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PASTOR GENERAL'S REPORT, JULY 27, 1984
has been deliberately divided into...two separate nations, "into
the lucky and the left out; into the royalty and the rabble."
Moreover, "our
very existence" as a
nation
is
threatened by "a
macho intransigence that refuses to make intelligent attempts to
discuss the possibility of nuclear holocaust with our enemy."...
Mr. Cuomo's remarks.••could have been lifted from.••Izvestia [ the
Soviet government newspaper]. Where is the truth in all this?
It is the Soviets, not President Reagan, who "refuse" to talk
arms control••.. As for Governor [Cuomo's] view of America, how
does he explain that, in 18 months, 7 million new jobs have been
created, that more Americans are working than ever before, or
that real income for families is rising for the first time in a
decade?...
The party of JFK doesn't exist anymore.... If someone off-handed
ly referred to America's armed force as the "great arsenal of
democracy," as FDR customarily did, he would be hooted off the
podium••••
But the Republican Party had best beware. This convention may be
out of touch with the Democrats nationally, utterly out of touch
with the American people. But Governor Cuomo's savage indictment
� in tune with � thinking of � predominant press in that
hall. They loved .!J:. Some journalists w r pt; and others echo the
statement of David Brinkley, "After covering 17 political conven
tions, I don't think I've ever heard a better speech. It was
beautifully written and delivered."
The president's� dangerous adversaries this fall will not be
the people attending this convention, but the people covering it.
Fundamentally, they agree with Mario Cuomo.
The Democratic strategy is now to appear to move into the moderate main
stream of American politics (where, indeed, Mr. Mondale is more comfort
able). Big-spending programs will be downplayed; Mondale will talk tough
on defense, foreign policy. Mr. Reagan, for his part, will try to remind
the
voters
of
the
Carter-Mondale reign. The big focus of attention from
both sides will be America's large and growing block of voters who call
themselves independents--about 27% of the electorate.
It could very well be that the Democrats may let their outspoken vice presi
dential candidate, Geraldine Ferraro, do more of the talking. This would
be a clever move, since President Reagan must be careful, his aides tell
him, not to take on Ms. Ferraro by name, out of danger of unnecessarily of
fending women, who may outnumber men this year by nine million voters.
How important is the so-called Ferraro factor? It's too early to tell. As
Patrick Buchanan said, the key role may actually be played by the press,
who, on so-called "women's issues
n
always tends
to
present the views of
hard-core feminist groups such as N.O.W. (National Organization of Women),
which has only 200,000 members, as being somehow representative of the
attitudes of the majority of women in America.
While Ms. Ferraro does not personally represent the extremist wing of the
feminist movement, TIME magazine (July 23) admitted nevertheless that "her