/ 8V
cracker barrei.
©RVANT
Grandpa used to say that a man
should never talk politics or religion with strangers, and only on
rare occasions with his family.
Perhaps these were wise words for
his ear, when discussion might be
labeled hatred, but times change
and then, too, he never told me
what to do when both issues were
involved in one campaign.
There hasn't been a political
machine in recent times to match
Jack Kennedy's. With brother Bob
on the right, an economic brain
trust on the left, and Dad pouring
in funds and prestige from the corner, the Senator sits behind the
wheel of a powerful bandwagon.
John Q. Public watched as primary after primary fell until this
summer the machine enabled Mr.
Kennedy to walk off with the blue
ribbon in Los Angeles. By all rights
he deserved the nomination. There
was no real competition, only a few
Johnny-come-lateleys which left the
convention with only the debatable
point of how many ballots it would
take for victory. It only took one.
This much is history, but the platform supporting the nominees is a
segment which may never find its
way into any text.
Labor Heads List
Not since the chicken-in-every
pot promises of the New Deal has
any party come out with as many
appeasements to woo the electorate.
Labor heads the Senator's popularity list, leaving mamagement far
down the line. The now defunct
$1.25 minimum wage bill is only
one indication of a strong pro-
labor movement. A stronger bill
dealing with secondary boycotts
which failed to reach the floor in
ttiis Congress will certainly be
pushed through should Kennedy
enter the White House. This would
give labor even a more powerful
whip than it now cracks and enable
the unions to bring pressure on
firms which are not connected with
a strike. Admittedly, organized
labor is necessary and good to a
degree, but today the man who is
supposed to benefit, the worker, is
nothing more than a puppet controlled by union monarchs who dictate his every move. For example,
the steel strike last year was not
voted in by the workers, but
called by a small group of union
bosses. If this is the demoncratic
process, then Khrushchev is the
father of our country.
Civil Rights
Another unpalatable plank to
most of the South is the strong
civil rights segment. To a region
which has been the backbone of
a party foi over seventy years,
it's hard to swallow proposals
which will coerce it to rapidly
change its philosophy. The Democratic Party had to come forth
with good points on this issue,
knowing that its counterpart would
have a strong plank; but, it went
too far and wasn't particularly nice
about stomping on Southern toes in
the process. The attitude expressed
in Los Angeles was that the South
could go fly a kite because the
Northern party members and Ne- y
gro voters were being charmed.!
The moral principles involvel in
civil rights are not up for approval
or disapproval here, but the psy- y
chology of favoring such an un- s
necessarily strong plank is de- c
batable. Right or wrong, the Party
has lost many votes on one hand r
which may not be replaceable from
another. Robbing Peter to pay a
Paul Paul may not prove profit- e
able in November. tl
More Pro Democratic
These are but two of the big
issues. There are others dealing Z
with every aspect of governmental
functions, but they all boil down to -
making everybody more secure,
happier, and pro Democratic. This
is the accepted political approach,
but there isn't brain power or mon- 0
ey enough on this planet to accom- c
plish Kennedy's goals, and John Q. t
Public knows it, John Q. is a funny v
sort of fellow, too. He'll listen to m
just about anything until he thinks g
someone is trying to hoodwink
him, and then he quick'.y bows out.
John Q.s all over the country are z
getting the picture now and chang- t
ing horses in mid-stream. r
Religion a
On the question of religion, let a
us linger but briefly. Deplorable p
as it is, this is the paramount is- p
sue to many. It should not be. It v
is not a valid controlling factor, t
but the point remains that many i
will use it, and the Party is worried. Only the intellectually dull a
will use this as an out, a seeming- a
ly easy escape, but unfortunately ^
there are millions of such voters j,
who could turn the tide. Judge v
carefully before you succumb to
anti-religious propoganda. r
Rest easy now, Grandpa, this is j
all for a while. j
AT RANDOM ;
TJnprecented, but true. Boys actually outnumbered girls at the
dance last Saturday, but how come?
Let's hope our lovely freshmen
ladies aren't the retiring type, because it would be a definite loss
for the men.
Memo to professors: How about
taking that knife out of backs on
the cut situation. Supposedly, the
new system allows us more responsibility, so give us a chance,
O.K.?
Lotus Restaurant
