Go-Day

In 21 cities one night last week, 25,000 rank-and-file Republicans paid $100 each to eat mediocre meals in various halls and hotels while G.O.P. officials, candidates and would-be candidates orated to them over closed-circuit television. Billed as "Go-Day Rallies," the round-robin affairs rallied more than enough money to wipe out the Republican National Committee's $225,000 deficit left over from past campaigns, and gave party workers a chance to watch their standard-bearers at work.

Dwight Eisenhower spoke from Detroit, Nelson Rockefeller from Los Angeles, George Romney from Washington, William Scranton from Indianapolis, Barry Goldwater from Pittsburgh, and Richard Nixon from New York City. Each spoke briefly--with varying success--but Nixon gave the most polished performance.

Punchy Politics. Clearly pleased by his ever-growing rating in current candidates' polls ("I say with confidence tonight that one of those whom you will hear on this program will be the next President of the U.S.!"), Nixon slammed the Johnson Administration as "wheeler-dealers and political fixers," whacked the Democrats mercilessly for failure in world leadership. "There is no major area in the world," said he, "where the cause of freedom is not worse off today than it was four years ago. In Asia--Viet Nam, which is now our baby 100%, will be down the drain if present trends continue. In Africa--Zanzibar, like Cuba, is now a jumping-off place for further penetration of that great continent. In Latin America--Cuba is gone, Bolivia is going, Brazil is on the brink, not to mention the mess in Panama. In Europe--we gave the cold shoulder to De Gaulle, and now he gives the warm hand to Mao Tse-tung."

Bill Scranton, too, delivered a punchy speech. Said he: "The Republican Party was born to save the Union, and we did just that. The Republican Party was made to move, not to stand, to be positive, not to negate, to create, not to destroy. We seek hearts and hands and votes--not because politic, is the science of scratching backs, but because politics is the art of serving a nation."

California Contenders. But while most of the G.O.P. contenders did little more last week than give Go-Day talks, New York's Rockefeller charged vigorously through a two-day visit to California with his wife Happy, now five months pregnant. Rocky's reception, from politicians, businessmen and Negro leaders, was surprisingly warm. Better yet, California's powerful vote-getting Senator Thomas Kuchel declared that he is "enthusiastically" for Rocky, is expected to head the Governor's delegate slate in the state's crucial June 2 presidential primary. Beamed Rocky: "All the elements are here for a real successful campaign." And no sooner had he left than Barry Goldwater announced plans for a vigorous campaign in California, beginning next week.

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