New York, New York

The fans of Walter Mondale had clammy brows and white knuckles for a while there. All the money, all the promises, all the endorsements were washing away like blockage in a pipe flushed with Drano. New York finally and conclusively stopped the erosion. As Mayor Koch, shaking his great domed head for emphasis, put it at Mondale headquarters primary night: “My mother always said it’s better to win than to lose.”

Mondale effectively changed his campaign slogan from “Where’s the beef?” to “Where’s the embassy?” The embassy in question was ours, in Tel Aviv. The policy, supported by both Mondale and Hart, was to move it to Jerusalem. The issue was, when had Hart adopted the policy, and what did this signify about his staunchness for Israel? Ideally, he should have been able to prove that he had adopted it when he was still Hartpence, but it seemed that he had waffled as late as March. Even Jewish organizations soon sickened of the controversy. But it served Mondale’s larger strategic purpose—to make the point that he was a known quantity. No surprises up those dour sleeves.

About the Author

Richard Brookhiser

Historian Richard Brookhiser is a senior editor of National Review and a senior fellow at the National Review Institute.

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The fans of Walter Mondale had clammy brows and white knuckles for a while there. All the money, all the promises, all the endorsements were washing away like blockage in a pipe flushed with Drano. New York finally and conclusively stopped the erosion. As Mayor Koch, shaking his great domed head for emphasis, put it at Mondale headquarters primary night: “My mother always said it’s better to win than to lose.”

Mondale effectively changed his campaign slogan from “Where’s the beef?” to “Where’s the embassy?” The embassy in question was ours, in Tel Aviv. The policy, supported by both Mondale and Hart, was to move it to Jerusalem. The issue was, when had Hart adopted the policy, and what did this signify about his staunchness for Israel? Ideally, he should have been able to prove that he had adopted it when he was still Hartpence, but it seemed that he had waffled as late as March. Even Jewish organizations soon sickened of the controversy. But it served Mondale’s larger strategic purpose—to make the point that he was a known quantity. No surprises up those dour sleeves.