For the Record

The primaries are upon us. Watch for a number of clear-cut Left-Right races. New Jersey, June 8, Republican senatorial, between Rep. Millicent Fenwick, liberal Republican (the ADA called her the “most liberal Republican in the House” in 1978), and Jeff Bell, supply-sider, Kemp ally, longtime Reagan supporter. Right now Fenwick is ahead, and Bell is concentrating on informing N.J. Republicans of her liberal voting record: Fenwick supported Carter 67 per cent of the time (the same percentage racked up by all incumbent New Jersey Democratic congressmen). Recent Penn and Schoen poll shows Bell leading Rep. Andrew Maguire, the probable Democratic nominee, by 15 points, but he’s got to beat Fenwick first. . . . California, June 8, Republican senatorial, where most of the Republican hopefuls (bar Rep. Pete McCloskey) are conservative. Latest figures show San Diego Mayor Pete Wilson moving up fast against Rep. Barry Goldwater Jr. (29 to 24, with McCloskey close third). Both Wilson and Rep. Robert Dornan, says Kevin Phillips, will “aim at casting doubt on Goldwater Jr.’s mental acuity” in upcoming TV advertising, a club (“Goldwater’s dumb”) which could be—er . . . um— “fruitfully” used against Barry Jr. in later campaign against superliberal Jerry Brown, the almost certain Democratic candidate. . . . Other Left-Right confrontations: In Massachusetts, where businessman Ray Shamie is waging energetic campaign against the perceived-as-beatable Teddy Kennedy. Recent poll (Richard Wirthlin) shows Shamie has narrowed Kennedy’s lead from 52 to 31 points in the last six months (Kennedy now leads him 53 to 22), but, more interesting, 41 per cent of Massachusetts voters now say they want a new senator, up from 29 last September. As for ’84, to the question: “Should Kennedy run for President?” the answer in Mass, was 56 per cent no, 36 per cent yes. … In New York, Kieran O’Doherty, co-founder of the Conservative Party who ran a losing race against Jacob Javits in 1962, has entered lists to take on Daniel Patrick Moynihan, as has Whitney North Seymour (Liberal).

The talk around Washington is that deficit may not be as large as feared. Some incoming figures showing higherthan-expected government revenues are being sat upon, say insiders. Question: Who is doing the sitting, and why? . . . Some interesting people are questioning results of steeply progressive taxes, wondering about advisability of a flatrate, no-deduction tax, among them Lester Thurow, who supports a 25 per cent flat rate for individual income taxes. Ralph Nader is also toying with flat-rate idea. . . . Major April 21 editorial in Christian Science Monitor on subject concludes: “The good news is that the scrutiny has begun with new earnestness. Maybe it will come to the point of the public giving Congress a Reagan-like challenge: If you don’t like the flat-rate tax, give us a better alternative.” . . . Sen. DeConcini (D., Ariz.) has introduced a bill calling for a flatrate tax. (Treasury estimates if every American taxpayer sent government 10.8 per cent of his income a year, the net Treasury intake would be the same as with today’s enormously complicated and costly system.) . . . Speaking of costs, Washington Post doubts either the Department of Education or Energy will be dismantled this year. Education has nearly six thousand employees, who spend $14.3 billion a year; Energy, with 17,000, spends $15 billion.

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The primaries are upon us. Watch for a number of clear-cut Left-Right races. New Jersey, June 8, Republican senatorial, between Rep. Millicent Fenwick, liberal Republican (the ADA called her the “most liberal Republican in the House” in 1978), and Jeff Bell, supply-sider, Kemp ally, longtime Reagan supporter. Right now Fenwick is ahead, and Bell is concentrating on informing N.J. Republicans of her liberal voting record: Fenwick supported Carter 67 per cent of the time (the same percentage racked up by all incumbent New Jersey Democratic congressmen). Recent Penn and Schoen poll shows Bell leading Rep. Andrew Maguire, the probable Democratic nominee, by 15 points, but he’s got to beat Fenwick first. . . . California, June 8, Republican senatorial, where most of the Republican hopefuls (bar Rep. Pete McCloskey) are conservative. Latest figures show San Diego Mayor Pete Wilson moving up fast against Rep. Barry Goldwater Jr. (29 to 24, with McCloskey close third). Both Wilson and Rep. Robert Dornan, says Kevin Phillips, will “aim at casting doubt on Goldwater Jr.’s mental acuity” in upcoming TV advertising, a club (“Goldwater’s dumb”) which could be—er . . . um— “fruitfully” used against Barry Jr. in later campaign against superliberal Jerry Brown, the almost certain Democratic candidate. . . . Other Left-Right confrontations: In Massachusetts, where businessman Ray Shamie is waging energetic campaign against the perceived-as-beatable Teddy Kennedy. Recent poll (Richard Wirthlin) shows Shamie has narrowed Kennedy’s lead from 52 to 31 points in the last six months (Kennedy now leads him 53 to 22), but, more interesting, 41 per cent of Massachusetts voters now say they want a new senator, up from 29 last September. As for ’84, to the question: “Should Kennedy run for President?” the answer in Mass, was 56 per cent no, 36 per cent yes. … In New York, Kieran O’Doherty, co-founder of the Conservative Party who ran a losing race against Jacob Javits in 1962, has entered lists to take on Daniel Patrick Moynihan, as has Whitney North Seymour (Liberal).

The talk around Washington is that deficit may not be as large as feared. Some incoming figures showing higherthan-expected government revenues are being sat upon, say insiders. Question: Who is doing the sitting, and why? . . . Some interesting people are questioning results of steeply progressive taxes, wondering about advisability of a flatrate, no-deduction tax, among them Lester Thurow, who supports a 25 per cent flat rate for individual income taxes. Ralph Nader is also toying with flat-rate idea. . . . Major April 21 editorial in Christian Science Monitor on subject concludes: “The good news is that the scrutiny has begun with new earnestness. Maybe it will come to the point of the public giving Congress a Reagan-like challenge: If you don’t like the flat-rate tax, give us a better alternative.” . . . Sen. DeConcini (D., Ariz.) has introduced a bill calling for a flatrate tax. (Treasury estimates if every American taxpayer sent government 10.8 per cent of his income a year, the net Treasury intake would be the same as with today’s enormously complicated and costly system.) . . . Speaking of costs, Washington Post doubts either the Department of Education or Energy will be dismantled this year. Education has nearly six thousand employees, who spend $14.3 billion a year; Energy, with 17,000, spends $15 billion.