Epinion
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Wednesday, July 14, 1982
The Michigan Daily
'Third force 'politics
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The Michigan Daily
Vol. XCli, No. 39-S
Ninety-two Years of Editorial Freedom
Edited and managed by students
at the University of Michigan
Geography lives
GIVEN THE FACT THAT the Department of
Geography no longer exists, the Daily
supports the administration's plan to resurrect
the department as a smaller, but cheaper
"program."
We reluctantly supported the elimination of
the department because we felt the tough
economic realities facing the University
necessitated some fundamental cuts.
There still is a need and desire within the
University community, however, for some sort
of geography curriculum. The plan for a
Program of Geography will meet that need
much better than the administration's original
plan to save a hodge-podge assortment of
geography classes by placing them in other
departments.
The new program will be taught by former
geography professors and will consolidate the
curriculum into a workable plan. Missing from
the administration's plan, however, is an un-
dergraduate degree program. This is obviously
essential for students wishing to pursue their
interests in geography.
Of course this new program is no substitute for
those wishing to keep the original department,
but it does keep the study of geography alive at
the University.
Sharing the pie
E VEN WITH a severe recession and huge
budget deficits, one federal agency has
been making out like a bandit-the defense
department. Finally, however, it appears that
the feast at the Pentagon may be reduced-but
only to a modest banquet.
White House officials are now saying that
defense spending for 1984 probably will be
trimmed from original estimates of $247 billion
because of continuing budget deficits. And
although the cuts may total $10 billion, the
budget cutters still will be trimming fat without
reaching the meaty essentials.
While 1984 may seem like a long way off,
Congress still has not set the defense ap-
propriations for fiscal 1983. Some judicious cut-
ting could be made there, too, despite the Pen-
tagon's perennial whine that the nation's defen-
ses are being neglected.
Congress is still looking for ways to cut the
budget and its deficits. And now that the
budgetary pie is getting smaller, it's time to
take more from the Pentagon's huge slice.
By James Ridgeway
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The
relative banality of mainstream
party politics today tends to ob-
scure one of the most interesting
political trends in the nation -
the continued rise of the indepen-
dent, or "third force," in
political life.
For conservatives, the third
force is typificed by the
programs of the New Right - at-
tacks on abortion, government
bureaucracy, demands for tax
limitations. Among liberals, it
focuses largely on the women's
movement, which despite defeat
of the ERA is poised to become a
far more aggressive political
presence, and on the new upsurge
on environmentalism.
AS IN THE past, these groups
operate primarily outside the two
main parties. But increasingly,
neither party will be able to make
much headway without serious
consideration of their interests.
Single-issue politics werecrucial
to the Republicans in 1980 and
now could very well exercise con-
siderable influence within the en-
feebled Democratic Party.
To cite one powerful example:
The National Organization of
Women (NOW), which promises
to run women as candidades in
elections across the nation, raises
$1.3 million a month - more than
the Democratic Party itself. With
200,000 members, 300 paid staf-
Snli
fers, 700 volunteers, a network of
750 phone banks stretched across
the country, two political action
committees (PAC) and a nation-
wide network of highly skilled
- political operatives, NOW has all
the makings of a powerful
political machine.
Since President Reagan took
office two years ago, single-issue
groups on the liberal side have
increased both their financial
base and membership. In respon-
se to the New Right's attack on
abortion, for example, the
National Abortion Rights Action
League (NARAL) increased its
budget by 50 percent to $4.5
million this year. It can turn out
10,000 workers for political cam-
paigning, and this year will spend
about $1.5 million on the election.
The Sierra Club works closely
with other environmental groups
- the League of Conservation
Voters, Friends of the Earth, the
Solar Lobby and Environmental
Action - all of which have set up
political action committees and
together will spend close to $2
million by November.
"The environmental
movement came back from the
grave, thanks to James Watt,"
says Tom Matthews, a partner in
Craver, Matthews, Smith, the
direct mail firm which raises
money for most of the leading
liberal groups. "I would say the
Reagan administration added 40
percent to our business in 1981."
FOR CONSERVATIVES,
"Reagan's election caused us to
appeal to the public differently
than we did earlier," said
Richard Viguerie, chief conser-
vative fund-raiser. "Before, we
were able to build campaigns
that opposed liberal legislation.
With Nixon, Ford and Carter in
the White House, it was very con-
ceivable they would sign liberal
legislation."
Now, he said, "We can stop
legislation, but we're not in a
position to pass legislation. So
we've got to continue to build a
conservative movement in a dif-
ferent way."
The heart of single-issue
politics is a relatively small slice
of the population - the 10 million
or so individuals who respond to
direct mail solicitation. With the
sides evenly matched at 5 million
apiece for liberals and conser-
vatives, these individuals do
much to determine the issues and
programs debated within both
political parties, in Congress and
at the White House.
MOST OF THE 10 million are
middleaged, white, well-
educated, with incomes over
$25,000. They make fairly small
contributions ($10-$25) to causes
they believe in. They are reached
not through television but by
mail.
The millions of dollars raised
through these small contributions
enable professionals to wage
fierce campaigns for or against
specific causes, such as food
stamps, a national tax limitation
amendment, environmental
protection, abortion and school
prayers.
These 10 million individuals
care passionately about issues
rather than politics per se.
"That's how people get involved
in politics," says Viguerie. "Very
few people get involved in politics
because they like the political
process. They get involved in
issues.,
"A PERSON'S got to love
enough or fear enough to sit down
and write a check for the cause,"
says Morris Dees, the direct mail
consultant who handled George
McGovern's 1972 presidential
campaign, itself viewed as a
third-force operation.
The growing third-force groups
are unlikely to coalesce within
one or the other of the two major
parties, even though the main-
stream women's groups feel
much more comfortable with the
Democrats than with the
Republicans. Rather, they are
taking pains to play both parties,
with New Right organizers
seeking conservative Democratic
votes and liberals looking to
moderate Republicans.
Ridgeway wrote this article
for the Pacific News Service.
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