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CONSENSUS FAVORS DEMOCRATS
The Ford-Carter debates
will be important because of
“the way in which media and
everyone else tells people they
are important,” said Jones.
“However, these debates are,
in a sense, a show,” he said.
“These guys have been
rehearsing in anticipation. They
have been told what to expect
by their advisors. There is no
real candor or enlightenment in
that,” said Jones.
“No one knows anything
more about what Ford or Carter
will do about taxes after the
first debate. They merely
obscure issues and give people
a feeling that they’re involved,
and counted upon to render a
wise decision.”
Robert Kronley, director of the
Southern Center for Studies in
Public Policy, Clark College
While the state of the
economy is a major issue in the
campaign for President, of
almost equal importance is the
issue of “providing some
direction to the country in
\ terms of national leadership,
committed to humane and
intelligent reform,” according
to Bob Kronley.
“We must change
direction from the terrible
sacrifices in terms of human
rights as seen under the Nixon
adhiinistration where there was
lack of concern for the rights of
people as opposed to the
State,” said Kronley.
The South will probably
prove to be an important
“political base” for Jimmy
Carter, according to Kronley.
“Democrats have rarely won
the Presidency without a
substantial part of the South,”
said Kronley. “According to
the polls at present, Carter’s
got the South,” he added.
Equal in importance to
control of the South in this
election, is control of the black
vote, according to Kronley.
“Right now, today, it looks as
though Jimmy Carter has done
very well in attracting the rank
and file black voters, especially
in the South,” said Kronley.
“This adds to his political
base,” he added.
However, Kronley was
quick to emphasize that the
black vote will be important,
only if blacks register to vote,
and then actually vote.
According to Kronley,
people have been turned off by
politics to some extent since the
Johnson administration, but
this attitude has spread and
increased since What Kronley
calls the “Nixon fiasco.’’
Kronley says that people now
perceive other things, such as
local concerns and influence
over people’s lives and
localities, to be more important.
Kronley sees Watergate as
having become a “trust issue.
People may not be talking
much, but it affects their
perceptions of the next elec
tion,” said Kronley.
“President Ford’s ill-
advised pardon of Richard
Nixon is going to be a major,
although unspoken issue of this
election, because people’s
sense of fairness was
outraged,” he added.
Of the recently begun
Ford-Carter debates, Kronley
said, “What’s important about
the debates is that they expose
these two at the same time to a
large national television
audience. For many people, it
will be the first time that they
react to the election,” said
Kronley. “What they see, will
probably make up the minds of
a lot of people.”
Kronley agrees with Fish
man that the Maddox campaign
will not affect the election, and
of McCarthy he says, “If
Eugene McCarthy is on the
ballot in several large industrial
states, and if Jimmy Carter has
not succeeded in attractively
presenting himself well to the
people of these states, there
could be a significant protest
vote for McCarthy (about three
of four per cent of voters).”
Robert Brisbane, Ph.D.
Chairman
Political Science Dept.,
Morehouse College
Inflation, and efforts to
control it, should be one of the
major issues of this election,
according to Robert Brisbane.
“Inflation is the enemy of
all people in that it increases
the rise in the cost of living,
and reduces the value of all
paycheck, but nothing effective
is being done to control it.”
says Brisbane.
“The Ford administration
is not directly attacking another
major issue of this election-the
high rate of unemployment,”
according to Brisbane. “We
have an explosive social
situation in this country,
continued Brisbane, with
millions unemployed, including
40 per cent of black youths.”
“However, the Republican
administration is apparently
unconcerned.”
The Solid South, which
appears to be leaning towards
Jimmy Carter in this election, is
going to be crucial, according to
Brisbane. “In modern times,
the South has been split, and
was not particularly important,
because it was not united. But
if the South votes in a bloc, I
don’t see how a candidate could
win without it,” he added.
The black vote will be
effective in determining
American politics this year,
according to Brisbane.
“I’m predicting that the
Black vote will be a decisive
factor in this election,” said
Brisbane. “Polls which show
Carter ahead, indicate to me
that the black vote will be
decisive,” he said. “Upwards
of 85 or 90 per cent of the black
vote will go with Carter,
because blacks are victims of
unemployment and inflation
more so than any other people,
and blacks are disenchanted
with the Republican record in
these areas,” added the
Morehouse professor.
Watergate will not be an
issue of this election, according
to Brisbane. “The American
people have short memories, so
Watergate wont have much
impact at all,” said the political
scientist.
NTE Dates Approach
By Corliss Newsome
Each year prospective
teachers may take the National
Teachers Examination (NTE)
on any of the three different
test dates that have been
announced by the Educational
Testing Service, a non-profit,
educational organization which
prepares and administeres this
testing program,
Dates for the 76-77 school
year are: November 13, 1976,
February 19, 1977 and July 16,
1977. The test will be given at
Atlanta University.
In an interview Dr. Pearlie
C Dove, chairman of the
Education Department at Clark
Gbllege, she said there is some
controversy over the ad-
rrinistering of the NTE. Like
any other standardized test,
some authoritarians contend
that the NTE is based on
middle-class educational
standards, she said. Never
theless, others say the test truly
measures what the student has
been taught and what he has
learned, she added.
In any case, prospective
teachers should be aware of the
test because some states
require the test in addition to
certification. The state of South
Carolina, for example, uses this
ecam as a means of cer
tification, Dr. Dove said.
“The school system of
aTlanta requires a certain
score,” she said. However,
there is no state (Georgia) law
requiring the test, nor is there
a universal score to indicate
whether the student passed or
failed. In some instances,
graduate schools require the
NTE rather than the Graduate
Records Examination (GRE).
According to Dr. Dove,
there is no way to actually
“study for the test. There are
books on the market that can
serve as an aid to some
students by giving sample
questions that can assist the
student in timing and
familiarize students with the
test is structure, Dr. Dove said.
The prospective teacher
may take the common
Examinations which meaures
his professional preparation
and general education and an
Area Examination which
measures the knowledge of the
subject he sexpects to teach.
There are 27 different areas to
choose from.
Looking at Clark students'
NTE test results from the past
two to three years. Dr. Dove
aid, “The mean scores have
dropped to to three points, but
S5 per cent do ‘ meet the
standards of the Atlanta Public
Schools system.”
Prospective candidates
should contact the school
systems in which they seek
employment or the Education
Department of their colleges for
jdvice on which examinations
to take and for registration
packets.
CARTER? SHOW ME!!
fy Artresa Harris
I readily admit to being the world’s worst skeptic and
pessimist. My motto has always been, “Show Me”!!!
With this warning, I now admit that I find Jimmy Carter, “the
next President of the United States” (if the Democratic National
Gbnvention has its way), far too good to be true.
Carter’s basically unchallenged dominance of the Democratic
National Convention held in New Uork City this summer came as no
surprise to anyone. However, his acceptance (read “campaign”)
speech left me stunned. I cam to the conclusion that the man must
be one of three, no, better make it four things; a lying hypocrite, a
crusading optimist, a raving lunatic Or a damned fool.
I quickly ruled out the last two because no raving lunatic could
roam this country in constant and intimate contact with the
Anerican public and go undetected. Could he? And, of course, the
distinguished delegates to the Democratic National Convention
would never nominate a damned folol to be “the next President of
the United States.” Would they?
That leaves the American public with two choices in their
Democratic nominee: A LYING HYPOCRITE OR A CRUSADING
OPTIMIST. This is where all of my carefully tended skepticism
deserts me, and I am forced to conclude that no candidadate would
be so crazy as to risk lying to the American public at such a crucial
period in our history-and in an election year that follows so closely
on the heels of Watergate-and the general, pervading sense oi
rristrust for voemment and politicians that followed it. Would he?
Therefore, that makes Jimmy Carter a crusading optimist
aid/or idealist. Doesn’t it?
At any rate, that’s the impression that Carter’s nomination
acceptance speech, and his endorsement of the Democratic National
Platform, leaves one.
Following his nomination, Carter has attacked the “poliriical
and economic elite,” the “big shot crooks” who never go to jail, and
the alliances between money and politics. This is very heavy stuff.
But what’s he going to do about these things?
Carter also endorsed a national health system; pledged to clean
up the bureaucratic mess in Washington; pledged to reduce taxes
for the poor and middle classes, while closing the loopholes
available for the wealthy; and pledged to curt drastically the high
rate of unemployment. All of these are promises which lead me to
feel that if quarter can deliver, then mroe poower to him.
On the Republican side, their’s was a dramatic onvention in
Kansas City. Betty Ford did the bump with Tony Orlando, anc
Nmcy Reagan declined to eat at a luncheon for the Caucus ol
Republican Women so that’s how she stays so slim. Practical
e/ery televised session of the convention witnessed a true “Battle oi
the Wives,” with Reagan delegates and Ford delegates respdc
tively, trying to out- - applaud each other.
The battle was close in practically ever sense: both Betty Fore
aid Nancy Reagan were popular with the delegates (Betty won by s
narrow margin); both Ford and Reagan are basically conservatives
aid Ford finally won the nomination by a painfully close 1,1*87 tc
1,070 votes.
After the outcome of the nomination was certain, the main
concern was how the defeated Reaganites would take their defeat,
aid how enthusiastically they would back President Ford.
Then, in his acceptance speech, Ford gave his strongest per
formance yet, and turned much of the inner conflict of the
Republicans outward towards the Democrats. In fact. Ford per
formed so well that many of the diehard Reaganites were brought to
their feet.
For all of his criticism of Democratic overpromising. Ford made
a few promises himself. He called for programs to reduce crime,
improve health care for the elderly and provide for the needs of the
poor. At athe same time, he promised a fairer tax structure and a
balanced budget.