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Salient: Victoria University Students' Paper. Vol. 27, No. 5. 1964.

U.S. Presidential Ins And Outs

U.S. Presidential Ins And Outs

Richard Nixon could well be President Johnson's opponent in the November election.

Mr. Raffel of the Political Science Department believes Nixon is in some ways the most likely choice for the Republican Party convention. Though he has not announced, he would be certain to answer a party call. In 1960, he lost to Kennedy by only 112,000 votes.

This year, the votes which the religious question attracted to the Democrats will probably swing back. As an already respected international figure, Nixon could be what the Republicans are looking for.

Goldwater was badly hurt by the assassination. He attracted the support of many who disliked Kennedy, particularly in the South. With Johnson, an albeit "half-baked" Southerner of nonetheless predictable qualities in office, much of the Goldwater support could have lost its purpose.

Rockefeller will undoubtedly suffer from his family difficulties, and Romney from trouble last year with his legislative programme. Lodge, as ambassador to vital South Viet Nam, as former vice-presidential candidate and ambassador to the UN, is also candidate material.

Whoever his opponent is, re-election for Johnson is highly likely. But he faces some major problems. The question of a Vice-presidential candidate has become vital. Roosevelt died in office; Eisenhower had three major illnesses; Kennedy was assassinated; Johnson himself suffered a severe heart-attack in 1955.

More than ever before, America is concerned about her vice-president. While the position will inevitably be used as in the past for a sop to disappointed sections of the party, the political ability of the candidate will be much more carefully considered. Names such as Bobby Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey have been brought forward, but the only safe prediction is that the candidate will probably be a liberal Northerner.

The second major influence will be how Johnson deals with the racial disturbances which will inevitably occur between now and the election.

Johnson will benefit from such Kennedy legacies as the taxcut bill, though this was actually a bi-partisan affair. Anti-Kennedy feelings such as the antagonism of the South and of certain sections of the business world (earned in the steel-prices dispute) disintegrated with the assassination. His problem is to retain the liberal Kennedy support without alienating the anti-Kennedy elements.

In foreign affairs, the Johnson administration has been both lucky and competent. There have been no major crises since Johnson took over, and he has exercised-great restraint over Panama and Guantanamo. In Cuba he can point to the fact that the Soviet force has decreased to about 5000, while the trade cut indicates definite action.