The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1957-08-15
THE GREAT
GAME OF
POLITICS
BY FRANK r. KENT
WUpyright by The Baltimore Sun and -
wrinted In The Republican b. DermisstO~.
The Name Callers

If Mr.. Eisenhower were a candi-
date for a third term (Which, OF
course, he is mott he could hardly
ask for a better break than he is
getting from his present outstand-
ing political and journalistic critics
The personality and the record of
these is not such as to do him any
harm-quite the contrary.
What they seem to have adopted
is strategy of name calling" and
what they seem trying to do is to
make him an uniformed boob
What they hope to gain by this is
a little vague. They cannot, of
course, hurt MIR. Eisenhower who is
not running for anything They
are not violently antagonistic to
his legislative program. Nor do
the more intelligent Of the name
callers, themselves, believe the
things they say about him. The
best guess is that they want to dis
parage Mr.. Eisenhower personally
in order to diminish his influence in
the 1858 and 1860 campaigns. This
is natural performance for poll
ticians with personal presidential
aspirations, though it hardly eX-
cuses the bad manners and distor-
tons which mark their dealing with
the President. One expects this
sort of thing from Senator Morse,
of Oregon; his colleague, Senator
Neuburger; Senator Hubert Hum
phrey, of Minnesota; Senator Kerr,
of Oklahoma, and others of the So
called liberals" who still cling to
the "giveaway" and other policies
of the New and Fair Deal.
Two things about this name-call-
ing campaign designed to make
President Eisenhower appear weak,
uniformed and negligent of his
duties particularly nritate those
who participate in it. One is that
Mr.. Eisenhower keeps his temper.
He not only does not abuse those
who speak or write abusively of
him but he does not, in underhand-
ed and vicious ways, attempt to
injure them as the late Mr.. Roose-
welt repeatedly did. Nor does he
appear to cherish grudges. The
second is that nothing they say or
write appears to hurt Mr.. Essen
hover with the people. He remains
popular and respected.
The extraordinary thing is that
so many professional politicians and
writers seem to prefer the Presi-
dents who extensively patronized
them and evadcd direct answers to
questions and who were often vim
dictive and wholly lacking in can
dor, to reasonable, good-tempered
man of generally admitted ability
who neither lies nor equivocates.
When he makes a mistake he ad-
mits it and his motives are not
really questioned save by the low
est grade politicians who have al
ways opposed him. AS to his in
fluence in the 1860 campaign few
experienced politicians in either
party have any real doubt that the
Presidents wishes will be para.
mount in the Republican Conven-
ton, that his choice for the nomina
ton will be chosen and that his
support will mean a great many
votes in the election.
AS to his choice, no one at pres
ent has any indication. His init
mates say that the last thing he
wants is to assume the role OF
party dictator. Nevertheless there is
no doubt that he will have a pref,
erence and at the right time, will
make it known. At this time there
are but two recognized Re-