Evening star., 1955-03-12
The Political Min
Faux Pas by Butler
May Buckfire in End
Eisenhower Muy Be Driven
To Seek Reelection in 1856
By Gould Lincoln

By Gould Lincoln
The chairman Of the Democratic Ma
tional Committee. Paul M. Butler. is q
determined fellow. He persists in HIS
prediction that President Eisenhower
will not run again next year. Nor has
Mr.. Butler changed his mind, he says,
about the reasons he gave for the Pres
ident's probable withdrawal from poll
tics-irst, Mrs. Eisenhower's health,
and second, the President has not been
happy in the White House. Mr. Butler,
indeed, takes in his stride the comments
Of Senator Aiken. Vermont Republican
and others in Congress that he, Mr..
Butler, is q "scoundrel" for bringing
Mrs. Eisenhower's health into his polit-
ical forecasts.
But there are signs that some of the
Democrats feel that Chairman Buffers
foot slipped-in fact, went into his
mouth-when he suggested that (a)
Mrs. EiSenhower'S health was SO bad
it could stop the President from run
ming again and (b) that Mrs Eisen-
hover would use her health to call a
halt on second term for the Presi-
dent. It's one thing for a political
chairman to talk about a President and
another for him to talk about a Pres
ident's wife-and Mamie has been q
most popular First Lady"
No Apology.
Mr.. Butler has still to apologize for
his reference to Mrs. Eisenhower-and
he does not believe there is need for
apology. In fact. he contends he made
no attack on the Presidents wife, cast
no reflection on her in any way, and
that what he said about her health
was only what he had read in the
newspapers. His mistake was in not
recognizing 1t is one thing for a news
paper to comment upon the health of
the Presidents wife, or to speculate
about 1t, and quite another for a DEM
ocratic National Chairman to state her
lack of good health would prevent the
President from seeking second term,
Especially as there is reason to believe
that Mrs. Eisenhower is now going
along with the idea that her husband
will run next year.
Chairman Butler has been extremely
reticent about the probable Democratic
presidential nominee in 1856. 1t seems
a bit strange, therefore, that he should
start talking about whom the Repub-
licans will or will not nominate. It Is
true, he has not yet made q prediction
regarding the likely Republican nom
1nee should he be right in his view that
Mr.. Eisenhower will decline to run.
But Mr.. Butler is undertaking to elm
mate, through his prediction, the strong
est candidate the Republican opposi-
tion can place in the presidential race
next year. Is he trying to bolster the
spirits Of the Democrats, many Of whom,
believe that it will be impossible to
defeat Mr.. Eisenhower, or is he irving
to stop the nomination of Mr.. Eisen-
hover by depressing Mrs Eisenhower
Mr.. Butler will deny, If asked, he is
trying to do either. ,s
Does He Believe 1t?
Even in Mr.. Buffers mind, there
may be some doubt, some question. that
the President is going to take himself
out OF the race next year. There may
be suspicion that the odds are some
thing like 5 to 2 Mr.. Eisenhower will
be carrying the G. o. P. standard again.
In other words, if he were a betting
man, Mr.. Butler would expect to get
such odds and might demand them.
OF one thing, however, Mr.. Butler
expresses no doubt-the ability of the
Democrats to defeat Mr.. Eisenhower
if he is the Republican candidate. AS
chairman Of the Democratic National
Committee, there is, of course no other
attitude for Mr. Butler to take on
that question. Here again, Mr.. Butler
might seek odds, if he were a betting
man. -
Mr.. Butler is convinced the voters
will differentiate between Mr.. Eisen-
hoWers personal popularity and the
record the President and the Repub-
llcanS in Congress have made. with
the upshot a victory for the Democrats.
He is also confident that Mr.. Eisen-
hover as candidate seeking re-elec-
tion for a political Office in 1856
indeed as a politician-will not have
the same appeal to the American voters
as he had when he ran in 1952-a great
military hero, offering new leadership.
MIR. Butler contends the leadership has
not been forthcoming
Mr.. Buffers claim that Mr. Eisen-
hover has not been happy in the
White House" is based on Mr. Buffers
belief that the President expected some
thing very different when he ran for the
presidency in 1852, that many differ
ent pressures have been exerted upon
the President, and life as Chief Execu-
tive has become distasteful to him.
The Democratic chairmans source OF
information on these details has not
been revealed, but he suggests that
the President has begun to show
irritation. Whatever Mr.. Buffers in
tention, 1t looks as though his Eisen-
put the President in the race than to
take him out.