Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, January 9, 1992 TAG: 9201090638
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
WELCOME BACK, GOV. WILDER
LYNDON JOHNSON, in a 1968 address to the nation, unexpectedly announced his withdrawal from the presidential race. In an echo of that memorable speech, Gov. L. Douglas Wilder on Wednesday night reported in his state-of-the-state address a decision as wise as it was surprising.Quitting the campaign was, for Wilder, the right thing to do.
There was a note of humility and understanding in Wilder's speech. He conceded that "balancing the rigors of running a state government and conducting a national campaign" was never easy. He expressed newfound respect for the balancing act - juggling pressures from home and career - that working parents routinely perform.
Like Gov. Mario Cuomo of New York, Wilder has decided he must concentrate on the challenges of his job at the expense of personal, quixotic aspiration. Being governor of Virginia in 1992 is a tough enough job as it is.
Still, his withdrawal from the presidential race ought not to be seen as an act of sheer necessity. Wilder's approval ratings in his home state have plunged, but Virginia governors can't succeed themselves anyway. Times are hard, but Wilder was not unjustified in noting earlier in the speech how much better Virginia's government has met the challenge than many - maintaining its AAA bond rating, for example, and so far avoiding tax increases.
Like Lyndon Johnson, Wilder recoiled from the bitter-cold political reality of the New Hampshire primary. (Johnson was shocked by the showing of Sen. Eugene McCarthy. Wilder was lagging badly there in the polls, and his fund-raising had faltered.)
But polls showed Wilder doing well in the South - even leading in Maryland and South Carolina, key states following the New Hampshire primary. It is characteristic of Wilder that prospects based on the assurance of black votes were not for him sufficient. He based his historic statewide victories, let's remember, on his ability to reach out to all Virginians.
Now Wilder can more easily reach out to them again, focusing on budget challenges while rehabilitating his political fortunes at home. He now can do so without having suffered losses in the primaries. And he can do so with a sense of irony: His embarrassingly low popularity ratings have reflected the public's desire for him not to get out of Virginia, but to stay here.
Keywords:
POLITICS