OPINION
Page 4
Friday, December 10, 1982
Taking advantage of Keni
By Michael Carowitz
It took nearly everyone completely
by surprise. Indeed, the withdrawal of
Sen. EdwardKennedy from the race for
the Democratic presidential
nomination caused many contenders to
reevaluate the status of their potential
candidacies.
Without a doubt, Kennedy was the
frontrunner for the nomination in all of
the recent national polls. The built-in
constituency that he and his family has
acquired in the years past made him an
early favorite to face off against the
Republican nominee in 1984.
KENNEDY ALSO HAD tested the
presidential waters by
pouring thousands of extra dollars into
his re-election campaign for the Senate
--when the outcome was never in any
doubt. The extra money was used to run
a series of commercials which indirec-
tly addressed the "character issue"
that has plagued Kennedy since the
death of Mary Jo Kopechne at Chap-
paquiddick.
Kennedy's withdrawal for family
reasons seems so incredible because it
comes in the face of victory. Perhaps
this fact alone offers the best statement
on Kennedy's character and his loyalty
to partisan principles.
The individual best positioned to take
advantage of Kennedy's departure is
former Vice President Walter Mondale.
Currently, Mondale is the only other
contender for the nomination with a
significant national following.
MONDALE'S COMMITTEE for the
Future of America allowed him to ac-
tively campaign for congressional can-
didates in the recent elections. This has
resulted in a pocketful of political
I.O.U.s that will greatly assist him in
his pursuit of the nomination.
Because Mondale had previously
finished second in the polls to Kennedy,
he was in danger of losing his base
within the Democratic Party as Ken-
nedy's candidacy edged him on the left
and the growing support for Sen. John
Glenn threatened;his moderate sup-
port. The situation is better now for
Mondale with Kennedy removed from
the race, but he must take prompt ac-
tion to ensure picking up as much of
Kennedy's support as possible.
Tainted ever so slightly by his
association with former President Car-
ter, Mondale needs to reassure party
regulars of his independence and
demonstrate strong electability in his
own right. More importantly, Mondale
must be careful to avoid the gaffes and
misstatements that have seriously
damaged the campaign of such early
frontrunners before him as George
Romney in 1968 and Edmund Muskie in
1972.
THE STRONGEST potential
challenger to Mondale's position as
frontrunner appears to be Sen. John
Glenn of Ohio. But although Glenn un-
doubtedly has an interest in the White
House, he has had difficulty in defining
a basis for his campaign.
Former astronaut Glenn's identity as
a national hero has endeared him to
Middle Ameria, yet his political style
remains bland and uninteresting to
many. His vague solutions to a number
of national problems have convinced
others that his candidacy is based on
little more than an image.
Glenn's moderate voting record in
the Senate, however, might help him
pose a considerable challenge in the
South to other contenders. With new
election gains in this area for the
Democrats, the South is increasingly
being regarded as a pivotal bat-
tleground for nomination aspirants.
A CLEARER definition and direction
would strengthen Glenn's bid for the
nomination as the candidacies of the
other contenders become more viable.
Two potential candidates that are
likely to grow in importance in the up-
coming year are Sens. Gary Hart of
Colorado and Alan Cranston of Califor-
nia, two contenders from the party's
liberal wing.
Hart is representative of a new brand
of Democratic ideology often labeled as
neo-liberalism. Hart and his colleagues
have sought to take traditional
liberalism and redefine its approaches
and priorities for the issues of the 80s.
CRANSTON CURRENTLY is the
second-ranking Democrat in the Senate
leadership. Although he is widely
respected throughout the party, many
observers believe that his ultimate in-
volvement in the race will be as a
favorite-son candidate. If he were to
control the California delegation in the
1984 convention, Cranston would be
able to exert important influence on the
outcome of the nomination process.
Both men will attempt to broaden
their appeal to party leaders in the
months ahead as they intensify their ef-
forts to gain a notable foothold in the
polls.
A few other names are being men-
tioned as possible nomination seekers as
well. Sen. Ernest Hollings of South
Carolina, Florida's former Gov. Reubin
Askew, Rep. Morris Udall, and former
Sen. George McGovern have all in-
dicated that they are considering en-
tering the race. The field is likely to
broaden considerably as more potential
candidates who previously had
deferred to Kennedy enter the race.
KENNEDY'S EARLY departure will
give the Democrats more time to
decide on and unite behind a strong
nominee. The withdrawal may also
have helped to prevent a split in
Democratic Party support between
Mondale and Kennedy.
Kennedy leaves the race with his
reputation intact and his future secure
as a pa
nominatii
produce a
Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan
Wasserman
Vol. XCIII, No. 76
420 Maynard St.
Ann Arbor, M1 48109
SOME ?~oL QUeSTION
M'Y ''QUIET DPON\Wy"
$hqT UIMAW R1&G41
ABUE BY OUR
Editorials represent a majority opinion of the Daily's Editorial Board
The Michigan Daily
iedys exit
E*
-k aw
44
yys
44
yn prces ill venualy imf wmert
Caswt b a SAsohmoe
4 \ECIA
1W B T
4
Kennedy: Still looking like a winner.:
rty spokesman. While the loyalty and consideration have made-
on process will eventually him a winner, too.
winner, Ted Kennedy's party Caro witz is an LSA sophomore.kW
NAtI STORY' ABOUT
&UATEMALA 7
PIAKsTAN
DV- CWRu NOT-
NM Y'E QUIET
r*'
w
power on Carter...
forum for the criticism of his own heroes," why is it that three mon
personality and the personalities ths passed before Mr. Pollack
of others. This, of course, is not ever mentioned anything about,
the purpose or practice of them?
"'quality" newspapers. With the tact you displayed by
Finally, we agree that it is im- writing the article, Mr. Pollacki;:
portant to recognize athletes who we wouldn't grant you an inter-
excel in the classroom, as well as view either.
on the field. But praise of one -Peter Leidj
person should not be used as a Rob Weinfeld
means to belittle another. If these Lisa Steele
men are indeed the "real December 8
- F
.ph1_ 1 s -
,rillL
mfl
i -
The people's
A S A YEAR-END journalism-type Wild se:
tradition, the Associated Press drugs, a
asks its member newspapers to vote on public at
the top news stories of the year. The only
The Daily;as usual, took the matter better is
seriously and sent in an appropriate to prote
(boring) list of happenings, including * The
the war in Lebanon, the Democratic possible
victories in November, and so on. But drugs. A
nobody seems to read that type of story edge, an
anymore, and most newspaper editors bed. Yo
realize this: that's why Elizabeth writtena
Taylor and John DeLorean make the fame to
front page almost as much as our Page on
beloved president does. better w
So here's a slightly different look at
the top stories of 1982-one that takes
reader interest into account as well as
world impact:
" The birth of Princess Diana (for-
merly Lady Di) and Prince Charles'
baby. Everybody loves a baby,
especially one with blue blood and rich-
but-useless parents. The world waited
breathlessly for this one.
" The naming of Princess Diana and
Prince Charles' baby. William was a
pretty unimaginative choice, but it was
better than Elvis. Front page news for
a week, and well it should have been:
names are important.
" The busting of John DeLorean.
Drugs, money, sex, and custom of-
ficials all rolled into one action-packed
afternoon. What could be better?
They'd have to catch President
Reagan shooting heroin in the
bathroom to beat this one. Next a
movie and then maybe a sequel:
Delorean spends millions to build the
perfect razor blade.
* Congressional cocaine/page scan-
dal. Power, drugs, and sex with
minors. Imagine the shock of finding
out your representative dates a 10-
year-old elevator operator. Most
people did, and they lapped it up. Small
problem: the story turned out to be Princes
mostly prefabricated, but it was such
great copy, it deserved to be true. * The
a ~nAw*h f inc -tn-a o i .
choice
x, lotsa money, maybe even
nd a lush tropical setting. The
te this one up, as did the press.
y way this one could have been
if England sent the royal fleet
ct them.
death of John Belushi. Drugs,
sex, money, drugs, and more
k man who lived his life on the
Ld then died on the edge-of his
ung people read every word
about Belushi, from his rise to
his rather astonishing death.
e all the way: you can't pick a
ay to go than Belushi did.
TIWS CWNT$
v
(
/%i,
// r
.0-
LETTERS TO THE DAILY:
Mi ing j*oualitic
To the Daily :
This is not intended to defend
Anthony Carter against the
claims made about him in the
Daily, but rather to condemn the
misuse of journalistic power
exercised by sports editor Ron
Pollack in his piece on Carter
(Daily, Dec. 7).
Anthony Carter is a student-
athlete. His academic ability
should only be judged by those
capable of doing it objec-
tively-his instructors. His per-
sonality and tact should be
judged only by those who have
had frequent contact with him.
Even then, the opinions formed
should remain private, rather
than public, opinion.
His athletic performance is the
only thing that we have the right
to read about and publicly
analyze. Mr. Pollack's judgmen-
ts may or may not be correct, but
the issue is not one of accuracy. It
is one of decency and consisten-
cy.
If Ron Pollack wants to
scrutinize the way Anthony Car-
ter speaks or acts, he should be
willing to make the Daily a public
...with brutal insensitivity
s Di and E.T.: Two of the year's best
rise of E.T. The disgusting lit-
, ,. ,
To the Daily:
The senseless idolatry
exhibited by Jon Weiss's article
"'A.C.! A.C.!: Tribute to a
Mr. Pollack really believes that
Anthony Carter is a human being,
why did he so ruthlessly attack
him for not behaving, in an "ac-
ceptable" manner (as defined by