The Courier-News from Bridgewater, New Jersey • Page 32

C4 Thursday, May 1974, THE COURIER-NEWS Ford on defensive, strategy to change Politics 76 mmmimanswim I 1 By CAROL R. RICHARDS Gannett Newi Service WASHINGTON What did Praatdent Ford do wrong that led to nil recent primary defeati In Indiana and Texas, two states be thought he could win? Comments Wednesday by the President himself, by press secretary Ron Nessen and by campaign workers and Republicans in the two states Indicate the major blunders are thought to be these: Reagan called the tune. In a brief Rose Garden press conference, President Ford admitted that his campaign had not done a very good Job of getting his message across. "We're on the way to prosperity, we're out of the war In Vietnam, we've restored confidence and trust In the White House," Ford said, adding he has a "good program" and now "our job is doing a better job of selling It." Why didn't that message get across? "I don't know," he replied. Nessen had an explanation.

"Some attention has been diverted to other issues," he said, pointing to challenger Ronald Reagan assertion that the U.S. is giving away the Panama Canal and has allowed Itself to fall behind the Soviet Union militarily. Some Ford campaign aides have called those issues phony, Nessen said. Ford ignored the Democrats in switch-over states. Texas and Indiana laws permit voters to cast their ballots in any party's primary.

Many Democrats who might normally vote for Alabama Gov. George Wallace were thought to have abandoned his moribund can dldacy to vote for conservative Republican Reagan. But the Ford campaign Ignored the Democrats in both states. In Texas, volunteers telephoned every single person known to be Republican in the state. "We called 140,000 people and we got 139,000 of them out to the polls," said a President Ford Committee aide.

"They voted for Ford, too, but 400,000 people voted In the Republican primary." "In Texas, If only Republicans had voted, we would have come out ahead," said Nessen, a theory questioned by some. Analysis of the Indiana returns will probably show a similar pattern. 1 Ford's plusses didn't register. The improvements in the economy for which Ford takes credit didn't really make much of difference In Texas and probably won't make much impact In the other Sunbelt states either, said R. Doug Lewis, executive director of the Texas State GOP.

"The South Is the new growth area," he said. "The economy is good, unemployment is low. Ford's economic accomplishments don't matter much here." U.S. foreign policy, which Ford cites as a plus since America is at peace for the first time in many years, is negative factor with some voters. Reagan wins applause for damning American "giveaways" in detente.

Lewis said that "having Secretary of State Kissinger In Africa during the neat of an election was an absolute assininity." On Panama, Ford's endorsement of negotiations sounds mushy to some people who've heard Reagan cry "we bought it, we paid for it and we're going to keep it." What to do about these problems? On Wednesday, Ford assigned PFC Chairman Rogers C.B. Morton to come up with a new strategy, quickly. Among the changes likely are elimination of Ford's frequent Question and Answer sessions with citizens while campaigning, and the assigning of surrogates to rebut Reagan's charges so the President can devote his time to reminding voters of his plusses. Republican presidential frontrunner Ronald Reagan enjoys a laugh at Scottsbluff, his last stop in his campaign in that state. mamm Fashion Fabrics By the Yard Wonder World of Fabrics iul STEAM STRESS IRON SALE ENDS SATURDAY, MAY 8, 1171 Sj.dS aluminum FOIL I 'Ss LIMIT 1 LIMIT wi unvi tmi mom unit ouwititiu ICE CREAM?) BAYER HALF GALLON ASPIRIN 1 1M TABLETS Xh LIMIT 1 2 LIMIT 1 -BllHHBllllilllllHBBlBlBlaliBWtMIMIMHBttaaWHi 'KmttMtiaui lAUITISAM 0F FOLDING-ALUMINUM Vfc Th btit known, fj I ptoricimi f.V 7 tat oindy mm d8.

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