MPR News Feature; Fred Harris campaigns in St. Paul

People step by step step by step. People step by step better struggle to get loaded you need to be you won't be seen. He seems real folksy and down home and a lot of ways and he's easy to talk to and I liked him the first time I met him. We come over one of the three or three with what he's got to say and say there might be good president I think you will. Well he's got a good record background really wanted to be good for something. I came because I work of the Capitol and he happens to be here during my lunch hour. Balloons and arrows for president signs decorated the austere statues on the Capitol lawn and here is staff estimates that three hundred people turned out to eat $2 box lunches and listen to the candidate talk. Hera's literature was free for the taking and Harris T-shirts were selling for three or five dollars depending on whether you wanted a picture of the candidate along with the slogan. Harris says he's going to put America together again in the manner of old populist politicians like Harry Truman. His issues are liberal issues which he claims are

also conservative health care day care jobs transportation environment trust busting tax reform and energy. Thirdly we need an additional tax cut. Fifteen billion dollars particularly to offset these new energy price increases as a result of President Ford's policy. We already have one third idle plant capacity in America. And it's not idle because of lack of machinery or equipment. It's idle because consumers haven't enough money to spend. And we ought to leave more of their own money in their own hands instead of that. Look what President Ford is doing he has placed another dollar a barrel federal excise tax on foreign crude oil. He wants to take the lid totally off. The price of domestic crude oil. Those two things together. Will take you out of the economy out of the hands of consumers dampening down what we hoped was the beginning of a

recovery. Thirty six point four billion dollars more a year. That's the estimate of the Library of Congress not thought to be a radical institution. Thirty six point four billion more a year. That figures out to be nine hundred dollars more for each average family a year. The basic question once again is whether or not the government is going to begin to serve the interests of average families or whether it's going to continue to serve the interest of the super rich and the giant corporation. Harus goal is to improve the quality of life. And he intends to do it by building a coalition larger than Wallace or McCarthy or George McGovern could build in 1070 to his credentials are interesting. He's the son of a small Oklahoma farmer who was born just in time to experience the Dust Bowl. His wife is a Comanche Indian who was active in Indian affairs. He claims she doesn't mind riding round in a Winnebago trailer. He spent five years in the Senate and was chairman of the Democratic National Committee after failing in a bid for the vice

presidency in 1988 and his campaign is cleverly designed. While it allows him to stump and meet people informally it gives the press especially television an opportunity to do colorful stories which are favorable to Harris. I asked him if this was intentional. He says he ignored the press while building his campaign. It's really good old time American politics it's the way all campaigns ought to be in 1074. The 62 percent of those eligible to vote did not vote. And the studies indicate that they did not vote as an informed choice. They decided not to vote. Most people believe that the power of money will always control and people are awfully leery now of these manipulations. All of them slick advertising and I think that that's why they're such a great response. Here we had about 300 people here at noon I understand there's such a response like that all around the country because people get a chance again to see and hear and shake and with a candidate and I believe that we've got to

get people back in personal touch with their government again like that. Democratic presidential contender Fred Harris he in the Winnebago or now in the next leg of their 5000 mile tour which will cover 13 states. I'm Debbie Gage be here with. Me. Thanks very much I really appreciate it. Thanks for coming.