An Old Republican (Vol. 53, Issue 6)
With only three months remaining until the primary season and New York State primaries in April, the Young Republicans of Yeshiva College feel it necessary to heighten the consciousness of students with regard to the Republican campaigns. A major objective of the Young Republicans is to present as many Republican candidates’ views as possible.
In keeping with this policy, the Young Republicans and the Political Science Society held their first in a series of events pertaining to the coming election year. On December 2nd, Lloyd Green addressed a small but enthusiastic group of students in Furst Hall. Mr. Green is the Special Assistant to the Bush campaign in New York State. Despite the curtness of his speech, Mr. Green effectively established three major points. He gave an overview of the entire campaign explaining the complexity of the New York primary. Since N.Y.S. has 34 Congressional districts it can become quite confusing when voting for your delegates to represent your candidate.
Mr. Green went on to list Vice President Bush’s credentials, ranging from two-term senator to Director of the CIA. Mr. Green then raised the question of why George Bush should be elected President, and answered by expounding Mr. Bush’s leadership abilities. As VP he was head of the Special Task Force on Terrorism and has met with European and Soviet leaders. Mr. Green ended by emphasizing the importance of registering to vote and participation in the election process, The lecture developed into a question and answer period in which students found out more about Mr. Bush’s views on current affairs. Responding to a question about Mr. Bush being labelled a “wimp” by the press, Mr. Green explained that bad press is unavoidable. However, Mr. Bush turned this around by winning debates and winning the Florida Straw Poll. One student mentioned that the baby boom will one day have a great impact on social security benefits. Mr. Green said that being that social security is so dear to the American public, George Bush has no intentions of tinkering with the current social security program. In addition, as far as economic programs, just as in his seven years of office President Reagan has not raised taxes, Mr. Bush does not plan to raise tax rates to make up the deficit. A logical question which then followed was, how does Mr. Bush differ from the President? Mr. Green replied that Mr. Bush believes in higher education as a greater priority. He stressed the importance of more students making use of college education. In answering a follow-up question about tuition, Mr. Green stated that Mr. Bush is in favor of tuition tax credit, though it may not be a priority.
Naturally, foreign affairs namely Israel, was a key topic. Mr. Green admitted that there may be a cut in Israeli aid, but that domestic programs are also taking cuts as a reflection of overall reforms. He added that in terms of defense, Mr. Bush favors establishing a home port in Haifa, basing sixth fleet supplies in Israel, and he supports President Reagan’s present policies in the Middle East. When one student asked about American aid to foreign nations, Mr. Green replied that Israel should not be America’s sole ally in the Middle East.
Students asked about undertakings of the present administration, and where Mr, Bush stands. Mr. Green acknowledged the Vice President's support for continuing research and development on SDI (Star Wars), continuing the INF treaty, and reaffirming support for the Contras to bring democracy to Nicaragua. Mr. Green also stated that Mr. Bush favors school prayer.
Mr. Green summed up his own views on George Bush, calling him a “conservative man” with a moderate temperament.” Bush lent a tone of moderation during the student uprisings of 1968. When legislation would have penalized educational institutions, he helped tone down the situation. Mr. Green said that despite his not being an ideologue, Mr. Bush has strong ideas, especially defense and taxation.
