Word: staffords
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...clearly the line between political conformity and political foresight. The Republicans are faced with issues which neither they nor the voters of the state had confronted before Meyer's surprising election in 1958; their only choice has been to appeal to the voter's fears. Their candidate, Governor Robert Stafford, has alternately been forced to sing a paean to American military strength and to label Meyer "dangerously naive...
...there is ample room for about 15 workers, it is rare that more than five are present. On the door hangs a sign, prominently displayed, reading "Pat for First Lady." Inside, workers who discuss the campaign seem constantly on the defensive. No one has much to say about Gov. Stafford's foreign policies--in fact, one lady admitted that "his discussion of Communist China appeals only to the emotionally committed and the intellectually uninformed"--but Republican workers are quite willing to discuss the opponent's personality...
...example, the woman who criticized Stafford's policy on Communist China (no admittance to the U.N. until the Chinese display their love of peace), later justified her political affiliation by observing that "Meyer may be a great man, but certainly he's ahead of his time. I sincerely believe that a man is chosen for his time--call it mystical if you will--and therefore I believe that Stafford should and will win." She turned to a discussion of the "emotionally committed and intellectually uninformed": "I would hate to see a country run only by college graduates; think of what...
Meyer's headquarters in Rutland is about half the size of Stafford's, and nearly five times as crowded. Local candidates, city officials, party workers, college students--all sit around and talk for a few hours. When discussion isn't strictly political--"who will win this city?" "Get a group of workers to Addison County,"--it generally focuses on Meyer's political ideas. No one totally agrees with all of the Congressman's policies, but most people working at Rutland headquarters have attempted to think out their own views; and all agree that Meyer makes a good deal of sense...
...Governor Stafford's own campaign tactics show very clearly the extent to which Meyer's views have changed the Vermont political climate. If it weren't for the Congressman, such issues as recognition of Communist China, abolition of the draft, and nuclear test ban would never find their way to the small towns and farms of Vermont. The Republicans are acutely aware that they have no positive programs on national affairs; they pitch their campaign to the uninformed audience, hoping to exploit the desire for an unbeatable military force and for a quick relaxation of national and international tension...