Letter from Washington

Just follow the money in a political campaign and you’ll follow the power. Jesse Unruh or some other legendary figure must have said that. Whatever its origin, it’s true. An hour with the Carter-Mondale Federal Elections Commission reports yields a number of insights into the President’s re-election effort. Most striking is the sheer size of the effort, even in these days of campaign spending reform. During the month of July, for instance, the Carter-Mondale committee paid Caesar’s Palace Hotel in Las Vegas $24,987 for meetings; Washington’s Madison Hotel $18,415 for dinner bills; and the irreplacable Xerox Corporation $30,873 for copies of forgettable documents, FEC reports most definitely included. If politics can be defined as a telephone call interrupted occasionally by a vote —and it can be—one would expect hefty telephone bills. One would not be disappointed. Setting up for the August convention, Carter’s telephonophiles ran up a $63,000 bill with New York Telephone. The big bills, not surprisingly, are generated by media, with Gerald Rafshoon’s Communications going for the gold this year. During the month of March, when Rafshoon had just completed his classic vivisection of Edward M. Kennedy, Rafshoon’s shop submitted bills for “media production” amounting to $1,025,666. That’s a lotta grits.

FEC reports also document what atmospheric evidence has suggested. Campaign Manager Robert Strauss, and only campaign manager Robert Strauss, travels first class. During July, Strauss put in chits for personal expenses, apparently excluding airlines and hotel bills, of $2,964.54. That’s a lotta bellboys. Travel expenses are listed for darn near every recognizable name in the Carter Administration, which is another way of saying that Carter has maximized the incumbency. Cabinet members have been on the road for Carter-Mondale for more than six months.

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Presidential Election

Just follow the money in a political campaign and you’ll follow the power. Jesse Unruh or some other legendary figure must have said that. Whatever its origin, it’s true. An hour with the Carter-Mondale Federal Elections Commission reports yields a number of insights into the President’s re-election effort. Most striking is the sheer size of the effort, even in these days of campaign spending reform. During the month of July, for instance, the Carter-Mondale committee paid Caesar’s Palace Hotel in Las Vegas $24,987 for meetings; Washington’s Madison Hotel $18,415 for dinner bills; and the irreplacable Xerox Corporation $30,873 for copies of forgettable documents, FEC reports most definitely included. If politics can be defined as a telephone call interrupted occasionally by a vote —and it can be—one would expect hefty telephone bills. One would not be disappointed. Setting up for the August convention, Carter’s telephonophiles ran up a $63,000 bill with New York Telephone. The big bills, not surprisingly, are generated by media, with Gerald Rafshoon’s Communications going for the gold this year. During the month of March, when Rafshoon had just completed his classic vivisection of Edward M. Kennedy, Rafshoon’s shop submitted bills for “media production” amounting to $1,025,666. That’s a lotta grits.

FEC reports also document what atmospheric evidence has suggested. Campaign Manager Robert Strauss, and only campaign manager Robert Strauss, travels first class. During July, Strauss put in chits for personal expenses, apparently excluding airlines and hotel bills, of $2,964.54. That’s a lotta bellboys. Travel expenses are listed for darn near every recognizable name in the Carter Administration, which is another way of saying that Carter has maximized the incumbency. Cabinet members have been on the road for Carter-Mondale for more than six months.