For the Record

By the time Congress went off on summer recess, Democratic herd of 1984 presidential hopefuls had two frontrunners: John Glenn and Walter Mondale. Mondale got biggest boost of his campaign August 9 when Executive Council of AFL-CIO voted to advance presidential endorsement from December to early October. “No living American politician has spent more hours in union halls than Fritz Mondale,” says columnist David Broder—and no living American politician doubts Mondale will get AFL-CIO endorsement. . . . One labor insider said decision to advance endorsement might not have happened if it weren’t for AFL-CIO boss Lane Kirkland’s “deep hatred” of Ronald Reagan. . . . Hamilton Jordan, Carter’s chief of staff, has advised Mondale to turn down labor backing. Winning a minimum of five Southern states, Jordan says, is crucial in 1984, and the tag of being “labor’s candidate” will work against any candidate in the South. . . . Glenn keeps moving up in polls. According to Des Moines Register’s July poll, Glenn has picked up 12 percentage points since March—while Mondale has dropped eight points. Mondale is still choice of 55 per cent of Iowa Democrats; Glenn comes in at 30 per cent. Alan Cranston is third with 4 per cent. Former astronaut Glenn expects boost when movie of Tom Wolfe’s The Right Stuff premieres in October.

Scandal Update: After six months of investigation, Justice Department declared that it has insufficient evidence to prosecute Anne M. Burford, former administrator of Environmental Protection Agency, and five of her top aides. Rita M. Lavelle, former head of hazardous waste cleanup program, has been indicted. She is charged with perjury and obstructing a congressional inquiry. … To polygraph or not. White House spokes man Larry Speakes says Reagan “would like everyone to cooperate fully” with FBI investigation into disappearance of Carter briefing papers. High on FBI list are CIA Director William Casey and White House chief of staff James Baker. White House, according to Speakes, has no objection to lie-detector tests. Baker says he got briefing papers from Casey; Casey says he doesn’t recall seeing papers or passing them on. . . . On his fourth visit to his congressional district after being censured, Rep. Gerry Studds ran into first signs of disapproval. Protestors in Dennis (Cape Cod) presented Studds with petitions bearing more than eight hundred signatures calling on him to surrender his seat. But he also got one petition of support, reputed to be from a former congressional page who said Studds “is the perfect example of the way a congressman should be.”

Featured Tags

Manage following

Presidential Election

Department of Justice

By the time Congress went off on summer recess, Democratic herd of 1984 presidential hopefuls had two frontrunners: John Glenn and Walter Mondale. Mondale got biggest boost of his campaign August 9 when Executive Council of AFL-CIO voted to advance presidential endorsement from December to early October. “No living American politician has spent more hours in union halls than Fritz Mondale,” says columnist David Broder—and no living American politician doubts Mondale will get AFL-CIO endorsement. . . . One labor insider said decision to advance endorsement might not have happened if it weren’t for AFL-CIO boss Lane Kirkland’s “deep hatred” of Ronald Reagan. . . . Hamilton Jordan, Carter’s chief of staff, has advised Mondale to turn down labor backing. Winning a minimum of five Southern states, Jordan says, is crucial in 1984, and the tag of being “labor’s candidate” will work against any candidate in the South. . . . Glenn keeps moving up in polls. According to Des Moines Register’s July poll, Glenn has picked up 12 percentage points since March—while Mondale has dropped eight points. Mondale is still choice of 55 per cent of Iowa Democrats; Glenn comes in at 30 per cent. Alan Cranston is third with 4 per cent. Former astronaut Glenn expects boost when movie of Tom Wolfe’s The Right Stuff premieres in October.

Scandal Update: After six months of investigation, Justice Department declared that it has insufficient evidence to prosecute Anne M. Burford, former administrator of Environmental Protection Agency, and five of her top aides. Rita M. Lavelle, former head of hazardous waste cleanup program, has been indicted. She is charged with perjury and obstructing a congressional inquiry. … To polygraph or not. White House spokes man Larry Speakes says Reagan “would like everyone to cooperate fully” with FBI investigation into disappearance of Carter briefing papers. High on FBI list are CIA Director William Casey and White House chief of staff James Baker. White House, according to Speakes, has no objection to lie-detector tests. Baker says he got briefing papers from Casey; Casey says he doesn’t recall seeing papers or passing them on. . . . On his fourth visit to his congressional district after being censured, Rep. Gerry Studds ran into first signs of disapproval. Protestors in Dennis (Cape Cod) presented Studds with petitions bearing more than eight hundred signatures calling on him to surrender his seat. But he also got one petition of support, reputed to be from a former congressional page who said Studds “is the perfect example of the way a congressman should be.”