REPUBLICANS: Now the Republican Rumble

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Rogers Morton, Ford's national campaign director, blamed cross-over voting for the President's loss in Indiana but admitted he did not know what to do about it in future primaries. The more suspicious presidential aides claimed that not only were Wallace workers giving voting lists to Reagan's staff, but in some caucus states, liberal Democrats were even packing G.O.P. meetings to back Reagan, who they think will be easier to beat than Ford in November. Citing busloads of new faces at precinct meetings in New Mexico, a White House aide asked: "Is it an effort to ensure that Reagan is the Democrats' opponent?" Reagan's aides denied chicanery.

Many Democrats, of course, were chuckling over the Ford quandary. For years, Republicans had crossed over to vote for Wallace in Democratic primaries and thus embarrass the regular Democratic candidates. Now, since Carter had knocked out Wallace, the nettlesome Alabama Governor had become a migraine for Ford.

To credit Wallaceite Democrats with Reagan's new-found success, however, would be a gross exaggeration. With a few exceptions, Reagan had been pushing the unelected President hard all along the primary trail. If the former California Governor's aides had not forecast a substantial victory over Ford in the opening New Hampshire primary, Reagan's 49% of the vote would have seemed a real jolt to the President. Unsure of the issues and on the defensive because of his promise to cut the federal budget by $90 billion and his ill-defined proposals for reforming Social Security financing, Reagan failed at first to attack Ford effectively. He took an expected trouncing in Massachusetts, a potentially fatal one in Florida, and was overpowered in Illinois.

Reagan aides now concede privately that despite his repeated vow to plunge on right through to the convention, he seriously considered folding up his candidacy before the North Carolina primary on March 23. Ford's strategists had none too subtly urged him to do so. That was a mistake; it served only to stiffen Reagan's resolve. The North Carolina election is now viewed by the Reagan staff as the most critical point in his campaign. Ford's aides admit that they goofed by not working hard enough there. But Reagan fought on, dropping the "Eleventh Commandment" (Thou shalt not smite a fellow Republican) and assailing Ford sharply on foreign policy. And he won, 52% to 46%, stemming the tide of losses.

That win gave Reagan new confidence—and brought him a mysterious telegram that read: "Congratulations. You certainly fooled the pollsters. Dick." No one knew whether it was from the former President or a prank, but Reagan quickly crumpled it to keep anyone from asking. He then made such a fuss over not being allowed to buy prime television time that NBC yielded, and Reagan's nationwide half-hour speech on March 31 laid out his new themes of attacking Secretary Kissinger, detente and U.S. military preparedness (see following stories). The speech netted $1 million in contributions.