NATION/WORLD
Tuesday, November 15, 1994
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Campaign'96 lucrative for GOP
Rv John King
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The calendar may still read 1994, but Republicans eager to recapture the White House are in no mood to wait. Ready or not, the presidential campaign of 1996 is under way.
Just yesterday, GOP Sens. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and Phil Gramm of Texas formed committees to explore presidential bids. Dan Quayle already is testing the waters, as is former Tennessee Gov. Lamar Alexander. Bob Dole, soon-to-be Senate majority leader, has moved up his timetable for a decision.
Why so soon?
And there are plenty more Republi-cans on standby.
There are 20 million reasons — and then some.
For starters, the midterm elections proved President Clinton highly vulnerable, so the 1906 Republican nomination looks even more attractive than it did just a few weeks ago.
ANALYSIS
The new 1996 primary calendar packs most of the big primaries into a demanding six-week stretch. As always, things begin in the February snows of Iowa and New Hampshire. But the competition then moves quickly through New York, Texas and Florida, the big industrial states, and by late March on to California.
Given that dizzying pace, and the cost of television advertising in big states, GOP strategies believe it will take at least $20 million in the bank by January 1996 to mount a credible candidacy.
That kind of money is hard to come by, even more so when the maximum individual contribution for a presidential campaign is $1,000, and the most a political action committee can give is $5,000.
"There will be 100 people who want to run, but only a handful who can raise that kind of money," said GOP strategist Charles Black.
But money isn't the only reason for the early start.
Gramm, for example, isn't expected to have fund-raising problems. But the combative Texan is barely known outside Washington and ranks near the bottom when Republicans are polled on their presidential favorites.
Gramm is going on the road early, hoping to boost his profile out where the votes are and taking mild shots at a top potential opponent by questioning Dole's conservative credentials.
Specter's opening salvo wasn't so gentle.
The Pennsylvania moderate said yesterday that he was exploring a candidacy because he thinks the party should abandon its anti-abortion platform plank and distance itself from religious conservatives he labels the extreme political fringe.
If nothing else, his entry forces a debate over the most divisive of issues — abortion — at a time many Republicans want the party to focus on its new responsibilities as the majority party in Congress.
Tropical storm Gordon claims lives and homes The Associated Press
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Heavy rains and flooding from Tropical Storm Gordon swept across Haiti yesterday, killing at least 100 people, triggering landslides and washing away makeshift homes in the slums of the capital.
Terrified people fled their homes in the early morning darkness as floodwaters poured in. Some spent the night huddled on their rooftops in the downpour. Many of the victims lived in filmy shacks on the hillsides, and by the time the skies cleared, thousands of people were left homeless.
Two deaths also were reported in Jamaica, where the storm caused widespread flooding and mudslides. At least two people were killed in Cuba, and 65,000 were evacuated, Cuba's official Prensa Latina news agency reported.
Analysts predict interest rate increase by Federal Reserve
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — For many economists, the question has become not whether the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates again today but whether the economy can withstand more increases without risking a fresh recession.
The central bank's interest-rate-setting arm, the Federal Open Market Committee, meets behind closed doors today, and the betting among economists is that the committee will raise interest rates for the sixth time this year.
"The Fed is playing a forwardlooking prevent defense and that suggests another dose of higher interest rates will be forthcoming," said Allen Sinai, chief international economist at Lehman Brothers in New York.
Sinai and many other analysts are looking for a half-point increase in the Fed's target for the federal funds rate, the interest that banks charge each other on overnight loans. They also expect a half-point
boost in the discount rate, which the Fed charges on direct loans to banks.
Those increases would trigger a corresponding jump in business and consumer borrowing costs, with most economists forecasting that banks will announce an immediate rise in their 7.75 percent benchmark prime lending rate.
A half-point increase would match the Fed's last change on Aug. 16, which pushed the funds rate to its current level of 4.75 percent and lifted the discount rate to 4 percent.
If the Fed does boost rates by a half-point today, many economists believe at least one more half-point increase will occur, either at the Fed's December meeting or early next year.
However, after that time, analysts predict, there will be enough signs of a slowdown that financial market worries of inflation will recede, and the central bank will sit back and see if it has succeeded in slowing economic growth to an annual rate of around 2.5 percent.
COMPACT DISCS + TAPES
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CRANBERRIES TICKET GIVEAWAY
Register to win a pair of tickets to the Cranberries concert Sunday, November 20 See the Cranberries with MC'900 Lt. Jesus and Gigolo Aunts
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Anonymous HIV Antibody Testing
What? the test for HIV - the AIDS virus
Where? Watkins Health Center
Cost? $19 cash (paid at initial visit)
How? By Appointment Only
864-9507
"Anonymous Testing" means you do not use your real name when tested. Your test results will be provided to you in person two weeks after your initial visit. Testing includes pre- and post-test counseling.
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EUGENT UNION ACTIVITIES
SUAC FILMS
DO YOU LIKE THE IDEA OF A TARANTINO FILM FEST?
Spectrum and Feature Film Committees are taking suggestions during the week of Nov. 14-18 for Spring 1995 such as:
Foreign, Cult, Classic, Hollywood, Midnight, Llad Center Films, and Special Events
Turn in suggestions in the suggestion box in front of the SUA office or call the office at 864-3477
Wednesday November 16th at 5:00pm in 121 Stauffer-Flint
An Open House That Will Open Doors
The Kansan Advertising staff will host an Open House for all prospective applicants for the Spring 1995 Semester. All majors are encouraged to attend this informal, informative meeting to find out about opportunities available to you and take a behind-the-scenes look at your
campus newspaper.
The University Daily Kansan, the #1 newspaper in the nation, is now accepting applications for the Spring 1995 Advertising Staff. Positions include entry level sales, creative, photography and management. Positions for pay and credit available. All majors are encouraged to apply. Gain real world experience, credentials to land a great job, an opportunity to work in a cutting edge environment and a new set of friends that will last a lifetime.
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