4 OPINION Page 4 Thursday, November 15, 1984 The Michigan Daily Cuomo should lead the Democrats in '88 By Dave Kopel First in a series looking at the 1988 presidential race. With the 1984 Reagan landslide fading into memory, it's time to start thinking about the 1988 presidential race. The election may result in dramatic changes within the Democratic Party, which, at the presidential level, has become a minority party. In the last five presidential elections, only one Democratic candidate has gotten above 50 percent of the popular vote (Jimmy Carter in 1976); the next-best total is Hubert Humphrey's 43 percent in 1968. The electoral situation for the Democrats is just as bad. West of the Mississippi are 19 states that have not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate in the last five elections. By conceding these states to the Republicans, the Democrats give their opposition a 152 electoral vote han- dicap. The Democrats have lost with every variety of candidate. In 1972, the New Left took over the party, and the Democrats lost in 49 states. In 1984, -the party regulars nominated insider Walter Mondale, and the Democrats lost 49 states again. CLEARLY the Democrats have to change. In 1984, traditional roles were switched, and the Democrats were the party without a vision of the future-the party that just wanted to turn back the clocks a few years. Walter Mondale correctly perceived that the party best able to take America into the next century would win the election. Unfor- tunately,. Mondale's leadership for the future seemed to amount to nothing more than undoing everything Reagan had done. If the Democrats are to win next time, and are to govern well, they will need a candidate who will once more make the Democrats the party of progress. Fortunately for us progressives, there are plenty of good candidates. Let's run down who's available. (Today's column will examine candidates from the more traditional wing of the party; tomorrow we'll look at some of the insurgents.) The traditional/insurgent division is a good one, since it's likely that in 1988 (like in 1984), the final contenders for the nomination will feature one can- didate from each wing of the party. The most promising candidate for the regulars is New York's Gov. Mario Cuomo. Cuomo is the darling of the party's establishment, which con- sidered putting him up as a "Stop Hart" candidate when Mondale appeared on the verge of collapse. In the past, establishment favorites have been poor to fair orators (Hubert Humphrey, Scoop Jackson, and Walter Mondale), but Cuomo is a brilliant speaker. As his masterful speech to the San Francisco convention proved, the governor knows just where to tug on Democrats' hear- tstrings, and how to make them proud of their party's outstanding traditions of justice and compassion. And the convention speech was no fluke. As anyone who has watched him on Nightline can attest, he is the master of the glib 30-second comment. CUOMO is already off and running for 1988. As soon as his convention speech was over, aides began mailing Cuomo press packets around the coun- try. If Cuomo were nominated, he would be a strong candidate. He could bring back the working-class Catholics who have been drifting away from the Democrats. And he can pull in the Yuppies too. use. The paternalistic family may not appeal to Westerners, who will also dislike Cuomo's firm support of gun control. And gay rights activists, a growing influence in the Democratic Party, don't like Cuomo's waffling on sexual freedom. The last two Democratic presidents were run out of office. If the Democrats are going to recapture their leadership role, they must find not only a can- 'Cuomo is already off and running for 1988. As soon as his convention speech was over, aides began mailing Cuomo press packets around the country. If Cuomo were nominated, he would be a strong candidate.' pect him to run. Kennedy's position is like Ronald Reagan's was in 1979. He is his party's most charismatic figure, and he represents the ideological ex- treme of his party. About one quarter of the electorate would do anything for him, and another quarter despises him. Reagan parlayed his situation into the presidency, and Kennedy might too. If Kennedy's 1988 campaign is as inept as the early part of his 1980 cam- paign was (when he couldn't even an- swer Roger Mudd's question about why he wanted to be president), Kennedy will do no more than siphon some New England delegates away from Gary Hart. But if Kennedy shows the brilliance of which he is capable, if Kennedy articulates a vision of a stronger and fairer America, he might make the voters forget Chappaquid-s dick, and sew up the nomination by April. Geraldine Ferraro's first job will be to take New York Republican Sen. Alfonse D'Amato's seat away from him in 1986. That should be no problem, sin- ce D'Amato only won the seat in 1980 because Jacob Javits split the liberal vote by running as an independent. Perhaps she will stay out of the 1988 race in deference to her friend Mario Cuomo. But then again, she might not. Today she is the most important female Democrat, and she might feel inclined to run before another leading female Democrat emerges. More than any other candidate, Ferraro can bridge the gap between the party establishment and the "new politics" activists. She still needs to solidify her understanding of military and foreign policy, but she'll have four years to get ready. LIKE FERRARO, Arkansas Sen. Dale Bumpers could re-unite the party. A thoughful and purposeful senator with a commitment to social justice, Bumpers could be a winning candidate for the Democrats. He decided not to run for president in 1984, and vacillated about the vice presidency so long that Mondale dropped him from con- sideration. As Gary Hart pointed out, to run for president, you need the en- durance of a marathon runner, and the dedication of a martyr. So far, Bumpers hasn't displayed either. But people can change. Fritz Mondale backed away from a presidential run in 1976, because he decided he didn't want to spend two years in Holiday Inns. But by 1984, Mondale had found the determination and the stamina to carry him through a brutal primary season. If Bumpe stops playing Hamlet, he could be th surprise of 1988. These are the candidates the Democratic Party establishment would be pleased as punch to see at the top of the ticket. Tomorow we'll take a look at some candidates who appeal less to the party pros. Kopel is a third year law student., But before facing the general elec- tion, Cuomo has to win the nomination. And on the way to the nomination, he'll have to specify in more detail what his "family of New York" and "family of America" themes mean. In the Cuomo "family of New York," it seems like Dad's a nice guy, but he's still the boss. Cuomo's main legislative efforts have both been paternalistic: raising the drinking age, and mandating seat-belt didate who can win, but a president who can govern. Like Jimmy Cater, Mario Cuomo is a workaholic who cannot delegate. And like Carter, he has surrounded himself with a mediocre staff. ONE CANDIDATE who feels comfor- table working with brilliant advisors is Sen. Edward Kennedy. Although Kennedy is, as usual, being coy about his intentions, people close to him ex- Edited and managed by students at The University of Michigan Vol. XCV, No.61 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Editorials represent a majority opinion of the Daily's Editorial Board Healmg cuts to financial aid P RESIDENT Reagan last week signed an education funding bill for fiscal year 1985 which will in- crease financial aid by nearly $1.7 billion. The bill will ease the crisis in financial aid that most universities now face. But it does not go far enough. The decision to increase ap- propriations comes after four years of aid cuts and should be credited to the wisdom of Congress, not to the Reagan administration. Over the past four years, Reagan has made drastic reductions in the amount of financial aid available to students. In 1981, Reagan's budget plan targeted the Guaranteed Student Loan and Pell Grant programs for major reductions that would have eliminated 80 percent of the loan applications approved in the previous year. In addition, deep cuts were made in Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants and work study programs. Congress responded to the Reagan cuts by partially blocking them.. But over the years Reagan has, never- theless, done great damage to virtually every form of financial aid available to college students. In fact, even last week's 1.7 billion increase does not equal 1980 levels after accounting for inflation. The bill approved last week does not mean great things for finan- cial aid. It did, however, repair some of the damage inflicted upon financial aid by the Reagan administration. I- 4 F L i The president's signing of the education bill does not reflect a change of attitude on his part toward financial aid, it does reflect pressure from Congress to make education funding a high priority. Last February, Reagan requested that Pell Grant funding be held at current levels and funding to National Direct Student Loans be sub- stantially cut. The Office of Management and Budget proposed keeping all budgets the same through the next four years - effectively let- ting inflation eat away at the programs. Instead, responding to the national move in favor -of increased funding for education, Congress Who By Robt Last Thursday MSA discussion in order to di academic conduct. Th Eric Schnaufer (chairn mittee), Prof. Martin ( Liberties Board), aj (president of the Univer This meeting was a the purpose of the cc examination, it can be the code is worthless. IF A PERSON breaks authorities should dea University. Although t University administrat to take the law into thei clearly stated by Schn The only ethical way academically is if his g standards of the Univ~ academicreason. President Shapiro st would never pass a cod upon the civil rights proposed code is full of this. ert Seay A organized a panel iscuss the code of non- e panel consisted of: man, MSA Code Com- Gold (chairman, Civil nd Harold Shapiro rsity). gross facade. What is ode? After a careful easily perceived that s the law, then the civil al with him, not the the code is legal, the ion has no ethical right ir own hands. This was aufer at the meeting. y to punish someone grades do not meet the versity or some other ated that the regents e which would infringe of the students. The sections which do just For example, a few weeks ago, presiden- tial candidate Walter Mondale visited our campus. Many classes were . cancelled or postponed so students could attend. Section 3d of the the proposed code prohibits the inter- ference of normal University activity. Therefore, under the code, the student responsible for the rally would be in direct 'After careful examination, it can be easily perceived that the code is worthless. If a per- son breaks the law, then the civil authorities should deal with him, not the University.' violation of 3d and would risk expulsion. If he had not been a student, he would just be exer- cising his constitutional right to peaceful assembly. Why should we be penalized for being students? PRESIDENT Shapiro stated that the University is special and a special set of needs a code anyway? regulations are necessary. He said that the civil authorities are not always sufficient. What makes us special? Are we still not fre citizens of the United States? If others' civi rights are upheld, then why not ours? People may argue that the University should have the right to expel anyone who violates a rule. If a person is convicted of a crime, the injured party does not have the right to punish the criminal, nor should the University. To be liable to the civil authorities and the University comes very close to double jeopardy. The code is not an effective deterrent to violations. A person would not think twic about arson because he may be thrown out of school as opposed to a possible jail sentence. THE REGENTS intend to bypass bylaw 7.02 in order to pass the code. Bylaw 7.02 states that MSA must approve all regulations governing the University community. MSA did not approve the code so the regents are proposing to revise 7.02 in order not to need the students' approval. Government without proper representation is something our forefathers gave their lives to preserve. But then the University is not a democracy is it?z4 It seems that the University is power hungry. It wants the students to quit being citizens and start being loyal subjects of the administration. Seay is an LSA freshman. passed legislation increasing the total education budget by 14 percent. Unfortunately, the increases are not enough. The cost of a university education is soaring and without a higher priority given to financial aid, a college education will be available only to the very needy who qualify for aid or students with substantial financial resources - in other words the middle class will be left out. The ability to at- tend college should be independent of the ability to afford it. Education should be a high priority. The past four years have shown that education is not a priority of this ad- ministration. Last week's bill is a start at bringing education funding up to where the nation correctly feels it should be. s op. CPS Tw- Q) Is ~ pF~GI RUS LETTERS TO THE DAILY SRHA opposes non- academic code To the Daily: Much information has been disseminated over the past few months about the proposed code of non-academic conduct and judicial system. As the official representatives of all the studen- ts living in University residence halls, the Residence Halls Association (RHA) hopes that all students have taken notice of this information. Those who live in the residence halls should take extra care in being informed about the proposed code because its provisions may be most easily enforced in the group living situation of the residence halls. RHA opposes the present proposed code because of its vagueness and our belief that parts of it are unconstitutional. We support the Michigan Student Assembly's current efforts to prevent this proposed code from passing and to ensure that the student voice is heard and heeded on this and any code discussions. Furthermore, RHA urges both MSA and the ad- ministration to negotiate with all seriousness once the ad- ministration guarantees that any code will only be passed with the annnrnov1 nf MSA root of problems, such as alcohol abuse, by mandating counseling instead of expulsion from the University for incidents related to the alcohol abuse (unless, of course, the incident is of a nature that it causes great harm to others). Emphasis must be placed on helping students to be better people when they make mistakes. This is a university community and our purpose here is to learn and grow. A code that is pro-student and positive about individuals will enhance our community. There have been other suggestions on how to create a good code of non-acadmic con- duct. We hope that all sides will take notice of these and have the opportunity to study them. In the meantime, RHA will continue to support MSA and oppose the proposed code. We urge others toy do the same. - Mark Hegedus November 6 Hegedus is president of the. Residence Halls Association 4 MSA should oppose suicide pills To the Daily: The Students Against Nuclear Suicide (SANS) recently went before MSA to get endorsement of a plan to stock cyanide pills for use after a nuclear war. The plan is similar to that which was passed at Brown Univeristy earlier this fall. Suicide is a serious problem nationally and at the University. The effects of suicide reach far beyond the death of an individual, family and friends feel the pain for years. Everyone should be aware of suicide and the situations that cause it, using it BLOOM COUNTY as a tool to gain attention for nuclear issues distracts from this very real problem. SANS' intentions are ad- mirable, their effort to get cyanide pills stocked represents an effort to lessen the chance of nuclear war. SANS organizer Karen Mysliwiec says, "This proposal will shock people into thinking about -nuclear war." However, the amount of attention Proposal 1 on the city ballot has received shows people are already thinking about the nuclear threat. Educating people on the real terrors of a nuclear war or working to strengthen already existing efforts against nuclear war might be a better use of SANS' time and energy. There is no need to repeat Brown University's vote to stock cyanide pills at the University. Suicide is a serious problem and there is little to be gained by mixing it with the nuclear issue. I urge that the Michigan Student Assembly not support SANS' proposal. -George DeMuth November 12 by Berke Breathed I MV, f r t rfCC I Birr lfltll/ iJ AAY_ Z 1.. i i J