The GOP AFTER the BIG ELEPHANTS, WHAT?

RIPON New Monthly Format FEBRUARY, 1978 VOL. XIV, No.2 50 cents Conunenlary: The GOP AFTER THE BIG ELEPHANTS, WHAT? In Michigan, the political fate from a shortage of intestinal fortitude. of the Republican Party rests on Gov. Clark and fellow Sen. John Culver (D) , William Mi11iken(R). In Iowa, it after all, have the most liberal voting rests on Gov. RObert Ray. In Maine, records in the country, according to on U.S.Rep. William Cohen. The three Americans for Democratic Action. And men are merely the most prominent Clark only last year began to pay as symbols of the GOP's "Big Elephant" siduous attention to constituent con problem. ems after years of neglect. Clark's "unbeatable" reputation hardly seems The symptoms are not apparent to square with his record: one win in in every state, but they are wide one try. But Clark knocked of incum spread enough to be of national con bent Sen. Jack Mi11er(R) in the "Repub cern. Milliken, Ray, and Cohen are lican year" of 1972 so he looks more all phenomenally popular vote-getters. scary than his liberal record in a As a result, the "Republican Parties moderate-conservative state might oth in their respective states tends to erwise indicate. revolve around their decisions. All three were their partie~ best hopes to run for either the Senate or gov ernorship this year. In Milliken's and Ray's cases, when they opted not to seek a new legislative career in Washington, their parties searched frantically for alternative candi dates. In Iowa, that search was parti cularly frustrating. Former Republi can National Chairman Mary Louise Smith decided she wasn't suited for the legislative side of politics. Former GOP State Chairmen John Mc Donald and Tom Stoner decided they weren't interested. All three are Ray-style moderates, as are two re maining possibilities: businessman Mar vin Pomerantz, the Ford campaign man Meanwhile, the state GOP is rely ager in 1976, and State Commerce Com ing on Gov. Ray to do political ma?ic mission Chairman Maurice Van Nostrand. tricks. Should he retire, the GOP s house of cards would collapse. The Democrats already control both houses The failure of the GOP to develop of the legislature and two of the a credible candidate against Sen. Dick state's six congressional seats. Both Clark has led the Iowa press to insin U.S.Reps.Char1es Grass1ey and James uate that Republicans are suffering Leach were mentioned for this year's Senate run, but Grass1ey seems waiting for the more vulnerable Culver in 1980 and Leach needs to solidify his mar ginal House seat. The party's problem is similar to that experienced by the Wisconsin GOP after Gov. Warren Knowles' retirement in 1970. In that state both Senate seats were already Democratic, but all but three of the state's 10 congress men were Republicans as late as early 1969. Now, all but two of the nine are Democrats. Both houses of the legislature are Democratic by more than 2-1 margins and all the state's constitutional offices are held by Democrats. Or take New York, which was domin has maneuvered successfully through the a'ted by Gov. Nelson Rockefeller (R) Democratic thicket. from 1959 to 1973. While the GOP retains the leadership of Attorney Or witness another Sunbe1t state, General Louis Lefkowitz(R) and the Arizona, where Democrats captured a State Senate by an impressive margin, Senate seat in 1976 when U.S.Reps. Sam it has lost a series of congressional Steiger(R) and John Con1an(R) mugged seats in traditionally Republican each other on the way to succeeding areas since that time. It has failed Sen. Paul Fannin, a former governor. to make any major gains in the Demo The GOP also lost a congressional seat cratic majority in the State Assembly in the melee and may now forfeit a while reductions have been painfully chance to retake the governorship as felt in the party's coffers. a result of animosity between the "es tablishment" wing (Fannin-Steiger Republicans in both New York and Barry Goldwater) and the ruling wing Wisconsin expect to mount strong cam (Conlan) of the party. The ruling paigns to retake the governorships in wing is pushing a sure loser while the their states this year, but the point establishment wing has yet to commit is rather obvious. In far too many itself to the kind of money of a gub states, the GOP is the lengthened ernatorial candidate would require shadow of one or two men whose visi to oust Gov. Wesley Bolin (D) , a conser bility masks the party's weakness at vative "Pinto Democrat" who is ideo lower levels. The names are easy to logically acceptable to establishment remember because their bearers have Republicans, As a result, they have been prominent for a year or more in not yet coalesced around an attractive national politics: Sen. Edward Brooke candidate like former State Sen. Bill (R-Mass.), Sen. John Chafee(R-R.I.) , Jacquin, now executive director of Gov. James Rhodes (R-Ohio), Sen. Charles the Arizona Chamber of Commerce. McC. Mathias(R-Md.), Sen. John Tower (R-Texas), Sen. Strom Thurmond(R-S.C.), It's an old story---the failure of and Sen. Clifford Case(R-N.J.). In the GOP to recruit and promote attrac other states like Kentucky and Minne tive candidates. And to rely too of sota, the passing of key Republicans ten and too long on "big elephants." from senatorial or gubernatorial posi Meanwhile, the GOP 'forfeits too many tions has left the party cruelly im races_ by, f;ie1dihg sacrificial masto potent. dom{. -The Democrats seldom play that game. They' a.ren '·t scar~d- by the Bob Ca1ifor•• ia is a case in point. Af":>, Rays, Bill 1'1i11ikens, and Bill Cohens. ter Ronald Reagan left the gove:n~rshf~J They put up tough_,candidates .,_ the party there seems to have d~s~nte~' grated. Democratic margins in the leg The GOP's di1em$a was sarcastically islature grow ever bigger---even in no out1ine~ recently by John McLaughlin, toriously Republican areas like Orange the New Jersey co1~ist for the New County. Previously Republican congres York Daily News: sional seats have moved steadily into The Democrats stand for winning, Democratic hands. Only S.I.Hayakawa They have the presidency, the Con- gress, the governorship, both houses will be standing for liberals and con of the legislature, and almost all servatives, labor and business, blacks the courthouses. and whites, industry and the environ This had led to a lot of hand ment, more government and less, higher wringing about the dismal future of and lower taxes. The little guy and the Republican Party, which is in the the big guy. process of disappearing. The Repub What the Republicans have accom~ lican Party used to stand for fru p1ished through failure, the Democrats gality and business. Now it stands had attained through success. Having for losing and the retention of Amer run out of Republicans to kick around ican sovereignty over the Panama Can anymore, they kick around each other. al. They are not a party, but a group of While the Republicans are standing people under the same label being all for the Panama Canal, the Democrats things to all interests ...• Commenlary: The Presidency POLITICS AND THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT Why does Jimmy Carter do these was replaced by Democrat Mike Cody. things? There had, after all, been While Cody appears to be well qual reports last spring and summer that ified as a-federal D.A., his prin Eastern Pennsylvania U.S.Attorney cipal recommendations for the job David Marston would be allowed to were his loyal service to his par serve out his term until 1980. Re ty and his close ties of friend placing Marston in the middle of his ship with the President and Sen. investigations of political corrup Jim Sasser. On the other hand, tion seemed too controversial. And Turley left office with only one the potential nominee being pushed mark against him---he belonged to by U.S.Rep. Joshue Ei1berg(D) was the wrong party. not that spectacular. But Ei1berg was persistent, arguing in mid-1977: Most U.S.Attorneys resigned their I've been around a long time, and jobs quietly, but Van Dam and Gold it's normal when there is a change stein briefly stood and fought before in party for the top regional posi they were axed. As Van Dam told the tions to be made by the party in press:"I was appointed for a four control of the White House. It's year term. President Carter prom hard to believe people would be ised to depo1iticize the Justice retained unless there were extra TIepartment in the aftermath of Water ordinary circumstances, and Phila gate ... Nothing I've done in 11 months delphia is not such a case. causes me to feel I have to resign o Ei1berg's arguments might have been persuasive were it not for Car ter's own campaign p1edge:"A11 fed eral judges and prosecutors should be appointed strictly on the basis of merit without any consideration of political aspect or influence." Clearly that was not the case when the Justice Department sacked u.s. Attorney Philip Van Dam of Detroit in Mayor U.S.Attorney Jonathan Goldstein of New Jersey in Septem ber or U.S.Attorney Jervis S. Fin ney of Maryland in October. The Mem phis Press-Scimitar editorialized in September: Carter is doing what every other President has done.

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