Severely handicapped class arrives - The Lowell
Severely handicapped class arrives - The Lowell
Severely handicapped class arrives - The Lowell
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«, IT* <strong>Lowell</strong>.O.-tober 5. I9S4<br />
OLITICS—<br />
Jessica Leung<br />
GOP<br />
convention<br />
"He'mAe off and began to walk up and down a desolate path of frail<br />
xhf. td discarded favors and crushed flowers."<br />
Iwmd of frail rinds, discarded favors, and cnuhcd flowers, the floor<br />
a-A*ered with pro^nuns. ratten, and directories. Othcrwiie. F. Scott<br />
trrnkTt description was fairly accurate. Of course, he had been<br />
•ctfbingGatsby's party, not a national political convention. But thai<br />
01 fceUag of desolation after momcnU of surrealistic living was com*<br />
•i tot tth scenes.<br />
I thank KALW Radio SUtion whkb gave Eric FasHfl and me the opftunity<br />
to attend the 1954 Republican National Convention u youth<br />
porters. <strong>The</strong> convention Itself was often described as dull and bortog<br />
ice everyone knew wbo the Presidential nominee would be. So what if<br />
e Dallas convention lacked the fiery rhetorics of Cuomo and Jackson,<br />
that DO historical emit, like the first nomination of a woman nn a nur<br />
Presidential ticket, took place." For me. the wry fact of being at a nanal<br />
political convention was exciting enough.<br />
When I arrived in Dallas on August 19, the first event on lite agenda<br />
is the California Cold Rush *S4. presented by Mrs. Rvth Hunt and the<br />
illas County Republican Assembly. <strong>The</strong> Hunt Estate (Californians call<br />
OK Hunt Ranch) U a rrpUca of Mount Vcmon situated in acres of four-<br />
* thick grass. Given the Idyllic setting and the 108 degree heal. I<br />
told say that it b the perfec: place for the 1985 Senior Class picnic.<br />
<strong>The</strong> errnt was a reception barbecue for the California and Texas<br />
legations. Just la case you ever compete in a trivia game show, Reagan<br />
from California and Bush is from Texas. As for the Hunts, they ha«<br />
ag been one of tbc wealthiest famuic* in America. Made it in oil and<br />
ver, so I was toW. I was also told not to eat the barbecue because it was<br />
ttkey tneatl<br />
At the barbecue, several put-down*thc-other*party speeches were<br />
rcn by' MOM prominent speakers. Including our own Governor<br />
7 his stoneidded<br />
belt to do some bclMifhtcnijgon spending In Congress, beginn*<br />
| with Tip O'Neill. From my experiences In Dallas. It seems as If not<br />
any Republicans like the Massachusetts Speaker nf the House. Later in<br />
e week, at a California youth delegation wrnltur. Wlhnn *tatnl: "Tip<br />
Tlcffl wU do as much ior the dcfldt at he wiU do for designer ieans and<br />
cak-dancing,** Notice the allusions he u*cd when addressing a younger<br />
9»d.<br />
From this first contact with the political scene. 1 learned that politics b<br />
rty. More Importantly. I abo learned that mott everything depends on<br />
cmections. It b idcalbtically nice to think tha» delegates, alternates,<br />
td guests attend conventions because they are supportive of thdr party.<br />
f course, most of them do. In varying degrees. But the truth of the matf<br />
b that self interests have a lot to do with such situations. On occasions<br />
ich as political conventions. imporUnt business contacts are made.<br />
ssmess contacts which translate Into prnfit.<br />
My first impression of the convention hall was relief. You see. the<br />
mperature soared above 100 degrees for the entire convention week.<br />
ult* contra/y to S.P. conditions. It b aa established fact in Dallas that<br />
le interior b cooler than the exterior. Thank goodness for airimllrtonlngl<br />
As I expected, security was very tight. One had to pass through several<br />
ecurity checks before proceeding on to onc'sdcstinatlon. Passes consisted<br />
[ many sorts: delegate, alternate, guest, page, staff, security, and<br />
icdia. Except for the major network staffs, the media (that's me!) had<br />
mited acces: passes wiiich each reporter could trade in for a 30-minute<br />
oor pass. And you think that scU-scbcduIu.g day bhectic!<br />
All of the above passes enabled the individuel to go on the convention<br />
oor. Official coavention Identifications were needed everywhere a per*<br />
xi went, but they were worthless without a pass.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re was abo an arena pass which entitled the owner access to the<br />
mi. <strong>The</strong> arena looked exutiy like the Cow Palace. Inside, there was a<br />
[ant setwen wnich depicted the action at the podmm and on the floor,<br />
b me. the arena was dreadful because 1) 1 coul^ be more comfortable at<br />
croc watching television, and 2) It was freezing. Luckily. 1 did no! have<br />
> spend too omen time there. But I learned that many local Republican<br />
exam considered ihemsdvet extremely fortunate to be allowed in the<br />
<strong>The</strong>re were the receptions at night no wonder the nxwnlng scnkxis<br />
id not begh until 10 a.m.1 Although there were parties all over the city,<br />
ts main •atherinf place was tile Loews Anatole HotcL <strong>The</strong> Ana tote, one<br />
I (be finest hotels in DaOat, ottered a spurious new dimension with Its<br />
tria and coottmporaiy *tyle of decoration. (Important connections were<br />
bo rademsush circumstances.) •<br />
In additionito badness connections, political connections were of great<br />
loportance. <strong>The</strong> Republicans are sure of a heateU race In 196T *or the<br />
'residential Domination. Tbc most Ukcly choke, naturally, b Ceorge<br />
tosh.Not far behind him are Senate Majority Leader Howard B*k.r of<br />
rcanettee and Senator Dole of Kansas, Ford's running mate In 1976.<br />
few York Congrcssmaa Jack Xcmo. representing the cotumatirr<br />
orcs^ b certainiy another tough cookie with whom to coo tend in *8S,<br />
.Wits Fcmro'u the Democratic Vke-rVnldcnthl nominee, tiie<br />
RcpubBcan Parr/ b strewing the role of *cmca within the pa»ty. <strong>The</strong><br />
act that President Reagan appoifltd Sandra Day O'Connor as tit? first<br />
moan Justice was often emphasized. Abo, maay top Republican we men<br />
were on Cbplay as tpcak«n at thb convention. Perhaps the mon em*<br />
^hashed one wu. the keynote speaker. Kaibcrine Ortega, U.S.<br />
n*stircr, Vvtcd deady in ber speech. **I believe fat oor Preshfcnt not<br />
becattM Ian ft woman. Not became 1 am of Hbpamc heriuge. But<br />
ibovi all became I am an American/" However, 1 do not think that there<br />
Mondale's tax plan<br />
Mondale displayed "RcagaoCharse** to fUttstrate Reagan's<br />
deficit.<br />
can be any argument agalmt ihe assumption that Ortega was choten to<br />
be the kcync .c speaker became she b a HUpanL* woman.<br />
Among other Republican women. Elizabeth Dole, secretary of the<br />
Department of 1 nmsportatien. certainly had her jliare of glory In<br />
Dallas, Many fator her for the *8S election. Some are even speculating<br />
the Idea of a Dole-Dole ifcket.<br />
Cuomt uid In hK keynote address that t'.ie Republicans would hare to<br />
create diversity in Dallas "by propping up mannequin delegates on the<br />
convention lloor." As lar as ethnic diversity goes, much of the statement<br />
wu true. Out of the 2.215 delegates, there were 75 blacks and 26 Asians.<br />
Out »f -1.474 iklrsalct and jKcmalo, there »«* 167 Hitpanic*. 1 h*d<br />
the opportunity to Inlcnkw toerml A-tUn delegates, and most fell that<br />
the Republican Party his taken grc*t sups in improving the status of<br />
minorities within the Party.<br />
As far as rhetoric goes. U.N. Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick's aitdm.%<br />
«as by far the most refreshing. Tcrhaps thb b because she was OIK<br />
Democrat among a week full of Fxjmblican sneakers. Or maybe It was<br />
because of the fact that I felt as if I had "come to bury Caesar" when she<br />
repeatedly manipulated the thane. "But then they (the Democrats)<br />
alwavs blamed America firs*."<br />
Unexpected and funny cvcn'Ji can take place at press conferences just<br />
as in liTe-tclcvbion broadcast*. At his press conference nn foreign policy.<br />
Bu\h addressed a man as a iromen due to the length of the man's hair.<br />
Bush did not realize the mistake until several minutes later and was very'<br />
embarrassed. Johnny Carvm remarked. "It's not that the Republicans<br />
don't recognize women, it't that they can't.**<br />
Tbc highlight of the wrtk was probably the welcome reception for the<br />
President on August 22. <strong>The</strong> Anatole buzzed with life. Posters painted by<br />
various youth delegation hung from all thirteen balconies of Atrium I.<br />
Prior to the President'* arrival. Maureen Reagan, hb daughter, warmed<br />
the enmd up by leaJhig the cheer. "Four More Years Reagan Bush." (I<br />
myseU was standing \xj the eleventh floor balcony, and the view was not<br />
the greatest.)<br />
<strong>The</strong> sixth sessUn of the convention was essentially the acceptance<br />
speech and closing ceremonies. Reagan accepted the nomination after<br />
adhering a carefully designed speech. Even the Jokes were pcfrsUy<br />
chosen. For example, the President said. 'Will Rogers once said he<br />
never met a man he didn't like. If 1 could paraphrase, our friends In tSe<br />
other party norr met a tax they didn't like. . ." <strong>The</strong> crowd broke inktremendous<br />
appUuse and cheered for several minutes before Reagr *. had<br />
the opportunKy to d-lhrr the punch line: "or hike" Furthermorr. not<br />
only did Reagan effectively appeal to America's sense of patriotism by<br />
nMnlpuUllng the Olympic theme, he named each dty that the Olympic<br />
torch passed through to Illustrate the diversity, splendor, and greatness<br />
of Amcfca.<br />
Aftrr the acceptance speech, Ray Charles led the entire convention<br />
floor m singing "America the Beautiful." <strong>The</strong> ambience was truly<br />
tremendous. What was even more remarkable wax the spirit of unity,<br />
prk'-e. and optimism displayed by the crowd when they rabed held hands<br />
and began singing "God Bless America.'' Imagine the feeling at Spirit<br />
WeeL magnified a hundred tiaw. Only then win you begin to underst<br />
ind and appreciate the atmosphere.<br />
E«n If the furor over Ferraro's finances nvenhadowed the convention<br />
at times. tV entire event was carefully ttaged and precisely executed.<br />
Where can you blame the weather on the Democrats, rent a baby<br />
elephant for SI,000 an hour, see Fritz Busters in actkn. hear Motcooe<br />
Center referred to as the Tcaple of Doom, and staad up and cheer<br />
wbencvcryoa hear the word "Grenada" mentio oed? Koubere except at the<br />
19e4NationalConventkm.<br />
' <strong>The</strong> pany was now officUBy over. Some would be back on the ctov<br />
palgn trail, others would continue to work for the Party, and itill others<br />
would go back to thdr normal hVs. Whatever the case might be, 1 am<br />
sure that everyone has bencfltted b terms of experience and exposure. 1<br />
myself learned u great deal about oar political machine and human<br />
behavior. I do feet a Wt saJ now th « all Ae excitement has finished, but<br />
I am certain *hat there will be . ^Ilar occasions to come, be they<br />
Democratic or Republican, as long a> he celebration of fife continues.<br />
You see, although Gatsby never atter, jed another party again. 1 Intend<br />
trc . ' , . ,...•-<br />
ByMkhulLee<br />
Praldcnlia. candid. K Wilier<br />
Mondik released a budget plu<br />
dnlgned to trim the projected<br />
IVM federal deficit from «6J<br />
billion lo ttt bUI'ion. while Increasing<br />
spending in certain areas.<br />
<strong>The</strong> plan irttludra an J8S HUlon<br />
income lax increase to ofbet the<br />
. delidt.<br />
Mondale's plan, which hi<br />
released on September 10, 1984. b<br />
lo Increase taxes and will not alfect<br />
[amUJcs earning S25.C00 or less '<br />
oer par. By 1989. families with<br />
earnings of S25.000 to 135.000 will<br />
pay an additional S9S in luxes<br />
jrj/lj: families caminR as much at<br />
S4S.C0Q win pajr J20O more: and<br />
families with earnings of up to<br />
JIOO.000 will pay an extra 51600.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Democratic candidate's admen<br />
said 75 percent of the tax increases<br />
will be paid by the.middle<br />
<strong>class</strong> families having an annual in*<br />
come of at least MO.000.<br />
A minimum 15-percent tax on<br />
corporations b abo included in the<br />
plan. Critics of the plat: say this<br />
would dbcourage big companies<br />
from donating to charities or<br />
developing programs to benefit<br />
ibe public.<br />
Mondale's proposal Includes a<br />
U0 billion Increase in domestic<br />
programs, includir-j' increased<br />
fueds to schools. He plans to save<br />
S51 bilCon by reducing interest<br />
payments on the deficit, and S5<br />
bllton by streamlining federal<br />
manaKement procedures.<br />
"Seventy-five<br />
percent of the<br />
tax increases<br />
will be paid by<br />
the middle<br />
<strong>class</strong>."<br />
He alw plans to cut S2S billion<br />
in military spending and $24<br />
billion in domeittc programs from<br />
the projected 1989 budget.<br />
In Mondale's own words, the<br />
budget plan "sets up a deficit<br />
reduction trust fund. By law every<br />
penny o* new revenues will go into<br />
that fund to be used for reducing<br />
the dcficlt*n. X for new spending or<br />
new programs. And it rcst< on the<br />
.principle eyghe<br />
Allhou<br />
ting alto*<br />
tonal-an<br />
' Pteplr<br />
striking<br />
needed 1<br />
tbemsrh<br />
<strong>The</strong> R<br />
figures 1