Oakland Tribune from Oakland, California • 49

rirT- Ocf. 13, 1934 49 ARTBUCHWALD By RALPH NADER Voted somebody. If he sent it up himself, nobody would take the balloon serious-ty. So he calls up Evans and Novak rad says, The President is going to institute gas rationing. And-Evans and Novak buy it? quently, an adamant stand against the consumer bill endears him to the right wing of the Senates Republicans.

And so on September 19, 1974, with A1 Bourland of GM, Wayne Smithey of Ford Motor and Bob Smith of Sen; Sam Ervins, staff hover mg around him, Griffin held the forces together and helped switch the vote of Sen. Milton Young, who turned out to be the -Sen. Robert Griffins; critical role in sustaining by one vote the minority filibuster tactic which beat back a majority of 6S senators in favor of the consumer protection bill is a matter of record. But how and why he fought this Mllis an fnrfri story which should interest, more than Bie deceived voters of the tat of Michigan-. TKe' consumer protection bill be- lengers to mount on effective campaign against them.

They also raised constitutional ob-, lections, saving that the right of free speech. of contributors Jn the Congress might be violated by placing limits on how much money they could contribute to candidates. Voting for campaign reform bill: Dellums, Edwards, Leg- Wal- gett, McCloskey, Stark, WASHINGTON Votes by area members of Congress on key roll-calls for the week ending Ocf. ia 1974 HOUSE Committee reorganization By a 209-165 vote, the House opted for the less ambitious of two- House committee redr- came a pawn in the chess game which crucial turncoat the filibuster forces were counting on. Tht signed commentary it from the The day before the vote, the bi-Retfster aid Tribune Syndicate.

The opin- partisan supporters of the House-pass-kms offered an presented to give readen a ed consumer MR, Reps. Chet Hofifield, WASHINGTON Deep in- the heart of the White House, for from the prying eyes of tee public and press, is one of the most important rooms in the government. It is the place where they blow up the trial balloons which are floated by the Ford Administration. Thanks to a source alio shall remain nameless, I managed to get into the room and see for myself how this all-important operation functions. The room was very long the size of a football field and divided into workbenches.

On each bench was seated a member of the Administration or friend of President Ford blowing up large funny-shaped balloons. They were so busy with their work, they didnt notice me. Say, I said to my source, isnt that Mel Laird blowing up a balloon over there? Yes, he replied, the balloon hes blowing up has to do with gas rationing. He tried to float it last week, but it didnt fly. So hes going to send it up.

die. SENATE-FBI Director's tenure On a 691 vote, the Senate adopted an amendment to limit the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to one lOyear term. wriety of viewpoints. The Tribunes opin- and Frank Horton, hod Millet I rm. Deen aeDoring.

ions are in called President expressed only its own editorials. Supporters of the 'amendment argued that a single Proponents at plan said -reorganization should be gradual, and that they had taken a good first step by making a few luris-dictional ana procedural changes. Backers of the more com- Ford. They urged him to come rat for1 the bill to "turn around a few votes in the Senate. Ford replied that he would have to consult with Griffin.

Griffin says he has not asked the President to remain silent on the bill. He doesnt have to, having already made dear his hard-nosed opposition. term Would protect the director from political pressures and at the same time prevent hlm.from becoming too Independent. Opponents suggested that a single term with no chance of reAppointment would give the prehensive plan, which would have redrawn iuiisdlctional lirectpr littlelncentlve to per-orm his lob well. form llnes and limited members to one major committee each, accused their opponents of preserving their own accumulated power at the expense of modernizing the House's committee structure.

Voting for weaker reorganization plan: Dellums (D), Every time, my source said They float it in their column and then we wait for. congressional and press reaction. If its negative, the President orders Ron Nessen toshoot the trial balloon down by denying he has any intention of rationing gas. Doesnt Laird get angry after blowing up one of those balloons to see it shot down? Heck, no. He works for the Readers Digest, and this gives him something to do.

Isnt that Secretary of the Treasury Bill Simon over there? Hes blowing up a trial balloon ori an income surtax. Hell probably float it at a chamber of commerce dinner in Chicago tonight' Who are all those people sticking pins in the balloon that Simon is blowing up? Theyre Arthur Burns, Alan Greenspan, Roy Ash and Paul McCracken. When it comes to the Mr. Fords economic advisers do is stick pins in each others trial balloons. Are my eyes deceiving me, I said; or did Henry Kissinger just walk in? Henrys here quite a bit, my source said.

He just floated a balloon last week on getting tough with the oil-producing countries and it landed with a thud. I guess he wants to take some new balloons with' him to the Middle East. Look," I said excitedly, theres Sen. Hugh Scott. Poor Hugh, my source said.

The Nixon people used him to launch, all their trial balloons on Watergate and hes still trying to get back his second wind. Griffin plays in Ids scramble to become tee minority leader of the Senate. (He is now minority whip.) He does not feel strongly about this all-important consumer tell one way or', the other. In 1972 when he was up for. re-election and needed consumer votes, he voted times to cut off the filibuster.

But in 1974, four years away bom another election, he voted four times to keep the filibuster. Some may. construe this shift as the politics of cynical deception. For Griffin it is the politics of power with the following backdrop. Leading the baying pack of corporate lobbyists against the consumer legislation are Ford Motor Company, General Motors and the Michigan Auto Dealers Association.

These are forces Griffin will not ignore. Among the' cast of big business Leggett (DL Votii ing against weaker reorganization plan: Edwards (D1- McCloskey (R), Stark Not voting: Waldie (D). Campaign reform The House by a 365-24 vote cleared -a landmark campaign finance reform bill aimed at severely restricting the influence of private money in politics. The established contribution and spending limits in congressional and presidential cam Although he disliked the limitation to his appointment powers. President Ford did not oppose the bill.

Voting for single lOyear term: Tunney (D). -Not voting: Cranston (D). -Aid to Turkey The Senate by a 4935 vote passed a resolution permitting the President to delay a congres-sionally ordered ban on military aid to Turkey until Dec. 15 if he decided the postponement would help bring a settlement in the military situation on Cyprus. Supporters of allowing the President to delay the aid cutoff argued that the delay would give the Administration time to try to wprk out a settlement between -Turkey, and Greece on the Cyprus issue and at the same tir would uphold the congr sional ban on further military aid.

Opponents argued thaf the ban on military aid mould take effect immediately and that- the delay would allow more U.S. arms shipments to Turkey, worsening he military situation on Cyprus rather than improving the chances for a settlement. Voting not to allow did cutoff delay: Cranston and Tunney. CwnpiM by Consraulanal OtltflY probably try it once more in a different shape and, if its shot down this time hell' go on to something else you have to have a lot of air to blojtf up one of those balloons," I said. lei does.

He probably has floated trial balloons than anyone in the ird kitchen cabinet. How does he do it?" I asked. -Well, he meets with the President and they decide what trial balloon Mr. Ford wants to send up. Lets say the President 4 Jhinking about gas rationing but he doesnt know if the public will go for it.

So he tells Laird to send up a balloon and see the reaction. Laird comes down here and starts blowing. And then he sends it up? .1 asked. Not really. He has to sell it to paigns and provided for full public financing of presiden campaign contributors for Griffin, tee prominent.

auto industry stands most promt tial general elections and federal matching grants to cover up to 45 per cent of the cost of presidential primary campaigns. The Senate cleared -the bill Oct. Backers of the reform said It would prevent Watergate-type abuses In campaign financing and would curb the role of large contributors and interest groups in political campaigns; Opponents charged that the low spending limits in the bill would protect incumbents by making It difficult for chal- by Brickman the small society In 1972, John S. former Ford Motor Company vice president, gave $6,000 while GM President Edward N. Cole gave $1,500.

Contributions bom James W. Roche of GM, Lynn A. Townsend of Chrysler, -Roy D. Chapin Jr. of American Motors and Lee Iacoc-ca of Ford Motor Company helped round out the rest of the industry.

As important as campaign funds is the political support which accrues to Griffin bom the states dominant industry and the businesses which thrive off of it. With Michigans other, senator, Philip Hart (D) displaying an independence and critical attitude toward the auto companies, Griffin and the auto moguls have settled down to a long honeymoon on safety, pollution, and economic issues. Back in the Senate, Griffin worries about a suspected challenge next January to fds position as minority whip by the radical reactionary. Sen. John Tower, R-Tex.

He worries not so much about losing as about not winning big in -this intra-party struggle. Conse- When his Michigan constituents write rad ask him why he is against the bill, he highlights a so-called exemption for labor-management relations. This is a phony objection. This provision merely clarifies the scope of the bill which restricts the non regulatory consumer agency to simply being ail adVOCate With foil rights before UA Smom-SfijH 0lc BuHdtaf, Stall Senator. ond Ancmblymm- other agencies of government w0'- o.c sw cop, sacrament cam.

esu policies significantly affect the health, safety and economic well-being of o.c ke.prtrrt.witi, ao aradm. and Mh tftfrlcti cover am ana. I ALWAYS boot To vloZLP Series TIME (T5lSME INFLATION ANP ffcUTl C6 0H PA6E tvdk, and PttrH raortuntln, all Albany. mantttiB Brtily. EmcryvNk, ri.fimnia ol Alomoda County (lent CaVrs Valin.

muiiMHi ngm uwiisngi lihiiui UOX mmrn laaii a an an Vf QflQ rNOwnWn. ItOBV CGOV munmi and a Ian mctloii al Santa II Itart. luui uICji? CovntY art rapmantad by Brad- consumers in marketplace Also, corporate management itself would vigorously oppose any incipient -o-ii authority in the consumer ency to challenge any future regulated labor- tw7nm management relations and obtain pro- TtrwiSTAS ducthrity cost data in tee process. 5 rr c- Mm T. Knox, I Hit.

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