Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-04-03
Democrats Will Attack
Eisenhower Personally
Writer Says Opposition Chiefs
Aim at Presidents Popularity
BY FRANK r. KENT

Aim at Presidents Popularity
BY FRANK r. KENT
An interesting and unusual develop
ment in national politics has been re-
vealed within the last week. It has to
do with Democratic strategy for the
next year and a half. Considering the
party attack upon the release of the
Yalta papers as "untimely," political"
and sill Judged" it does seem that the
frankness with which the Democratic
purpose is now declared Is subject
to even harsher criticism.
Justification for both the Democratic
strategy and its revelation Is sought
in the existing situation. In the view
of the Democratic leaders it Is es-
sentially this: Cd There are many
more registered Democrats than Re-
publicans in the neutrality-suspicious.
in the big pivotal States; CD this
means that the Democrats should cas-
lily win the presidential election next
year; 80 while. far from great pop
ular victory, they did win control OF
Congress in 1854, they had to organize
the Senate through the vote Of the
boiling Senator from Oregon. Wayne
Morse. Thus, on form and according
to precedent, this should make the
Democrats a good bet for 1856.
There is only, one trouble with this
argument, and 1t can be summed up
in one rd-Eisenhower There is no
disagreement in Democratic circles on
that. Nor is there any lack Of accord
that, as things stand today the Pres
ldent would again defeat Adlai Stew
enson or any one else. Every test Is
to that effect. He not only has lost
no strength in the past two years but
the polls show gains in all sections.
These facts are more or less adj
mitted by politicians in both parties.
And while the Democrats do not give
up hope, extremely few realists among
them have the least doubt that the
President will be renominated and ac-
cept. Obviously this leaves them but
one thing to do. Somehow. some way
they have got to destroy the Esen-
hover prestige and diminish his pop
ularity. That Is, they agree, no little
trick, but somehow 1t has to be turned.
It has now been proclaimed by prac-
tically every New Deal-Fair Deal col
umnist in the country-and there 10
slight dissent among either State or
national Democratic leaders. Their
political and Journalistic supporters
declare that at numerous get-together
conferences in Congress and out, the
opinion is practically unanimous that
they have been too tender" with the
President: that the time has come
to cease being afraid to attack him
llxY. m fokn tha ey1nync off oNA
"lay into him" with every available
weapon.
In brief, the Democrats now are
set to attack the President in every
possible personal way. no matter how
trivial. The leader in this strategy Is
the new Democratic National Commit
tee chairman, Paul Butler. who was
the indicate young gentleman who
tried to make Mrs. Eisenhower's
health a reason for not renominating
the President. An ardent follower
who reached new low in senatorial
dignity in his silly effort to associate
Mr.. Eisenhower's golf game with the
squirrels in the White House grounds
is the new Senator from Oregon,
Mr.. Neuberger. He got this absurd
stuff into the press, just as Sena-
tor Mccarthy and many another dema.
gogue have achieved newspaper head
lines on equally flimsy foundation. But
he also succeeded in depicting him.
with whom most of his own colleagues
did not care to be associated. This
was shown when no Senator replied to
his speech and only one remained In
his seat while he spoke
Immediately after Senator Neu-
berger's brilliant squirrel perform
ance, one Of the most dedicated Of
the New Deal columnists reported
that Gov. Hartman and Mr.. Steven
son, both hopeful aspirants for the
presidency, had agreed that the Demo-
Gratis had been much too soft" with
President Eisenhower and that the
time had come to hold him, instead Of
his aides. responsible for "the mistakes
and blunders of the last two years"
Following closely on this was the con-
temptible assault upon the President as
a religious hypocrite" by Senator
Nicely of West Virginia. Senator Nicely
Is, Of course, one of the lowest-grade
AASAoCio VI VIC OeldGe anu his speech
was such as to react favorably for the
President. Nevertheless. 1t comes close
to establishing disgraceful record In
partisan abuse for all time.
II there were space more evidence Of
this new Democratic strategy based on
personal disparagement of Mr.. Eisen-
hover could be cited. One would think
that If party management were
sufficiently degraded to evolve such Q
plan, 1t would be smart enough to keep
its propagandists from so openly ex-
planning it and exploiting 1t SO
venomously. They must think the
people are fools. Or, there is an.
other alternative.