For the Record

Watch the dominoes fall—all Jimmy Carter’s way. Big Labor is moving toward him, with reports that a private meeting is being set up with AFL-CIO chief George Meany. … In New Jersey, the head AFL-CIO man, Charles Marriante, has endorsed Carter; in Georgia last week, Julian Bond, a vociferous Carter critic running as a Udall delegate, was trounced by former state AFL-CIO chief Herb Mabry, a Carter delegate. . . . And that on-again off-again endorsement by UAW President Leonard Woodcock is now expected before the May 18 Michigan primary Birch Bayh was the first big politician to jump aboard the Carter bandwagon, but there are other straws in the wind. New Jersey Congressman Peter Rodino of Watergate fame has withdrawn as head of an uncommitted slate of delegates that would have gone to Humphrey .Sen. Lloyd Bentsen says he will release the six favorite-son delegates he won in the Texas primary.The game now is to win that first-ballot victory, and Carter staffer Rick Hutcheson is in charge of that operation. He has a list of 250 uncommitted delegates already elected or chosen in party caucuses and conventions, with personal information about each. Those classified as “leaning toward” Carter or even “possibly not anti-Carter” will get—are getting—personal approaches from campaign manager Hamilton Jordan and from Carter himself.

“If the race goes down to California,” said Ronald Reagan campaign manager John Sears after Texas but before Georgia-Alabama-Indiana, “we’ll be in the driver’s seat. The winner of the California primary will be the party’s nominee.” After G-A-I no one thinks the race won’t go to California. Ford’s use of the incumbency getting more blatant. When Interior Secretary Thomas Kleppe was asked about a federal grant of $1.1 million to Georgia to help acquire land along the Chattahoochee River just four days before the primary, he replied: “If you’re asking me if that’s political, I hope so. I serve at the pleasure of the President. … I hope what I do is helpful to him.” (Not helpful enough.)

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Presidential Election

Watch the dominoes fall—all Jimmy Carter’s way. Big Labor is moving toward him, with reports that a private meeting is being set up with AFL-CIO chief George Meany. … In New Jersey, the head AFL-CIO man, Charles Marriante, has endorsed Carter; in Georgia last week, Julian Bond, a vociferous Carter critic running as a Udall delegate, was trounced by former state AFL-CIO chief Herb Mabry, a Carter delegate. . . . And that on-again off-again endorsement by UAW President Leonard Woodcock is now expected before the May 18 Michigan primary Birch Bayh was the first big politician to jump aboard the Carter bandwagon, but there are other straws in the wind. New Jersey Congressman Peter Rodino of Watergate fame has withdrawn as head of an uncommitted slate of delegates that would have gone to Humphrey .Sen. Lloyd Bentsen says he will release the six favorite-son delegates he won in the Texas primary.The game now is to win that first-ballot victory, and Carter staffer Rick Hutcheson is in charge of that operation. He has a list of 250 uncommitted delegates already elected or chosen in party caucuses and conventions, with personal information about each. Those classified as “leaning toward” Carter or even “possibly not anti-Carter” will get—are getting—personal approaches from campaign manager Hamilton Jordan and from Carter himself.

“If the race goes down to California,” said Ronald Reagan campaign manager John Sears after Texas but before Georgia-Alabama-Indiana, “we’ll be in the driver’s seat. The winner of the California primary will be the party’s nominee.” After G-A-I no one thinks the race won’t go to California. Ford’s use of the incumbency getting more blatant. When Interior Secretary Thomas Kleppe was asked about a federal grant of $1.1 million to Georgia to help acquire land along the Chattahoochee River just four days before the primary, he replied: “If you’re asking me if that’s political, I hope so. I serve at the pleasure of the President. … I hope what I do is helpful to him.” (Not helpful enough.)