The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1963-04-30

ence VINO nave an idea Nelson
Rockefeller can defeat John F.
Kennedy in 1854, I have word
for them.
Forget it. Rockefeller could
not defeat Kennedy under any
conceivable circumstance.
Here is why:
u Rockefeller cannot carry a
single Southern state, not one.
. Without Southern Electoral
College votes it is virtually i'm
possible in today's even-Stephen
political climate for anybody to
win.
80 Therefore Rockefeller can
not beat Kennedy.
That is the bare bones of the
situation and I find it Of inter
est. OF even greater interest is
the meat that completes the
structure, the details.
A friend Of mine, a political
analyst named John j.. Synon,
has gone to considerable trouble
researching this possibility, that
Of Kennedy VS.. Rockefeller, and
his findings make sense.
In all. there are 538 Electoral
College votes, 270 make a simple
majority, the number needed to
elect.
The II Southern States of the
Old Confederacy control liz of
these votes, some 20 per cent
of the total.
Take that percentage from
either candidate and it means
that candidate must poll 6212 per
cent of the remaining Electoral
College votes. He must, to win.
And that, as Synon points out,
is virtually impossible.
There are a number of rea-
sons why it cant be done, par
ticularly as it applies to Rookie
teller.
In the first place, these two,
Rockefeller and Kennedy, what
ever their shades of difference,
have the same political polarity
both are Liberals. Moreover,
Rockefeller has chosen to make
as his principal point of attack
the Presidents foot dragging
on civil rights. Specifically. the
New York governor has charg-
ed that Kennedys civil rights
bill, the one he recently sub
nntted to Congress, came 1.-TWO
years too late Rockefeller said
that just the other day, at
meeting held under the auspices
of the NAACP.
Thus. Rockefeller, even before
announcing his candidacy, has
washed out the South.
Under these circumstances, if
Rockefeller faces Kennedy -
and if Southerners must make
choice between the two ~ South
erners will take the Democrat,
Kennedy, simply because Rookie
teller is the greater Of 1T wo
evils. Thus Kennedy, against
Rockefeller, would win the South
by default. And with l12 South
ern Electoral College votes, in
his pocket. Kennedy would need
only 158 Of the remaining 426
votes to win. Against Rockefel-
Ter, Kennedy can get that many
Northern" votes, 1853, while
standing on his head.
1t is an interesting analysis
Synon has made, and if anyone
cares to. get the full story, the
state Upstate. Step-by- step story
it may be had in a well-reason-
ed book for $l.OO. Write The
Patrick Henry Group. Box 217,
Richmond 2, Va. It is worth it.
But l am not at all sure the
election will be that simple.
am of the opinion the South
will not take another an-Liberal
campaign lying down. Things
are bubbling under cover. I
know Of the determination shar-
ed by a number of Southern
leaders to wheel the South out Of
this doleful mess.
These leaders have my deep
support. for if they are success
full in their efforts - if they can
alert the South to the power in
those liz Electoral-Colege votes
there will be a new day aborn-
ing.
Whether they do or don't,
there is no solace in their ef-
fort for Nelson Rockefeller. He