■ Paul Tsongas, Democratic frontrunner post New Hampshire, is hitting Dixie in preparation for Super Tuesday, March 10. Tsongas is getting serious contributions, some even from conservatives who are attracted by his “anti-politician” look and town-moderator demeanor. But his record in Congress (as senator 1978-84, and representative two terms before that) falls strictly in the liberal Democratic pile. His ACU ratings never broke 20; in 1978 his ADA slipped to 50, but it was more usually 85, 95, or (twice) 100. . . . Might Tsongas have had a change of heart, after seeing wreckage of Massachusetts Miracle of fellow Bay State Dem. Michael Dukakis? No reason to think so. In address to ADA as long ago as 1980, he warned that anti-business stance was mistaken, but concluded, “The soul of liberalism is intact”—including its emphasis on affirmative action. . . . Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey kept fading hopes alive with 40 per cent showing in South Dakota, but he will face Bill Clinton’s Arkansas flying squads in South. Talk of a late Mario Cuomo entry died down after poor showing of N.H. write-in campaign. . . . Strikingly in evidence in New Hampshire was panzer-like deployment of television cameras and boom microphones that kept candidates and ordinary voters effectively apart. Big-city columnists gazed disdainfully on Granite State society; New York Post’s, Pete Hamill blamed it for not producing homeless people or crack users like the “real” America. . . . Absent from N.H. was Joan Jett Blakk, running on Queer Nation Party ticket. She claims to be first “queer, black, drag-queen” presidential candidate.
■ Pat Buchanan, bolstered by 31 per cent of South Dakota GOP vote going to uncommitted delegates, was talk of the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, Feb. 20-22. Human Events editor Allan Ryskind pointed out that Sam Donaldson (who was present for debate with Robert Novak and Mark Shields) had made up a quote he attributed to Buchanan on December 8 Brinkley show: “The Jews are trying to drag us into war.” Donaldson acknowledged his error, but next day, on Brinkley, he attacked Buchanan for remarking in 1986, during a closed-door meeting with Elie Wiesel and other Jewish leaders asking President Reagan (whose communications director Buchanan was) not to go to Bitburg: “When are you people going to start acting like Americans first?” Turns out Wiesel was not at that meeting, and Buchanan didn’t say it. . . . CPAC attendees were polled on GOP race. To question: “If you were voting in a primary election today, which candidate would get your vote?” 54 per cent said Buchanan, 40.1 per cent George Bush. To “Would you say that Pat Buchanan’s candidacy is a good thing for the conservative movement and the Republican Party or a bad thing?” 66.9 per cent said “good thing,” 20.8 per cent “bad thing.” On specific policy areas, 84.7 per cent agreed with Buchanan on taxes and spending, 11.9 per cent disagreed. However, on foreign policy, 41.4 per cent agreed, 46.8 per cent disagreed, and on trade, 36.4 per cent agreed, 49.8 per cent disagreed.
Comments