Somebody cares about the Republican Party if the battle that is raging over it is any indication . . . The Washington-based American Conservative Union is putting its muscle into a campaign to get Ronald Reagan—who says he doesn’t want it—elected to replace Mary Louise Smith as GOP National Chairman. The ACU is urging the faithful to sign pro-Reagan petitions . . . John Connally, who at first said he didn’t want the job, changed his mind and is running all-out . . . And the Washington Post, whose motives could be mixed, suggests outgoing Treasury Secretary William Simon would be a good compromise candidate. He’s popular with conservatives because of his fiscal policies; he’s popular with the centrist Ford wing of the party as a Ford team player . . . While the National Chairmanship battle is a Center-Right fight, in Congress itself the GOP lineup is Left against Right. … In the Senate, Robert Dole has just announced that he’d like to replace Robert Griffin as Minority Whip, in an effort to stall the candidacy of liberal Ted Stevens of Alaska. (Griffin wants to succeed Hugh Scott as Minority Leader; seems to have the inside track on that one.) . . . And conservative Sen. Clifford Hansen (Wyo.) has just announced against liberal Robert Stafford (Vt.) in the race for Secretary of the Republican Caucus, an important policy-making spot.
Mahood, Punch Rothco
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