July 15, 1988

Dukakis' Pick Astonishing

Michael Dukakis, Democratic candidate for the presidency, has chosen Senator Lloyd Bentsen as his "running mate" and thereby committed the first gaffe of the campaign by failing to first stroke the Rev. Jesse Jackson.

The selection process turned into a side show as Dukakis ostentatiously dangled the vice-presidency under the noses of seven potential candidates. It was a strange gambit that put the other men on a spot, publicly making them admit they wanted the job but then denying six of them. It was a tacky performance lacking dignity. Walter Mondale, the Democrat presidential candidate eight years ago, did the same thing; and it did him no good.

Bentsen "balances the ticket," in a philosophical and geographical sense. He has political qualifications Dukakis lacks - Washington, experience, a conservative stance, and a winning record in Texas, a state with 29 electoral votes. Bentsen also is expected to furnish a "southern connection," but Texans consider themselves westerners, not part of Dixie.

Dukakis and Bentsen are trying to make much of a "Boston-Austin axis," echoing the 1960 candidacy of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon 13. Johnson. "It was good for the country and good for the Democratic Party then, and it's going to be a real winner in November of '88," enthuses Dukakis.

Bentsen is counted on to wrest Texas from George Bush, the Republican candidate who also lives in the Lone Star State. Bentsen won his Senate seat by beating Bush. Nevertheless, Bentsen ran for the Democrat presidential nomination in 1976 but won no support from his own party.

Both Bentsen and Bush made their wealth in the oil business, and come from wealthy families. Now that Bentsen is on the Democratic ticket, his party will have to give up one of its favorite weapons against Bush - wealthy privilege. Bentsen carries subtle baggage into the campaign. He is 67-years-old, and the Democrats criticize Reagan's advanced years. Also, Senator Bentsen supports aid for Contra rebels which Dukakis condemns as "a failed and illegal policy." This sharp division on foreign policy is reminiscent of Bush's pre-convention criticism of Reagan's economic policy as "voodoo," a statement which haunts Bush today.

The most astonishing aspect of the Bentsen pick, was his snub of Jackson in making it. Bentsen was told on Tuesday morning. All other candidates except Jackson were informed within a couple of hours. Jackson heard about the choice from a reporter.

Dukakis was either callous about Jackson's feelings, and those of blacks in general, or he was careless in managing an important campaign factor. In either case, Dukakis' judgment was less than brilliant. There was no necessity to announce the decision within a couple of hours of Bentsen's acceptance. A couple of more hours to bring Jackson on board would have paid big dividends.

Of course, the botched announcement may not have lasting effect. Blacks have become emotionally attached to the Democrat party, as conservatives have to the Republican party. Neither group has anywhere else to go.

We can understand the desirability of presidential candidates balancing the ticket for geographical considerations, but not for ideological reasons. Kennedy and Johnson represented important regions, but both were gung-ho liberals.

Bentsen is the philosophical antipode of Dukakis. In effect, 'Dukakis is saying, "I am not electable on my principles, therefore I must have someone to prop me up who is more acceptable to voters."

Perhaps he remembers that the Kennedy-Johnson Boston-Austin axis won by a plurality of one-tenth of one-percent, a margin furnished fraudulently by Chicago Boss Richard Daley.

Author: Lindsey Williams