The Future Begins on Nov. 4

(7 of 7)

Rather than getting bogged down with detail, he has advisers examine a problem, then present courses of action for him to consider. More by instinct than analysis, Reagan then is likely to make a quick decision. The decision for voters may rest on whether they trust Reagan's instincts and particular vision more than they do Carter's more rational, but narrow, thinking.

Once they have made a decision, both Carter and Reagan tend to consider the matter solved. Rather than wheel, deal and fight to put their solutions into effect, each likes to move on to the next problem. Washington does not work that way. Carter shows signs of having learned this lesson; Reagan would have to change his one-step-at-a-time habits to be effective in the Oval Office.

B oth candidates also have a similar dislike for commotion around them, hate to discipline errant aides or, in fact, to deal with touchy personnel problems. Yet the White House is no place in which to seek serenity or avoid the inevitable friction of strong personalities grasping for power. Carter has depended too heavily on his Georgia cronies, failing to cut some of his ties with, say, Bert Lance or Andrew Young as early as he should have. He pledged, as all new Presidents do, to reach out for strong men to direct Cabinet departments — and then, in effect, fired several (including Joseph Califano at Health, Education and Welfare and W. Michael Blumenthal at Treasury) when they became cantankerously independent, upsetting the harmony he values and the sense of loyalty he demands.

But there is a significant personality difference between the two men. Reagan's ego seems to get much less entangled with his policies than does Carter's. Despite his ability to convey feeling, Reagan rarely loses his temper or carries a personal grudge. He is not emotional or vindictive. Those qualities could prove valuable in the rough give-and-take of official Washington.

Last week, speaking to an exuberant crowd gathered around the steps of the federal courthouse in Texarkana, Texas, Jimmy Carter declared, "There is a great difference between myself and Governor Reagan. There is a great difference between the Republicans and the Democrats. But what we're talking about in this election, as the last days draw to a close, is the difference in the futures we will have."

Perhaps the greatest failing of Carter and Reagan during this drawn-out campaign is that they have not been able to persuade Americans of their competence to occupy the presidency. In addition, they have been unable to describe the differences between themselves with enough clarity so that Americans would choose their future on Nov. 4 with enthusiasm and a confidence that they knew what lay ahead .

Reported by Laurence I. Barrett with Reagan and Christopher Ogden with Carter