Grinnell Experts On ’72 Campaign

The son gathered together some at Grin-
nell’s resident political experts for a dis-
cusiion of their expectations for the 1972
Presidential campaign,

Participants in the discussion held last
Saturday were C. Edwin Gilmour, Pro—
fessor of Political Science and a former
member oi the lows leg‘ lature nnd state
‘Poverty program admi strator; Edward
Moore, Assistant protessor oi English and
an active Democrat who was a delegate to
the 1968 state convention; Joan Orr, head at
a special tax study for the Iowa League of
Women Voters and a former State Senator
tram Grinnell; and James Hottois, Assis»
tant Protessor of Political Science who is
currently teaching Political Science 296.
”Getting Elected President.”

A partial transcript oi the discussion
tollowsl

3538:
why’.’

What candidate do you preier and

Gilmour: I'm in Iavor of McGovern because
he's right on the issues, on all the issues.
I think’h'e has very little chancé.'lagree
with what John Schmidhauset said last Fri-
day, that there are going to be some pleASr
ant surprises for those of us who are Mc-
Govern supporters in the caucuses around
iowa.

Moore: 1 would describe myseli as non-
committed. I think I'll probably be [or
Muskie, but here in Iowa you’ve got to
declare your preference and you’ve got to
stick with it until he lets you go and I don't
want to be stuck with Muskie or McGovern,
who I would generally preter ii I would give
him a chance (in case I had to vote in the
primary election).

Hottois: i would go with Muskie lor the
moment. I lind Muskie and McGovern the
most enjoyable oi the string of candidates,

son: Three oi you express the need {or a
Change, What is the main type oi changes
you think we need?

Orr: I think the main thing weneed is what
Nixon campaigned (or last time. And that’s
bringing the country together, and behind
social reforms.

Hottols: I would second that. I think that
the problem with Nixon is that he is asl
described him earlier, not a man with much
of a vision {or anything but getting elected.

Moore l’d go along with thatand that's why
1 was originally (or linghes, because it
seems to me that in personality as much
as vision he has the ability to bring things
together,

Gilmour: I think it goes much deeper than
that as Iar as I’m concerned. I think what
we need is not just a change in which party
controls the presidency

3&3: Isn't it true that there are a number
of dinerent groups, the silent majority,
the protesting youth, the middle Americans,
the Blacks, who just aren’t going to come
together?

Hottois: First 0! all, the silent majority
isn’t so silent any more. They're burning
school buses. Second. the protesting young
-- I haven’t noticed too much of that re»
cently. It’s being replaced by apathy.

StilB: In other words, Nixon HAS in a
sense brought us together.

Hottoi : What you’re seeing now is the
little old ladies in tennis shoes out burning
school buses

S&B: Is that an accurate picture?

Moor ' I would put the emphasis a little
bit diiierently. The attitude of students is,
after ’65, “with someone like Nixon in the
White House, what good does it do. it we
could get somebody like Hughes 1 still think
Hughes might deiuse’the apathy ' -

Orr: I think there's a terriric amount or
apathy at every level. [think occasionally
you get something like this bus burning,
but it’s on a very emotional subject that
hits close to home.

3315: We're not in favor oi bus burnings
so is apathy what we want? Are more of us
joining the silent majority?-

Hottois: I don’t think we want apathy. I’m
not sure though what the converse ofapathy
is. I’m not sure that we want, ior example,
burning and looting as the converse or apae

Gllmour: ......... I just don’t see any
candidate of any party on the scene today
who really is speaking to the contemporary
needs and potentials of America. Whathave
we really done about the race problem? What
have we done about the problem otthe cities?
What have we done about the whole ecology
and environment. A great deal of symbolic
issues and proposals, but the situation is
the same and getting worse. l don’t see
either political party or any political can-
didate on the scene today who is really
with it.

Hottois- I think that you’re going of! into
the wild blue yonder. For example, there
has been a good deal of legislation in en-
vironmental things. It’s hitting pretty close
to home.

Gilmour: You’re talking about peripheral
changes; this IS whatl call symbolic change.
. , . . I think my solution is really
changing our whole political attitudes and
values. There again you need some sort or

a charismatic leader to do this I don’t see . ~

anyone on the scene who can do this.

She: How does the race tor the Demo-
cratic nomination seem to be shaping up?

Gilmour: The strategy cl Senator Kennedy’s
supporters n or their expectations if not
their strategy W was that the primaries
were going to be indecisive. Muskie was not
going to win going away as a lot at people
expected, that there’s going to be enough oi

a split vote that Humphrey will chew into
him particularly in Florida, and even in

Wisconsin, and even conceivably in Calitor~
nia, that Jackson will be taking support trom
Muskie troni the right, Mcoovern and Lind-

See next page

is

Participants in the SkB’s political discussion, left to right: James
Hottois, Political Science; Joan Orr, League at Women Voters; Mark
Sabieman, 8318; Ed Gilmour, Political Science; Ed Moore, English;

and Steve Grow, So'zE.

The Scarlet and Black

Dhotos by Mark Sableman

January 28, 1972

 

