The Michigan Daily-Tuesday, May 18, 1982-Page 11
Will Ron run? It's in the beans
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WASHINGTON (AP) - At a recent
Washington cocktail party, each of the
70 guest$ was handed a red jellybean.
and asked to deposit in in one of two
glass jars. One jar was labeled "He
Runs," the other, "He Runs Not."
No one needed further explanation.
For one of the hottest guessing games
in town is whether Ronald Reagan will
seek another term as president.
ELECTION DAY is 2% years away,
and chances are, even the president
doesn't know for sure.
The political and economic conditions
that will prevail in 1984 are impossible
to predict. But Washington without
speculation would be like Reno without
blackjack, so the guessing is fast and
furious.
The party guests included VIPs from
the White House and Capitol Hill,
Republicans and Democrats, political
analysts and reporters. When their used. "I think he likes the job but wil
jelly bean ballots were cast, the vote find four years enough."
was 3-1 that Reagan will not seek "I DEFINITELY think he'll run,
another term. though a lot can change in two years,"
"IT WAS apparent from early on in said Nancy Reynolds, a close friend of
the evening which jar was filling up the Reagans and a vice president of The
faster," said party host Marty Plissner, Bendix Corp. "The Reagans are set-
who is political editor at CBS News in tling in, and if the president feels he has
Washington. a job to finish, he will run."
The "He Runs" camp generally Richard Williamson, White House
argues that it is unlikely that the strategist for the "new federalism"
president will accomplish his goals of program predicted that Reagan will not
reshaping government in four years, make his decision for another 15 mon.
that Reagan is a healthy man who will ths.
stay until the job is done. These people "If his economic recovery plan is in
are usually happy to be quoted by place and he has reasserted world
name. The "He Runs Nots" people tend leadership and been successful with the
to feel the opposite way. new federalism, if all is done in
"I think the job is harder than he ex- fulfilling his dreams, he won't run
pected," said a high-ranking White again," Williamson said. "He is more
House official who claimed he would likely to run if he feels the job is un-
lose his position if he allowed his name done."
AP Photo
JIMMY CARTER AND Tip O'Neill look-alikes chuckle over the reading of the Democratic Party's Last Will and
Testament in a new GOP television ad. This and other anti-Democrat ads were revealed yesterday as part of the new
GOP ad campaign.
GOP unveils new ad campaign.
Easy on
the gifts
warns
White
House
WASHINGTON (AP)- People who
have tried to make promotional use of
gifts of President and Mrs. Reagan
may get a letter from the White House
telling them such activity is not ap-
preciated, a presidential spokesman
said yesterday.
It was disclosed last week in a
required financial statement that the
Reagans accepted more than $31,000
in gifts last year, some from friends
but others from manufacturers or in-
dustry associations.
Reagan said it never was suggested
that a gift or contribution would in-
fluence him or benefit the giver.
Nonetheless, The Washington Post
quoted some of those on the gift list as
saying they thought giving things to
the first family was good for business
and that they used their gifts for
promotional purposes.
Deputy White House press
secretary Larry Speakes said yester-
day he did not know whether any of
those from whom the Reagans accep-
ted gifts had been sent such letters.
But he added, "It's been customary
in the White House that if matters of
this type are called to our attention
they receive a very stern letter from
the White House counsel indicating
that we don't look with favor on using
the president's name."
Asked whether that would be the
case this time, he said: "I don't know.
We'll have to ask Fred (White House
counsel Fred Fielding). I'm sure that
we were not aware that these people
were using the gifts to influence the
president,': 4 -T-Rw - II.-
WASHINGTON (UPI) - Republican
leaders vowing to spend "whatever is
necessary" to get their message
across, yesterday unveiled an adver-
tising campaign using Jimmy Carter
and Thomas O'Neill look-alikes to
blame Democrats for the recession.
The GOP previewed its $1.7 million
"first wave" of television commercials,
which will be aired nationwide in the
next few weeks in an attempt to link the
nation's economic problems to
Democrats.
EMPHASIZING that inflation has
dropped dramatically since President
Reagan took office, the ads center on
the theme, "Republicans are beginning
to make things better.'
In one, an attorney reading a will is
flanked by actors who look like the for-
mer president, flashing a toothy grin,
and House Speaker O'Neill, Congress'
top Democrat.
"To Ronald Reagan we leave a
recession" the lawyers says. "Inflation
at 12.4 percent, gas prices sky high and
government spending money like it was
going out of style."
THE SPOT closes with the lawyer
saying the Republicans in Congress
face the tough problem of solving the
economic woes left by Democrats and
the O'Neill look-alike chortles. The
Carter look-alike says nothing during
the advertisement.
Rep. Guy Vander Jagt, (R-Mich.)
chairman of the House Republican
campaign committee said the "ads
have a narrow and specific purpose - to
show progress has been made on some
specific fronts," particularly inflation.
He said GOP survey data shows that
two out of three Americans "identify
the recession as Jimmy Carter's, not
Ronald RHeagan's "but by the same
ratio they believe inflation is running at
a higher rate than a year ago when in
fact it has come down.
ON CAPI'TOL Hill, O'Nejl pbjected to,
the ads'as "degrading the office of the
presidency."
And noting the Republican slogan
talks about making things better, he
said, "My question is better for
whom?"
"It's only better for the wealthy" he
said.
A second advertisement unveiled at a
Republican Party news conference
shows two couples happily embarking
on a fishing trip in a camper they
haven't been able to use for two years
because of high prices.
The advertisiements will be aired on
local stations and on two of the three
major networks - CBS refused to sell
the Republicans time, saying it was too
early in the season to begin political
advertisements.
Vander Jagt said the $1.7 million
program was the "first wave" in a
national television advertising cam-
paign the Republicans will carry
throughtbe election:.