Western Kentucky University - Talisman Yearbook (Bowling Green, KY)

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24 Election — Todd Buchanan A landslide om. for the College Heights Herald — asked ques- tions in a format similar to the national debate. In the hour-long debate, Breathitt defended Carter’s record, blaming inflation and unemployment on the Ford and Nixon administrations. Forgy attacked Carter’s economic. and foreign affairs policies, calling them an “abysmal, continual embarrassment.”’ Woods portrayed Anderson as a candidate with courage to make unpopular decisions to deal with the economy. As the debate ended, Forgy noted that the Democratic party had produced many great leaders, but he said Carter was not one of them. SUPPORTERS OF JOHN ANDERSON make their feelings known through this message. The sign, along with posters and bumper stickers were common sights at the Anderson Headquarters on the square. A TELEVISION SET and empty chairs surround Joe Bill Campbell, Warren County Democratic party chairman, and Joe Cook, a Bowling Green resident. The two were the only ones left at Carter Headquarters after the president gave his concession speech. — Jim Gensheimer

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little support it was an apathetic time. There just wasn’t much activity on the part of the Democrats. “Our organization was much stronger in 1976,’ Durham, a graduate assistant in the government department, said. ‘‘About all we -could do is help keep the headquarters downtown open.” The 12-member committee had a voter- registration drive in early October, but com- plicated registration laws made it hard to sign out-of-town students, Durham said. “We handled 60 or 70 absentee ballots for people who didn’t want to go home to vote,” he said. Durham said he thought Reagan’s landslide victory was a mandate against Carter. ‘People were just not happy with his administration,” Durham said. ‘‘It was as if people were saying, ‘Let’s try something new.’ ” — Lisa Roberts Cary Dodson, a Carter supporter, said the Democrats weren’t effective in getting support for the president on campus. “‘It seemed like we were organized, but we just didn’t get a lot done. “The Republicans had a lot of people who really worked,” he said, adding that the nation- wide Republican campaign seemed to have a lot of momentum. The Tompkinsville freshman said the Democratic headquarters on College Street was one of the quietest places in town. “There wasn’t as much activity as I'd seen in some of the past elections,” he said. ‘We didn't even have money for a phone bank.”’ Dodson said he’s been involved in several elections, including the 1978 gubernatorial primary. “I was quite surprised Carter didn’t carry Kentucky, the state party just didn’t put much money into this area,’ he said. Reagan’s campus supporters enjoyed more enthusiasm than other groups, according to Students for Reagan committee chairman Karla Groschelle. But Groschelle, a Jamestown junior, said money problems kept the several dozen com: mittee members from taking an active role in REPUBLICAN RONALD REAGAN’S image is projected from the wide-screen television on the fourth floor of the university center. A small group of students watched the na- tionally televised debate between Reagan and independent candidate John Anderson. Incumbent Jimmy Carter refused to participate in that debate. the campaign. ‘‘We couldn’t afford to do too much,’ she said. Much of the campus stumping for Reagan was done by personal contact — ‘‘Just talking to people about it,’’ Groschelle said. She said Reagan’s large victory margin reflected confidence in the new president. She also pointed to Republican victories in the con- gressional elections. Besides organized political activity from stu dent groups, two university-sponsored events brought the 1980 presidential election to campus. On Oct. 22, a debate among representatives of the three major candidates was sponsored by the University Center Board. Almost 100 people heard former Gov. Ed- ward T. Breathitt, speaker for the Democrats; Larry Forgy, Reagan state campaign chairman; and Woods, Anderson representative. Woods replaced Joel Goldstein, state co-chairman of the Anderson campaign, who was originally scheduled to appear. After each representative made an opening statement, a three-member media panel — Tom Caudill of the Park City Daily News, Roy Brassfield from WBKO-TV and Kathryn Runner continued on page 24 ONLY THREE PEOPLE show up for an organizational meeting of Carter supporters. Bowling Green city commis: sioner Patsy Sloan spoke to Lorrain Cooper, a Louisville graduate student; Cary Dodson, a Tompkinsville freshman; and Jeff Durham, a Bowling Green graduate student (at desk), who formed the core of Western’s Carter campaign. ey — Jim Gensheimer 23 Election

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Breathitt responded by warning against the “quick-fix methods” of the Reagan campaign. He said time would prove Carter a good president. On Thursday, Oct. 23, Dr. Richard Marius told a campus audience that the 1980 cam- paign was the dullest in recent history. Marius, the director of Harvard University’s freshman writing program, spoke on the topic of “Writing and Thinking: Rhetoric of the ’80 Campaign” as part of the University Lecture Series. Marius criticized the candidates for offering little besides empty speeches with catchy phrases. He said television has influenced cam- ’ paign speech writers to use short, meaningless slogans that sound good on the evening news. “They simply will not say the specific things we wish they would say — to say how they are going to do what,”’ he said. Marius outlined some of the history of public speaking, noting that before speech-making became something for radio and television, fiery public speeches offered people a form of emotional release. “| don’t object to the process of the media pushing the candidates around,” Marius said, “but politicians are now the creations of public relations.” Modern Americans find emotional release through soap operas, the telephone, and sports, Marius said. He blamed voter apathy largely on the can- didates’ failure to provide meaning to the campaign. “But it’s hard to expect voters to react when they’re given so little substance to react to,’’ he said. Joyce Hooker, a junior from Nashville, Tenn., said she knew very few people who were in- terested in the election. “It seems like people thought they'd heard it all before,’’ she said. ‘‘Campaigns seem to be all the same.” Hooker said there wasn’t enough difference between Carter and Reagan to make people want to get involved. “There was so much talk about a change,”’ she said. “But most people thought things would be the same no matter who won.” Fred Wheeler (J CHAMPAGNE IN STYROFOAM CUPS is part of the Reagan victory celebration at Bowling Green headquarters. The group, which included students and Bowling Green residents, was watching the election returns. — Jim Gensheimer ROLLING UP THE FLAG was part of the work after the polls closed. Hershal D. Porter, a city precinct worker does the job at Potter Gray School late election night. Low voter turnout was characteristic of the election. — Jim Gensheimer 25 Election