2 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, February 14, 1996 NATION/WORLD Dirty telephone politics used in race NATIONAL t .EP. Wages show smallest increase since '82 NN The Washington Post WASHINGTON - Frantic to head off a surging Patrick Buchanan in the 1992 New Hampshire Republican pri- mary contest, President Bush's politi- cal team seized on a remark by Buchanan questioning the fitness of women to have careers. Over the next days, hun- dreds of New Hampshire women were read the quote by Bush phone-bank operators and asked if it would make them more or less likely to vote for Buchanan. For most, it was a definite negative. In the parlance of politics, the Bush poll was a "push poll," a small survey of potential voters in which a candidate uses public-opinion surveys to test pos- sible vulnerabilities and then pushes the ones that score well. As the 1996 primary season's first complaints of dirty politics resonate through Iowa, politicians, pollsters and telemarketers generally agreed: The Dole campaign operation in which a few hundred Iowa voters were read descriptions of the views of Malcolm "Steve" Forbes Jr. on issues such as abortion and gays in the military is a standard push-poll device and fits readily into the arsenal ofmost political campaigns in this country. "It is all over practically every cam- paign in the country and has been for a long time," said Robert Teeter, a Re- publican strategist not affiliated with any of the primary campaigns this year. "It is just another way of communicat- ing. What's the difference between call- ing someone up and saying Forbes is pro-abortion or putting it in paid adver- tising?" But Teeter and political officials said some campaigns, beginning in the mid- 1980's, have moved beyond push-poll- ing to the next step, suppression phone banks. Rather than turning out voters, as legitimate phone banks do, the goal of vote-suppression operations is just the opposite. The phone banks often make thousands of calls to selected demo- graphic groups in the last 48 to 72 hours of a campaign, either do not identify WASHINGTON - The wages and benefits paid to American workers rose. just 2.9 percent last year, the smallest increase on record and fresh fuel for the unhappiness of a middle class convinced it is falling behind. The biggest factor was restraint in health care and other benefits, though they were rising more quickly as the year ended. The Labor Department said yesterday the increase in its Employment Ce Index was down from 3 percent in 1994 and the smallest since the government began recording annual changes in 1982. The gain barely kept worker compensation ahead of inflation. The Consumer Price Index rose 2.5 percent last year. Overall job growth has been slow, and many companies have been downsizing, giving workers little leverage to seek increased wages and benefits. The cost of benefits, such as health care and pensions, grew 2.8 percent, the smallest gain since the series began in 1982. Benefit costs had risen 3.4 percent in 1994. AP PHOTO Republican presidential hopeful Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kan.) speaks yesterday in N.H. themselves or misidentify their affilia- tion, and then distort or lie about the record of a candidate they are seeking to defeat. "It is one of the last-unvrevealed dirty secrets of American politics," said a Republican consultant describing the vote-suppression operations. Mich. community's reaction mixed on Iowa By Stephanie Jo Klein Daily Staff Reporter With keen eyes on their calendars and television newscasts, local legisla- tors and University students are unde- cided about what the results from the Louisiana and Iowa caucuses will do to set the tone for the rest of the presiden- tial primaries. With the New Hamp- shire primary one week away, the race appears to be up in the air. Although President Clinton has no opposition in the Democratic race, the large number of Republican competitors is leading to a constantly changing race, parallel to the 1988 "seven dwarves"pack of Democratic contenders. Conservative television commenta- tor Pat Buchanan won last week's Loui- siana caucus, but he took a close second to Sen. Bob Dole(R-Kan.) in Monday's Iowa caucus, the traditional "official" start of the primaries. The seven otherRepublican candidates, including Texas Sen. Phil Gramm, pub- lishing giant Malcolm "Steve" Forbes Jr. and radio talk show host Alan Keyes are struggling to stay in the race. State Sen. Alma Wheeler Smith (D- Salem Twp.) said Clinton would out- shine any of the Republicans in the November election. "Any of the three leading candidates coming is immi- nently defeat-able," she said. The intra-party arguments about platform issues, A 0 such as a national flat tax, Smith three lea said, will only n weaken the Re-d publican showing " a, nationally. "They is$immins are working to d ef make it a non-is- sue," she said, - Sen. Alma' LSAjunior An- gela Jerkatis, president of the University's College Republicans, said "with everybody lining up behind Dole, it's definitely shaping up who the Repub- lican nominee will be." Engineering first-year student Jim Riske disagreed. "Iowa is a glorified straw poll," said Riske, who is also the state campaign manager for Keyes' nomination bid. Although he only got 7 percent of the Iowa votes, Riske said Keyes would stay in the race for a while. He was surprised at the relatively good showing, given Keyes']lack ofpub- f the iding N es coming mntly Wheeler Smith (D-Salem Twp.) licity. "Iowa was the first state in which Keyes was even able to run radio ads," Riske said. Riske said he'd be surprised if Gramm stayed in the race much longer and pre- dicted Buchanan's bid would soon came within three points of Dole." Acknowledged by many as the most formidable adversary for Clinton, Dole is nevertheless facing criticism for his narrow win over Buchanan. In the 1988 Iowa primary, Dole had a 37-percent showing against then-Vice President George Bush. Monday, Dole only received 26 percent of the vote. "Last night he barely squeaked by," said Chuck Yob, Gramm's Michigan campaign manager. Yob echoed Riske's sentiments. "I don't see Iowa and New Hampshire as calling the race," he said. "The news media wants to be able to call a winner," Yob said. "I think it will be an open race after New Hampshire." The March 19 primary in Michigan and several other midwest states will help decide the race, Yob asserted. "Nine hundred seventy delegates (will already be awarded) going into Michigan," he said. On the 19th, 272 delegates will be up for grabs. Campaign finance may determine who stays in the race, with contributions de- pendent on good poll showings. "When you're running against Forbes, you're always having money trouble," Yob joked. "I called up Mrs. Gramm yesterday and chewed her out for not leaving her son $4 million." self-destruct. "When they fold," he said, "(the con- servative voters) will naturally go to- ward Keyes." Smith said she did not see a wide endorsement for Buchanan, even with his strong showings. "I don't think it will carry over into Michigan," she added. Patricia Skrobe, chair ofthe Washtenaw County Democratic Party, said she was not entirely shocked by the results. "I predicted that Pat Buchanan would place a lot higher than people thought he would," she said. "1 was surprised that he Counterfeit $100 bills found internationally WASHINGTON - Late last year, in a little-noticed criminal trial of a high- ranking Secret Service official, the agency made a startling admission: Some foreign governments are printing superb counterfeit U.S. $100 bills. While there have been rumors and some news reports that Iran, and per- haps Syria, may be printing phony greenbacks, the disclosure was signifi- cant because it came from the Secret Service itself. The agency and its parent Treasury Department have kept a tight lid on what they know - or don't know - about high-quality counterfeits ap- parently rolling from government presses abroad. Officially, the Secret Service does not acknowledge that "supernotes" even exist. "Our position is that some notes are more deceptive than others, and to date there is no undetectable counterfeit," said Secret Service spokesperson Eric Harnischfeger. In private, however, agents talk of the supernotes almost with reverence. Officials say they have no clear idea of how much of the $260 billion in U.S. currency overseas is made up of supernotes, although the Secret Service Suspects deemed too old or sick to stand trial for Nazi crimes FRANKFURT, Germany - The last Nazi war crimes trial in Germany has probably already taken place be- cause remaining suspects may be too old or sick to face trial, a top German prosecutor said yesterday. A Jewish leader disputed that con- tention, however, saying many German authorities did not want any more trials and had dragged their feet in pursuing investigations. Four elderly Germans have been charged with Nazi war crimes but have not been brought to trial in local courts, said Alfred Streim, the chief prosecutor who heads the Ludwigsburg-based Documentation Center on Nazi crimes. He said the charges were filed "some time ago" but the dates for trial have not been set. "Presumably the suspects are too old and (prosecutors) are waiting to see if their health condition improves or not," Streim said in a telephone interview. He would not identify the four, but says that only a fraction of I percen* all currency is counterfeit. Neverthe- less, a top Russian banker estimated last year that supernotes made up as much as 20 percent of the $20 billion in U.S. currency there. A loss of confi- dence in U.S. currency could affect its value and disrupt foreign commerce. N 1 help New gels may hlp women avoidHIV BETHESDA, Md. -A cousin ofthe healthy bacteria found in yogurt helps women fight off vaginal infections natu- rally - and now doctors are trying to harness these bugs to protect against the AIDS virus. They are trying to create a gel or cream that a woman could insert into her vagina before sexual intercourse to kill HIV in case her partner ha ' AIDS researchers said yesterday the need for these "vaginal microbicides'" is huge because AIDS is skyrocketing among heterosexual women world- wide. "We are really trying to get the word out on microbicides," said Sharon Hillier of the University of Pittsburgh,' who in about a month will begin testing a candidate made with the bacteria on 900 teen-agers. MO said they all are around 80 years old The charges include such crimes as mistreatment of concentration camp inmates resulting in deaths. World's oldest, woman cuts rap CD ARLES, France - Jeanne Calment isn't one of those pop stars who loses her muse with age - her first album is scheduled to be released on her 121st birthday. Calment, who lives in a nursing home named after her in this southern French town, does not sing onft album, called "Time's Mistress."Pr ducers of the CD recorded her speak- ing and mixed her voice with rap and techno rhythms, but would not re- lease further details on the album yes- terday. It is to be released on her birthday, Feb. 22. According to the Guinness Book of Records, at 120, Calment is the oldest person in the world able to authenticate her age with birth records. . - From Daily wire services .:.Your ° :£ a a NOW HIRING: WAIT STAFF Make up to $8-$16.OO whips BONUS : $50.00 after 60 days! We Make Your Time Wor'tht Its Weight in GOLD! 3776 S. State St., Ann Arbor , micnigan 11511lJOI NV[4*- M~uI ) is puorsneo monoayVI1405tnrougn 5I II I 140curingIIthe Iran01 014winter termUsIIoy students at the University of Michigan. Subscriptions for fall term, starting in September, via U.S. mail are $85. Winter term (January through April) is $95, year-long (September through April) is $165. On-campus subscriptions for fall term are $35, Subscriptions must be prepaid. The Michigan Daily is a member of the Associated Press and the Associated Collegiate Press. ADDRESS: The Michigan Daily, 420 Maynard Street, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1327. PHONE NUMBERS (All area code 313): News 76-DAILY; Arts 763-0379; Sports 747-3336; Opinion 764-055 Circulation 764-0558; Classified advertising 764-0557; Display advertising 764-0554; Billing 764-0550. E-mail letters to the editor to daily.letters@umich.edu. World Wide Web: http://www.pub.umich.edu/daily/. S9 mme Hosing in. New YorH Cir -.A. -J Vn §A -'wr n,...:. Wn 0** 1. .i-. e I - .: .c 1 w m EDITORIAL STAFF Ronnie Glasshem'. Editor In Chief I a 161011vnaMi. %-V9Jrr n1.012111c vw aaa uc g GNlavr u vu a 1 m ATTENTION STUDENTS: A rep will be at the following dorm cafeterias selling student tickets!!! NEWS Amy Klein, Managing Editor EDITORS: Tim O'Connell, Megan Schimpf, Michelle Lee Thompson, Josh White. STAFF: Patience Atkin, Cathy Boguslaski, Anita Chik, Jodi Cohen, Lisa Dines, Sam T. Dudek, Jeff Eldridge, Lenny Feller. Kate Glickman, Jennifer Harvey, Stephanie Jo Klein, Jeff Lawson, Marisa Ma, Laurie Mayk. Heather Miller, Soumya Mohan, James M. Nash, Laura Nelson. Anupama Reddy. Alice Robinson, Matthew Smart, Carissa Van Heest. Christopher Wan, Katie Wang, Will Weissert. CALENDAR: Josh White. EDITORIAL Adrienne Janney, Zachary M. Raimi, Editors STAFF: Erena Baybik, Kate Epstein, Niraj R. Ganatra, Ephraim R. Gerstein, Keren Kay Hahn, Katie Hutchins, Chris Kaye, Jeff Keating, Joel F. 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Elizabeth Lucas. Heather Phares, Michael Rosenberg, Dave Snyder. Elan Stavros, Prashant Tamaskar, Michael Z ilberman. PHOTO Mark Friedman, Jonathan Lurie, Editors STAFF: Josh Biggs. Jennifer Bradley-Swift. Tonya Broad, Diane Cook, Nopporn Kichanantha, Margaret Myers, Stephanie Grac Lim, Elizabeth Lippman, Kristen Schaefer, Sara Stillman, Walker VanDyke, Joe Westrate, Warren Z inn. COPY DESK James M. Nash, Editor STAFF: Jodi Cohen, Lili Kalish, Elizabeth Lucas, Heather Miller, Elan Stavros. ONLINE Scott Wilcox, Editor STAFF: Dennis Fitzgerald, Jeffrey Greenstein, Travis Patrick, Victoria Salipande, Matthew Smart. Joe Westrate. BUSINESS STAFF J.L. o DISPLAY SALES Dan Ryan, Manager ASSOCIATE MANAGER: Erin Green. STAFF: Shavannia Anderson-Williams. Chris Barry. Mary Coles. Alexis Costinew. Bryan Freeman. Stephanie Hu, Keith Litwin. Mosher-Jordan West Quad Bursley Hall Monday, Feb. 12th Tuesday, Feb. 13th Wednesday, Feb. 14th 4PM-7PM 4PM-8PM 4PM-7:30PM Cheer on your WOLVERINES as they battle STATE for first place in the CCHA!!! - ooo oal