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From: zrm@mit-eddie.UUCP (Zigurd R. Mednieks)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Democrats vs. Republicans
Message-ID: <559@mit-eddie.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 8-Aug-83 21:39:35 EDT
Article-I.D.: mit-eddie.559
Posted: Mon Aug  8 21:39:35 1983
Date-Received: Tue, 9-Aug-83 06:36:09 EDT
References: ccieng5.116 <5655@unc.UUCP> <543@grkermit.UUCP>
Organization: MIT, Cambridge, MA
Lines: 31

It is true that Howard Baker and John Glen might have troble with
"product differentiation" if they were running against each other, but
that isn't the point. Look at the people surrounding the office holder:
Jimmy Carter may be much more of an intellectual than Reagan, but Cyrus
Vance was a really awful Secretary of State, especially compared with
Schultz. If a Democrat is elected, we aren't going to shift gears on the
big, visible issues like Central America. However, monetary restriant
will lose what credibility it has left, taxes will go up, social
spending will go up, the readiness of our conventional forces (this is an
achievment Wienberger should get a medal for) will go down, Jane Fonda
will become Special Aide for Political Correctness, etc. The
Republicans, especially the Ford and Reagan administrations have, in
general, been very good about cutting the crap -- if you think Russia
sucks, then have the guts to say so in frony of the whole country, in no
uncertain terms.

I lived in Austria for the later part of the Carter administration's
term, and I worked in an economic/scientific research institute as
technical support staff. I had ample opportunity to become very
disgusted with the attitude of diplomats, negotiators, and all the
sleazy detant groupies. Vance and Young brought this kind of sleaze to
the White House. The Carter adminstration's ignorace of history was
staggering: people in Austria old enough to remember the Russian
occupation were amazed that Carter hugged Brezneiv at the SALT talks.
How could he make such a gesture? How ignorant is he of what went on in
Eastern Europe. Now, at least in foreign affairs, we have some semblance
of competence and we know who the enemy is, and if Reagan keeps
reminding the people, we may even remember why.

Cheers,
Zig