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CONSENSUS FAVORS DEMOCRATS
Exclusive interviews with
five Atlanta University Center
political scientists revealed a
definite consensus that if a
Democratic administration is
elected this November, it is
more likely to be advantageous
to the Atlanta University Center
(and higher education in
general) than a Republican
administration.
As Mack Jones of Atlanta
University put it, “Anything
and anybody would be better
(for black schools, especially)
than Ford and a Republican
administration.”
According to Jones, “Ford
is not only in opposition to
black folk, but he’s in op
position to education too — so
anybody would be better for us
than him.”
Robert Kronley, director of
The Southern Center for
Studies in Public Policy, said
President Ford’s impact on
higher education has been
“both philosophically and
practically less concerned with
the financial plight of private
institutions of higher learning,
especially private black in
stitutions.”
On the other hand, ac
cording to Kronley, the public
and only guess at what Jimmy
Carter’s impact might be if heis
elected.
According to Robert
Brisbane of Morehouse
College, “A Democratic ad
ministration would ultimately
be more beneficial to the
progress and expansion of the
Atlanta University Center than
a Republican administration.
“If the Democrats get in,
their programs would be more
directly helpful to us than any
Republican program would be,
or has been,” added Brisbane.
Also according to
Brisbane, the last seven years
of a Republican administration
hae seen the A.U. Center go
backwards. He sited the halt
and/or slow down of the
Center’s building programs as
examples of the effect of a
Republican administration.
These and other political
scientists interviewer recently
discussed their opinions and
evaluation of the issues in
volved in this election year.
Excerpts from those interviews
follow:
By Artresa Harris
ROBERT FISHMAN, PH. D.
Chairman, Clark College
Social Science Dept.
According to Robert Fish
man, the major issues for this
year’s campaign for President
of the United States are the
high rate of unemployment,
inflation and the economy in
general.
“Unemployment (close to 8
percent) and inflation have not
gone down significantly in the
last seven years,” said Fish
man. “These are the best
issues that Jimmy Carter has
going,” he added.
While Fishman believes
that control of the South may be
vital to the campaign for
President, he by no means feels
that President Ford must
necessarily “give up” the
South to Southern-born and
bred Jimmy Carter, because
“polls show Ford making
inroads in Virginia, Texas and
some other Southern states.”
However, Ford’s best
strategy is “to capture the
large industrial states such as
California and New York, and
to hold the traditionally
Republican Midwest,” ac
cording to Fishman.
One advantage which Fish
man attributes to Carter is,
He appears to have possibly
around 90 percent of the black
vote.” This is especially im
portant in the South and in
some of the large industrial
states, according to Fishman.
Since several polls have
predicted that less than 50
percent of eligible voters will
vote in this election, Fishman
attributes this to voters’ “lack
of respect for American
leaders.”
According to Fishman,
more and more people are
being “turned off” by politics
and politicians. “Interestingly,
the lack of respect for American
leaders is highest among young
voters (18-29),” said Fishman.
“They, in particular, are turned
off by, and lack faith in, the
political process,” he added.
Fishman sees the
likelihood of poor voter par
ticipation as particularly
harmful to Carter’s campaign.
“Statistics show Republican
voters are more likely to vote
regardless,” he said.
“Therefore, a successful voter
registration campaign is more
likely to benefit Carter,” added
Fishman.
Although Fishman does
not see Watergate itself as a
major issue of the campaign, he
does feel that Ford’s pardon of
former President Nixon may
hurt his election hopes.
On the question of the
Ford-Carter debates, which
began September 23, Fishman
sees the debates as potentially
making people more aware of
issues. However, according to
Fishman, ‘‘People’s
assessment of the debates are
more likely to focus on the
candidates themselves (per
sonal appearance, attitude,
etc.) than on what they actually
have to say.”
Fishman also assessed the
debates as more critical for
Jimmy Carter than for
President Ford, because they
can mean the difference bet
ween maintaining Carter’s lead
in the polls.
Although the candidacy of
former Georgia Gov. Lester
Maddox, is “unlikely to make
much difference,” Eugene
McCarthy could conceivably be
a different story, according to
Fishman.
Edward Sweat, Ph. D.
Fuller E. Callaway Professor of
History, Clark College
Whoever becomes
President must come to grips
with such matters as inflation,
the high rate of unemployment,
and the economy in general,
according to Edward Sweat.
“I do not feel that the
Nixon-Ford administrations
have adequately come to grips
with fluctuations in the
economy over which the federal
government could conceivably
have some control,” said
Sweat.
According to Sweat,
control of the South could be
crucial to this election,
especially in a close race.
In regard to the black vote,
on the other hand, Dr. Sweat
sees the black vote making a
significant impace “only” if
those who are registered will go
out a'.’.d vote, and if those who
are eligible to register will do
so.
“If those two things
happen, we can have a
significant impact on the
election, because my educated
guess is that 90 per cent of
black registered voters will vote
for the Democratic candidate.”
Sweat cited some
“revealing answers” to the
likelihood of poor voter par
ticipation in this election, as
provided by recent polls: 1)
general lack of interest, 2.)
pervasive feeling that no matter
who’s elected... his personal
interests will be this chief
concern, 3.) general pervasive
mistrust of government, and 4.)
a kind of post-Watergate
mistrust of elected officials,
particularly at the national
level.
Watergate might con
ceivably have some impact on
the election, both positively and
negatively, according to Sweat.
“On the negative side, in the
.minds of some people, no
matter whom they elect there is
a feeling that he will succumb
to temptation,” said Sweat.
However, on the positive side,
people are likely to scrutinize
their candidates more carefully
according to Sweat.
The Ford-Carter debate:
are not debates in the “classi?:’
sense of the term, Sweat said.
“I’ve mixed emotions about
these debates, because the
format is structured so that
this, in reality, is a glorified
press conference,” he said. “I
cannot see these making any
significant impact on the
election,” added Sweat.
Although Sweat does not
see Lester Maddox or Eugene
McCarthy having any great
influence on the election, he
predicts that any support either
man receives will come from
the people who are the “hard
core” supporters of extreme
positions, such as extreme
conservatives and/or extreme
liberals.
Mack Jones, Ph. D. Chairman,
Political Science Dept., Atlanta
University
“I don’t think the real
issues are that sharply drawn or
sharply different between the
two candidates on the fun
damental issues,” said A.U.’s
Mack Jones. “However,” he
added, “the Nixon-Ford ad
ministrations have shown that
they place at the very bottom of
their priorities, trying to do
something with the economy.
“The Democratic nominee
is at least committed to putting
unemployment at the top of his
priorities,” said Jones.
On the candidates’ chance
of controlling the South's votes,
Jones said, “Certainly if any
one candidate starts with the
electoral votes of the South, his
chances of winning are better,
especially with Texas and
Florida becoming so large.
However, one could make the
same argument about the
Midwest and other sections of
the country,” said Jones.
The black vote is important
in any closely contested
election, according to Jones.
“The black vote may determine
who will take the South and the
large industrial states,” said
the A.U. political scientist.
Jones added that although Ford
and Carter are in a tight race
among whites, polls indicate
that Carter is ahead among
blacks.
Concerning the likelihood
of poor voter participation this
election year, Jones said,
“Politics is perceived to be, and
is, of marginal relevance to
many people.” According to
Dr. Jones, many people feel
that politics is designed to
benefit the preveleged few,
rather than the rank and file,
and this discourages many
people from active participation
in the political process.
In the opinion of Jones,
Watergate will definitely hurt
President Ford in this election.
“Ford can’t escape the fact that
of all of the people in the world,
Nixon picked him to be Vice
President. People are going to
remember that, and question
whether Ford is cut from the
same cloth.
Cont. on Page 5
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