The Gadfly from California

Shining with confidence, California's polished Paul Ziffren arrived in Washington last week to help other Democratic National Committeemen buff up their strategy. As the committeeman from a big state that shows steady Democratic inroads (and may be due for 37 House seats instead of the present 30, under the 1961 reapportionment), Ziffren felt emboldened to make a major suggestion. The suggestion, co-fathered by Committeemen Jake Arvey of Illinois* and David Lawrence of Pennsylvania: a new 17-member committee, made up of non-National Committeemen to advise the party.

Ziffren spoke loftily of its value in advancing Democratic programs and principles. But the strategists recognized his bid for what Ziffren meant it to be: a rearguard action to preserve the dwindling prestige of the Stevensonites, and a liberal burr under the saddles of Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson and his congressional conservatives, who consider themselves the seat of party authority.

To flesh out his committee, Ziffren suggested Adlai Stevenson, Estes Kefauver, Harry Truman, New York Governor Averell Harriman, Eleanor Roosevelt and Michigan's Governor G. Mennen Williams. Another nominee: Lyndon Johnson, who already is fending off a clamor for a change in the Senate rules to forestall filibustering (TIME, Dec. 3). Parrying Ziffren's invitation, Johnson tentatively agreed to serve, postponed final decision until he caucused with House Speaker and Fellow Texan Sam Rayburn to assay Ziffren's strength.

The strength is considerable. Iowa-born Ziffren, 43, is a political Johnny-come-lately who concentrated on practicing and teaching tax law around Chicago after graduation from Northwestern University. Moving to Los Angeles in 1943, he dipped a toe in the political pool by campaign fund raising. In 1950 he helped stage Helen Gahagan Douglas' unsuccessful battle against Dick Nixon for the U.S. Senate. Ziffren was named national committeeman in 1953, immediately set about reorganizing California's clanking party machinery, is given credit for the Democrats' 1956 gains in Congress (two) and the state legislature (two senate seats, five assembly seats) this year.

Though Lyndon Johnson and his fellow Democratic conservatives will doubtless serve on the Ziffren-spawned committee for the sake of appearances, they have no intention of letting him disrupt their plans for running the party. But neither can they feel as complacent as they once did, harassed by the buzzing of the new persistent gadfly from California.

* Exasperated by a series of "victory" speeches, Arvey commented: "I think we scored a great victory. I also think we got hit by a truck."

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