Word: schweikered
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...Sears moved to persuade Reagan. "It was too sensitive to telephone Governor Reagan about," Laxalt explained. "We decided he should be told personally." Sears flew to Los Angeles on Thursday night, July 22. On Friday morning he told Reagan and his wife Nancy for the first time about the Schweiker choice. That day Schweiker, traveling under the alias of Troy Gustavson, an aide, checked into the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles. He was told by Sears to meet Reagan on Saturday at noon. He spent a restless night...
Even though Reagan had Schweiker under the most serious consideration and was about to discuss the vice presidency with him, the former Governor told Los Angeles Times Reporter Richard Bergholz in an interview on Saturday morning: "The compatibility of the political philosophies of the presidential and vice-presidential nominees is preeminently important. I don't rule out balancing the ticket geographically ... Philosophically is the only place where I say it is hypocritical to choose some one of the opposite view...
...that same day, Reagan and Nancy served a tuna salad lunch at their home to Schweiker, Laxalt and Sears. The talk in which the deal was struck lasted at least six hours...
Despite the philosophical chasm between them, Reagan and Schweiker claimed they found some areas of general agreement: skepticism about the Government as the primary means of solving social problems, opposition to busing, amnesty, gun control and abortion, criticism of the Ford Administration's handling of détente, resumption of the death penalty for heinous crimes. Reagan was especially impressed by Schweiker's devotion to religion and his family. According to an aide, Reagan concluded that Schweiker was "a guy he can live with." Yet on many of the topics discussed, the conversation was strained-until Reagan said...
...Schweiker was grilled further that night by some of Reagan's close friends, including Justin Dart, the chief of Dart Industries, and Holmes Tuttle, a millionaire Ford dealer. They were satisfied. Tuttle rationalized: "A running mate does not have to be a Charlie McCarthy. Senator Schweiker voted for some social-reform bills that haven't worked, but he realizes now that they should be changed." Added Dart: "No one should think that the Governor is changing his basic posture. If anybody is changing, it is Senator Schweiker...