Lawmakers - October 14, 1982
Lawmakers - October 14, 1982
Lawmakers - October 14, 1982
Lawmakers - October 14, 1982
Paul Duke introduces commentary.
Lawmakers - October 14, 1982
Commentary by Charles McDowell. Here in Washington it is perfect apparent that there ought to be a landslide in the making out there. Out there is our engaging term for the 50 United States of America. Anyway, President Reagan s economic program is in tatters. Unemployment has crossed the landslide line on our politics meter. And the national polls reported an increasing inclination of people generally to vote Democratic in the Congressional elections. So some of us have been venturing out there to look at the landslide. We can t find it. We ve heard a sort of rumbling in the hills, but not that big crashing sound you get with a landslide. It might still happen of course. Democrats generally seem to be doing better than Republicans, generally. And some specific Republican candidates might well lose because the economy makes the difference. But most of the contests are turning on other things. Things that don t quite fit into the political landscape sliding down the slope of the economy. Most of the incumbents of both parties are going to win. Because they ve been around awhile and their constituents think they are pretty good Congressmen. Democrats are gong to win here and there because they re younger - or older - or brighter or maybe just more pleasant than their opponents. Republicans are going to win here and there for the same reasons. Or because they have more money for television ads or because they re on the right side of some esoteric local issue that we wouldn t recognize in Washington if it hit us on the head. There will be winners who owe their margins to the nuclear freeze movement or the anti-abortion movement or some little movement of sentimental voters who remember one candidate s daddy. But to keep our perspective there s still that rumbling in the hills that worries the Republicans. If it is economic protest and it keeps getting louder, things like the daddy vote might not matter at all.
Lawmakers - October 14, 1982
Paul Duke signs off.
Lawmakers - October 14, 1982
Closing credits
Lawmakers - October 14, 1982
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Lawmakers - October 14, 1982
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Lawmakers - October 14, 1982
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Lawmakers - October 14, 1982
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