University of Virginia Library

Double Theme

As the astute Minnesota senator
is almost certainly aware, Republican
strategy since the New Deal
has played on a double theme-what
may be called a high road and a
low. The later has been the special
province of Vice Presidents Nixon
and Agnew.

Long before-before Scammon
and Wattenberg discovered the
"social issue" Republicans were
playing the politics of the low
road-playing upon the irrational
and emotional fears of the American
electorate, thus distracting
them from more pressing (mainly
economic) grievances.

In the 50s, the Republican low
road was "corruption" in Washington
and communism" - also in
Washington, and in every other
country not formally entwined in
Western alliances.

Thus, while Richard Nixon
dueled with demons, needed reforms-among
them federal medical
care and aid to education-died with
the non-leadership of the Grand
Old Mouse.

Today, the issues are more tangible:
"radical-liberals," crime
(especially "in the streets") and
student and other "unrest. While
these issues are real, they are still of
the low road. For Vice President
Agnew and others, they are only
theoretical bridgework for the politics
of fear, and they remain diversionary
tactics to make the Dayton
housewife forget, among other
things, that Republicans are dawdling
over the issues that cost money
but can make her life more unpleasant
than "radiclibs."