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The 'Hidden' Election
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12081 |
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Section : |
CURRENT ISSUES
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| Issue
Date : |
12 / 1987 |
2,629 Words |
| Author
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Gerald Pomper
Gerald Pomper is professor of political science at the
Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University.
Chatham House will soon publish The Election of 1988, the
latest of his 14 books on American politics. |
A lot will happen politically in 1988 - but nobody may notice. The presidential race could be a watershed, but the election rains could disappear underground while everyone is waiting for the sun.
In the next hectic year, we are likely to see a lot of attention paid to individual candidates and their unique traits, ranging from their academic to their sexual performances. As we watch in open or secret fascination, we may well miss the really significant stories of 1988. This election will mark a generational transfer of leadership, determine a new agenda for the nation, alter the system of presidential campaigning, and test the reality of political party realignment. But all of that is in hiding.
Hiding is actually the best description of the election so far. The single most dramatic event was the withdrawal of Gary Hart, caused by reporters hiding in the shadows of his home to investigate a romantic tryst. Prospects for the Republicans were damaged by the hidden transfer of funds from Iranian arms sales to the Contras in Nicaragua. Hidings from the voters are potential candidates of high quality, such as Sens. Bill Bradley and Sam Nunn and Govs. Mario Cuomo and George Deukmejian.
The 'open' election
Paradoxically, the significant election is hidden because of the apparent openness of the contest. Candidates enter and leave the race as easily as cars move on an interstate highway - no toll collector, or party boss, bars their way. As of this writing, there are a dozen avowed candidates in the two major parties, but just as many politicians have seriously considered, declined, or withdrawn their candidacy. The multiplicity of candidates brings confusion, forcing voters to look for simple cues to comprehend their choices.
The mass media especially stimulate this openness. It has now become legitimate to investigate all aspects of a candidate's life, on the supposition that anything - whether directly political or not - is relevant to a judgment of his "character." We can expect to learn still more about the candidates' - and their spouses' - health, mental balance, finances, sex life, and academic honesty, not to mention their speechwriting and tear ducts. Woodrow Wilson once worried that excessive campaigning demands would limit the choice of presidential candidates to "wise and prudent athletes - a small class." Intensive examination of candidate traits may limit the field even more, to those athletes who are both
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