Page 6-Friday, August 1, 1980-The Michigan Daily
Carter will not
give in to open
convention call
WASHINGTON - President Carter
yesterday refused to bow to increasing
pressure from some Democrats in the
House and Senate and at least four
governors to release his -delegates to
the Democratic National Convention.
Senate Democratic leader Robert
Byrd held private meetings with
several groups of Democratic senators,
trying to form a consensus to take to the
White House. But the senators were
reported to be sharply divided on what
message they wanted to send.
MEANWHILE, partisans in the bat-
tle over Democratic convention rules
lobbied delegates and traded rhetoric,
with one side calling themselves ad-
vocates of a "free convention," while
Carter's supporters referred to them as
"a sore losers' movement."
Sen. Abraham Ribicoff of Connec-
ticut, who has been neutral in the fight
between Carter and Kennedy for the
presidential nomination, blasted those
who advocate freeing ,onvention
delegates from their commitments to
vote for the candidates they were elec-
ted in primaries and caucuses to sup-
port.
Ribicoff denounced the open conven-
tion movement, calling it "one of the
phoniest phrases that a politician can
advance. I think the people who are ad-
vancing it are really advocating going
back to a smoke-filled, brokered con-
vention."
THE OPEN convention is endorsed
by a group of Democratic congressmen
who say they would like to give the
delegates a chance to choose someone
other than Carter or Kennedy.
Edward Bennett Williams,
Washington trial lawyer and
Democratic Party activist, assumed
chairmanship of the Committee for an
Open Convention and told a news con-
ference that "Democratic conventions
for 150 years have been free conven-
tions with delegates free to vote their
minds, their wills and their conscien-
ce."
That, he said, is "the bill of rights of
the Democratic Party. . . I don't
believe they should be led like lem-
mings into the sea if there have been
circumstances that change the
situation."
Robert Strauss, Carter's campaign
chairman, called Williams' committee
"really a sore losers' movement rather
than an open convention movement."
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Myron Scott of Laingsburg holds up the shirt he made into an income tax
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House may schedule
'lame-duck' session
WASHINGTON - House Speaker has opposed taking up during the
Thomas O'Neill said yesterday politically heated period before Nov. 4.
Congress probably will hold a lame- REPUBLICAN presidential nominee
duck session after the November elec- Ronald Reagan has called for im-
tion to complete work on the fiscal 1981 mediate action on a 10 per cent across-
budget. the-board tax cut.
"I'd almost say it's definite," O'Neill House Republicans accused Giaimo
told reporters at a news conference. of making "vicious partisan attacks."
MEANWHILE, members of. the They said they were left out of - the
MEANWHE, mmers of tme- process that led to a so-called recon-
House Budget Committee had a name- ciliation bill aimed at saving the gover-
calling session over who was respon- nment more than $10 billion through
ible for the, latest round of problems legislative changes.
with the budget. Despite the rancor, a tentative
Rep. Robert Giaimo (D-Conn.), said agreement was reached between
he doubted the budget could be passed Giaimo and Rep. Delbert Latta of Ohio,
in the "poisonous atmosphere" of the, ranking Republican on the panel, that
already-heated presidential election could get the reconciliation bill out of
campaign. the House Rules Committee. It stalled
In addition, O'Neill said a post- there Tuesday over what amendments
election session might also consider a would be allowed when the measure
tax cut that the Carter administration reaches the House floor.
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