But if he keeps getting up to 14 percent of the vote, as he did in Maine's caucus, there is no doubt that "Jerry" Brown will be a spoiler in a race that potentially. may become a dead-heat. l alums (Continued from Page 3) doesn't characterize himself as the stereotypical alum yelling 'Go Blue' at all the football games. Posther, on the other hand, relishes his homecoming weekend with the family and views himself as a "goodwill ambassador" for the University. Watchers of Michigan alumni have been able to identify a pattern of tran- sition between recent graduates and dollar-contributing, rah-rah alumni. "You can almost plot it," says Forman. "It's amazing." He explains that people are career-oriented immediately after they leave school, and that they tend to be absorbed in taking care of them- selves. That, he says, will usually go on for about 10 years. It is true that many University students today- feel they should not be giving money to the school once they become the affluent professionals they are expected to turn into. "Why should I give more money to the University? I already pay enough tuition," said one student recently. But after all, the dif- ference between student and graduate. is just a degree ... And as years wear on, the commer- cial aspect enters in. Radock says he asks long-time graduates, " 'Do you want it to be as good for your son or daughter or grandson or gran- ddaughter, provided they get in?' - and of course they do," he relates. "And of course that's a good way to get at it (the contributions), because it's a self-interest type of thing." Apart from financial contributions and recruitment of students, alumni also assist the University in other ways. They are viewed as a constituency of the University in much the same wy students are. During last year's presidential search, an alumni group advised the Regents in selection under the same terms as did a group a faculty members and a group-of students. "As students play a role in the University, so do former students," Forman says. "You let them know you're interested in more than just their dollars, that you're interested in their viewpoint, how they feel." Indeed, when a project like the selec- tion of a new University president comes along, alumni are just as curious and just as skeptical as many faculty members and students. It's that rosy glow associated with the University and the experiences and maturation gained here that prompts even those alumni who've migrated West, or abroad, to make the trek to Ann Arbor for at least one football weekend. The Pretzel Bell, Drake's, and Cot- tage Inn are the three most frequently recalled alumni haunts of the last generation. On football Saturdays, those restaurants are extra crowded due to the influx of nostalgic alums. They sit around and relive their first college beer, and they talk about their old professors and the friends they made in the fraternity, sorority, or dormitory. But Kaplan believes the people who return to Ann Arbor for fall Saturdays simply enjoy football games; he says they do not necessarily want to relive their college years. "You can't go back," he says. "There's just no way you can duplicate the memories I have from 1951-55." "When I was in school, I'd see the funny yellow and blue - it was really kind of squaresville - people were being obnoxious alumni," says Posther. "Now when I come back, well, I guess I'm really that way now. But I'm not ashamed." Slugging it out .-unedaig Co-editors in New Hampshire Elisa Isaacson RJ Smith A readymade best-seller Supplement to The Michigan Daily The story of Of q the 'U's alums quar Ann Arbor, Michigan-Sunday, February 17, 1980 uality ter-po Cover collage by Reggie Sandman.