22—The Daily Collegian Friday, Oct. 31,1980 Carter, Reagan tied in polls; Anderson trailing , r* i would normally go to the Democratic Anderson finds , I * taking votes away from Carter, the SLID PO TX SI IP PI MU Democrats have adopted a policy of ig ~ ~ noring Anderson as much as possible. This was the rationale behind Carter’s refusal to debate with Anderson and Reagan in September. Anderson’s ability to undermine Carter’s re-election chances has led Reagan to advocate Anderson’s par ticipation in the debates and support Anderson as much as possible without openly endorsing his candidacy. Fighting the two party system takes an enormous amount of capital. Ander son’s campaign has been hindered by a lack of funds. If he wins 5 percent of the vote, Anderson will be eligible for federal campaign funds. However, the banks have refused to lend Anderson money perhaps because of pressure from the Carter administration. By LYNDA ROBINSON Daily Collegian Staff Writer The campaign of independent presidential candidate John Anderson has been haunted by the widespread belief that a vote for Anderson is a wasted vote or a vote that would only im prove the chances of Ronald Reagan or Jimmy Carter. Because the majority of voters have refused to take Anderson’s candidacy seriously, he has spent most of the cam paign affirming his viability and justify ing his participation in the race. Anderson has a strong following among college students and liberal Democrats. However, he has been unable to lure substantial numbers of •voters away from the two major parties. He has actually lost support over the course of the campaign rather than in creased his appeal. In September, Anderson had the 15 percent voter sup port required by the League of Women Voters to participate in the presidential debates. However, the most recent CBS-New York Times poll gave Anderson only 10 percent of the nationwide popular vote. Even 10 percent causes consternation among Carter campaign strategists and raises the possibilty of the election being thrown into the U.S. House of Representatives. Carter supporters believe Anderson is siphonir . .crucial .liberal votqs.. that ‘ Sv-tv i:i" ' •. tA.V' Nv.' -.O- John B. Anderson The campaign has also been affected by Anderson’s uneven oratory. At times he is eloquent and persuasive. At other times he is overbearing and unclear. The most successful aspect of the Anderson campaign has undoubtedly been the legal battles fought by Ander son’s lawyers to give him ballot access' in all 50 states. Yet ballot access does not guarantee votes. Anderson is caught up in a dichotomy he cannot seem to overcome he is the politician everyone admires, but no one . , will vote for. ~, - Reagan attacks Carter's stands By LYNDA ROBINSON Daily Collegian Staff Writer Republican presidential candidate Ronald Reagan is relying on the coun try’s troubled economy and the decline in U.S. power abroad to carry him into the White House. With these two issues weighing heavily on the minds of American voters, Reagan’s campaign has emphasized the flaws in the economic and defense policies of Democratic President Jimmy Carter. However, even overwhelming dissatisfaction with Carter’s domestic and foreign policies may not necessarily provide Reagan with an election victory. Moderate voters are reluctant to sup port Reagan because they believe he would not hesitate to involve the United States in a war. According to the most recent poll con ducted by Newsweek, only 23 percent of the electorate describe Reagan as the man best able to keep the country out of war. Carter has used voter uncertainty about Reagan as an opportunity to ham mer away at Reagan’s credibility. Reagan’s support is strongly geographical in nature the western half of the country is generally solidly behind Reagan. However, many of the western states have very few electoral votes and lack Ronald Reagan the decisive value of populous industrial states in the Northeast and Midwest. Recognizing the need to win at least a few of the industrial states, Reagan has campaigned heavily in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, Illinois and New York. He has gained considerable support among blue collar workers but may have lost substantial backing among moderate Republican suburbanites who are suspicious of his conservativism. Reagan’s running mate, George Bush, has helped Reagan maintain moderate support particularly in Pennsylvania where Bush won the Republican presidential primary. The misgivings of many moderate Republicans about Reagan’s candidacy have been tempered by Reagan’s move toward the center of the political spec trum on a number of issues. However, in a race as close as this one, it is the small block of undecided voters that could swing the election either way. A CBS News-New York Times poll con ducted two weeks ago gave Carter a 2 percent edge in the popular vote with about 6 percent of the electorate still undecided. In Pennsylvania, a Gallup poll taken two weeks ago gave Reagan a 5 percent lead over Carter with 11 percent of the state voters undecided. Pennsylvania is one of the states con sidered too close to call an observa tion that also applies to the outcome of the nationwide presidential race in a crucial election year. UPI wirephoto Carter courts weak coalition By LYNDA ROBINSON Daily Collegian Staff Writer Democratic President Jimmy Carter is seeking re-election by courting the traditional sources of Democratic votes labor, blacks and Jews a coalition that may be falling apart. Carter would not have been elected in 1976 without strong support from blacks and Jews. About 84 percent of the black vote went to Carter, while about 55 per cent of the Jewish vote did, also. Without a similar turnout Nov. 4, Carter may be unable to win re-election. The support of these voting blocks is especially crucial in states like Penn sylvania and New York. Without a strong black turnout in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s 27 electoral votes may be cast for Republican nominee Ronald Reagan. The same is true of the Jewish vote in New York City and southern Florida. Without these votes, New York and Florida could conceivably give their combined total of 58 electoral votes to a Republican presidential candidate. The labor vote is also vital. Without it, Carter could lose the key industrial states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Illinois and Ohio. Carter’s support among blacks seems to be fairly secure. However, Reagan may have made serious inroads into Carter’s support among blue collar workers. Jimmy 'arter It is difficult to predict whether, Reagan’s appeal.to blue collar workers, , who are being battered by inflation and j( . fear of losing their jobs, will be sue-. , cessful enough to enable Reagan to win'.,- key industrial states. Jewish voters are also restless .. members of the the Democratic ’ fold. Despite Carter’s role in the negotia- ~... tion of the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty,' .' Jews are dissatisfied with many of . y Carter’s policies in the Middle East ana . fear future U.S. recognition of the Palestine Liberation Organization. ~w . Reagan is also challenging Carter’s ’ support base in the South. Many of the’." white, Christian fundamentalists who . voted for Carter in 1976 support Reagan : in 1980. , 7 . The shift in Southern support reflects: the dissatisfaction that voters across the Mi country feel about Carter. His positions >V on the issues have been questioned far >. (] less than his ability to implement his ii. proposed policies. He is perceived as weak and ineffec tive by many voters. The most recent poll by Newsweek indicates that only 24 ’ percent of the electorate describes, Carter as forceful and decisive. ’ This image may prevent Carter from--■, r■■ being re-elected, especially if it further undermines the unity of the traditional ; Democratic coalition. •. i. As the election approaches, the strength of the Democratic coalition ] seems to be reluctantly increasing. ; However, Carter must restore its cohe- j sion if he wants to remain in the Oval Of- ; fice for four more years. , ; East versus West $ i