Nation: Making Like October 1980

Carter campaigns from the snowy East to the balmy West

The pace was more appropriate to October 1980. There was Jimmy Carter zipping from an S.R.O. press conference in Washington to Albuquerque, San Diego, and then back to the White House for a two-hour weekend phone-in that was broadcast by National Public Radio. Back in the capital barely long enough to refuel Air Force One, he will be off politicking again this week—in Kansas City, Chicago and Boston.

Carter's press conference ended a hiatus of nearly three months, despite his promise on taking office to hold two such Washington meetings a month. In an auditorium jammed with eager reporters in the Executive Office Building, the President seemed uncommonly wary. He passed up any opening statement and virtually challenged his inquisitors to try to pull any news out of him. With the Florida caucus a few days off, they responded by focusing eleven of their 19 questions on the 1980 presidential campaign and on the allied theme of the nation's economic health.

At first Carter took the newsmen's repeated references to fellow Democrat Ted Kennedy with good humor. When a reporter made the increasingly common slip of referring to "President Kennedy," Carter responded with a grin: "I think it is Senator Kennedy." But when one young TV newswoman paraphrased a Kennedy criticism at considerable length, the President turned understandably testy. "Is this a campaign speech for him?" asked Carter. He then proceeded to give a pretty good campaign speech of his own.

Referring to Kennedy's complaint that Carter should place less emphasis on "the malaise" in the country and more on inspiring a "can do" spirit, the President declared: "People are discouraged about the current situation. They are doubtful about the future. . . But our country is inherently strong, capable and able. We're the strongest nation on earth economically, politically and militarily. We're going to stay that way . . . We can resolve the malaise that has existed."

Asked whether the high visibility of his wife Rosalynn might not be hurting his own image as a strong leader, Carter spiritedly defended her "very strong role" in public life and her political campaigning. Needling reporters a bit, he claimed that Rosalynn had not notably stepped up her public appearances from a year ago, but "the difference is that now the press is paying attention to where my wife goes and what she says."

Leaving the capital in the midst of an unseasonal storm that sent snowflakes swirling through Washington and dumped up to two inches of mush and slush in the Virginia and Maryland suburbs, Carter headed for the welcome 85° heat of Albuquerque for a closed meeting of Governors of nine Western states. Though the airport crowd of 1,000 was generally friendly, the placards were mixed: WASHINGTON, TIGHTEN YOUR BELT—I'M LOSING MY PANTS, WELCOME TO AMERICA'S ENERGY POLICY—JUST DON'T BREATHE (a reference to Albuquerque's air pollution problem), and TEDDY LOVES US—WHY DON'T YOU?