1981_09 The Daily Collegian September 1981

              Page 4/ tapteaaber 4. Itt-PaHy Collegian
Sincerity
consumes
the
presidents
face.
Reagan
Soviet domination of Eastern Europe t
Reynolds sinks to his chair as soon as the question is
asked and keeps his eyes on Reagan. And Reagan's eyes,
somehow, meet Reynolds' and the electronic gaze of the
network cameras at the same ume. He maintains eye con¬
tact with both as he speaks, a feat that would be consider¬
able for anyone who hadn't spent hah* his life in front of
'Well,' Reagan said, 'what I meant then in my remarks
at Notre Dame and what I .believe now about what we are
seeing tie together. I just think that it is impossible, and
history reveals this, for any form of government to com¬
pletely deny freedom to people and have that go on inter¬
minably."
Reynolds will later describe the subjects his question as
•raw meat' to Reagan, and the president does indeedl
seem to be savoring the taste of his words.
'Communism.' he pronounces, 'is an aberration —
it's not a normal way of Irving for human beings, and I
think we are seeing the first beginning cracks, the begin¬
ning of the end.' Reagan nods to Reynolds — to UPI —
glances up at the cameras in back, then turns his attention
to AP, across the aisle, who launches -Into a question on .
Israel's military policies.
REAGAN IS A CESTICULATOR. WHEN HE'S ASKED
a question he likes, one that connects somehow to Ms
economic program and not with foreign policy, his fingers
rise from the lectern, his hands open and dose and his arms
stretch to illustrate his point. And having begun to talk
that way — visually — he gestures more and more until
his answer is finished. The photographers love this. Once
Reagan's arms start going and the expressions on his face
seem to deepen, motor-driven film winders begin to hiss
like a room full of snakes. Reagan notices; he smiles
more broadly and gestures more freely as he explains the
merits of his economic program.
Reagan has been careful to illustrate. his television
appearances with gestures, and with props: a dollar bill
and coins for the economic address; colored charts for the
tax cut address. Props have yet to fail him, and they're
an important part of his television success formula. At a
luncheon with Washington Star reporters and editors
during the August air traffic controllers strike, Reagan
suggested that his speech of warning to them might have
been more affective if he'd pulled from his pocket a copy of
the oath every controller signed. Instead, he had only
quoted from it in the course of the speech, and the media
didn't give it the attention that he'd hoped for.
When questions come that he doesn't appreciate, on
tensions in the Mideast or nuclear proliferation, Reagan
sidesteps, replying slowly and with care, but not at length.
Subjects that will serve him 'easy* question* dealing withi
gun control or whether he'll run for re-election, receive the
longer, more amiable and expressive replies — the replies
he would prefer to see reported on and replayed.
THEN COMES A SEAM IN THE PERFORMANCE, NOT
major, but noticeable. From the roomfull of upraised
hands, Reagan chooses as his next questioner a short,
swarthy man with curly black hair and, it turns out, an
almost impenetrable Spanish accent.
Muchas gradas, Senor Presidente. Sucausa es mi causa.
Mi case es su casa. I wonder when I will be able to tell tot
non-documented aliens in this country, these ume words.
You toh to Lopez Portilh the other day and he said that you
are going to agree in order to give some opportunity to those
undocumented workers. I would like that you clarify to
the nation what is the status of this situation?
Reagans face goes blank, just for a second. He has not
understood all of the question but clearly it is on a subject
he'd just as soon avoid. Then a smile grows, a grin on the
president's face that cues his audience: He has a solution.
"Well,* says the president, *if I understand your ques¬
tion, are you talking about visiting the White House or me'
visiting you?' He pauses for laughter — and the audience
complies. 'Either way,* he adds over the small commo-
' Then he calls on another
tion, 'it would be a pleasur
•^SoSurnalist, In the room thought they <*
evasiveness in Reagan's reply, and VViHiarn Safire will
chide the president for this In his New York Times column-
tomorrow:  _■
-When he bears a Spanish questioner use the words
•undocumented alien,' he need not brush him off with a
smile: those words should trigger a crisp 60-second report
on his visit with President Lopez Portillo.'
From here the president's sailing is fairly smooth,
through questions on the prospect of nuclear war, his tax
program and minority businesses. He slips on a question
about Israel's threat to Syria, labeling Syrian surface-to-
air missiles 'offensive" when he means defensive. He-
doesn't catch his mistake right away, though; Larry
Speakes will send out a release correcting the error soon
after the conference.
It's just past 2:30 now. The arms of the «Sfmbled
reporters have begun to wave more frantically, and the calls
for the president's attention are louder and more desperate.
The standard length for these conferences is half an hour,
and the end Is undoubtedly near. Reagan is asked about
arms sales to China and their possible threat to relations
wfth Taiwan. Sincerity consumes the president's face.
'I have not changed my feeling about Taiwan. We have
an act, a law called the Taiwan Relations Act, that provides
for defensive equipment being sold to Taiwan, as well as
other things in the relationship.' The voice is that of ai
teacher repeating an explanation he thought had already
been understood. 'And I intend to live up to the Taiwan
Relations Act.'
Then Speakes gestures to Reagan from near the door that
time is up. As the president steps back from the lectern,
reporters stand and fill the room with shouted final ques¬
tions.
'Mr. Presidentl'
Reagan has parting words. He looks over to Sam Donald¬
son of ABC. 'Sam, you told me that it was all right about
walking away from all those upraised hands and I have to
tell you, it still bothers me very much. I'm sorry that we
can't answer all the questions.'
What comes next aroused cynicism among White House
regulars. Sam Donaldson, regarded by many journalists
as a reporter whose questions too often allow self-serving
answers, delights the president with a welcome last-minute
It comes now, as Reagan turns to the door and Sam
Donaldson's voice cuts insistently through the clamor:
Tip O 'Neill says you don't understand about the working
people, that you have just a bunch of wealthy and selfish
If Dean Reynolds's opening question was 'raw meat,'
then this is the perfect dessert. Reagan turns and smiles.
As it turns out, there is time for another question.
•One more,' the president says. The room quiets,
though everyone is standing and the president is next to
the door. The pained look in Larry Speakes's face does not
indicate that this was planned. But Reagan is rolling.
'Wouldn't you know that Sam Donaldson would be the
one. Sam, why didn't you do that earlier? He said that Tip
O'Neill has said that I don't know anything about the
working man. I'm trying to find out something about his
boyhood...' As Reagan pauses, reporters stare up at himi
in surprise. '... because we didn't live on the wrong side of
the railroad tracks, but we lived so dose to them we could
hear the whistle. Real loud."
Reagan goes on to defend his program and to accuse
O'Neill of 'sheer demogoguery,* the phrase most re¬
porters will quote In their lead paragraphs tomorrow.
And we're going to do our utmost" — here comes the.
condusion - 'to keep that bottom rung of the ladder
dear for those people that haven't yet started to climb.
Thank you.'
The president has advertised his domestic policy, de¬
fended his foreign policy, prodded Congress and shot back
at the Speaker of the House. Now he's ready to go He
looks back for a final time, framed by the doorway, and
waves goodbye, smiling for the reporters. And for the
cameras. Then he disappears into the darkened hall,
stage left.
C
The
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-Saptombara,-f9frl/Pages
By Joan Hletpar, Managing Editor
Jim Snyder, criminology, fif
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