Evening star., 1949-02-26
Mr.. Trumon's Ace

The Presidents JefferSon-JackSon Day
address brings out in still clearer focus the
dilemma in which his political opponents
find themselves.
It is easy to rip holes in his address. He
can be derided for pummeling the special
interests when he knows and every one
else knows, that this is not quite candid.
It can be pointed out that there are spe-
cial interests on every side of every con-
troversial issue, that these conflicting in
terests are the raw materials of the demo-
cratic process. The President can be re-
minded that it is the Congress which Is
holding up his program, and that 1t Is
Democratic Congress. 1t can be said that
he has misrepresented such issues as the
Taft-Hartley Act, and that he discusses
other issues in terms that are too super
fetal to be meaningful.
But all of this, while it may be impor-
tant, misses the main point. And that
point is the very simple one that the
President has program that is positive
and definable, while the position of his
opponents is largely one of unorganized
and negative opposition.
President will go through with his threat
to appeal to the people for support of his
program They seem to think this will
give them an opportunity to take pot shots
at the division among the Democrats and
perhaps it would. But it is hard to see
much future in that for the Republicans
and the political philosophy they repre-
sent Mr. Truman, it Is true, got less than
a majority of all the votes cast. His op-
ponents say this means that he has no
mandate. But they forget the large major
ity of votes cast for Democratic Congress.
And they also forget that lot OF people
are very much interested in getting such
things as housing, medical care, social
security benefits, ETC., from the Gov
ernment, and getting them now. 1t may be
that all of this is leading to state social
ism. but there is no indication that the
people who want something from the Gov
ernment are worrying very much about
socialism. The President calls this buga-
boo, and the chances are that majority
of the people agree The Republicans have
been viewing with alarm in five consecu-
tive presidential elections and they have
lOSU every one O1 C1IeL1 4llcy eA4O040 AAo'S
learned something from that.
The main lesson is that you can't beat
something with nothing. The Republicans
and the Presidents Democratic opponents,
If they are thinking in terms Of political
strategy, have at least two courses open.
The choice turns on whether the opposi-
ton believes the people want in some sub
stantial form the things the President ad-
vocates.
If they believe that they do, then the
opponents must organize a program OF
their own And it must be program that
can be sold to the people on the ground
that it will give them what they want and
do the Job better than the Presidents pro-
gram If they do not believe that most
people want these things, if they think the
people are more concerned with potential
threats to our political structure than with
immediate benefits, then the alternative Is
to take a position of clear-cut opposition,
and, incidentally, to take the consequences
if their judgment is wrong.
But in any event there is not much hope
for the opposition in its present twilight
zone. 1t can offer something better than
the President offers or it can meet him in
head-on opposition. But as long as 1t
hovers IN between Mr. Truman will con-
tinue to hold the political aces