The Robert MacNeil Report

you're are you we can the leading presidential candidate jimmy carter said today it was beneficial for the country that the issue of housing integration had been raised it was raised as a result of the flap over

his remarks about ethnic purity katarina's apologize for using the word purity because of its connotations but he told a washington meeting today that he didn't apologize for his position on housing integration he repeated that while he supports the use of government pressure to overcome racial discrimination in housing he does not think the government should work to destroy the character of neighborhoods carter heads into the next batch of primaries as the democrats' clear front runner in terms of primaries one and delegates collective opinion polls have shown him leading his two strong rivals you'd all injection in pennsylvania the next important primary jimmy carter is with us tonight and the subject of our fifth presidential campaign profile they say he looks like john kennedy sounds like senator sam irvin and talks like a thinking man's billy sunday an evangelical baptist from plains georgia who firmly believes is the next president of the united states as a mother thought it was pretty funny when he came up with the idea back in nineteen seventy two but as he explains it

in that most of the presidential candidates that year and decided he knew as much as anyone bit about running a country after all had served one term as governor of georgia and in four years managed to streamline the state's administrative bureaucracy operate prisons and mental hospitals and overhaul the state's budget and procedures but carter had won that election after a bitter primary race during which he described himself as a redneck and campaign with the public support of several george's leading segregationist politicians his predecessor lester maddox was reportedly stunned when carter in his nineteen seventy inaugural speech widely declared that the time for racial discrimination is over that remark and his subsequent actions landed him on the cover of time magazine as a representative new southerner which came as no surprise to the people back and sleepy little plains where jimmy carter grew up he was the only white male in town refused to join the segregation a citizen's council and his family alone voted to admit black for the town's

baptist congregation carter left plains in nineteen forty three we want an appointment to annapolis and went off to study nuclear engineering with an eye towards becoming an adult sunday that dream died when his father did in nineteen fifty three and caught about his wife rosalynn a childhood sweetheart home to take over the family's business farming and processing units there's been a strong campaign team ever since condors political ambitions outgrew the plane school board and rosalyn has proven to be almost as china's a vote getters carter himself is he was on the road two hundred and fifty days last year building an organization and touching base with democratic leaders had gotten to know as chairman of the party's congressional campaign committee in nineteen seventy four and he tells them all pretty much the same thing i believe you're looking at the next president of the united states because i don't see anyone on the horizon who can beat it as you know our theory is that you can sometimes gain insight into a candidate run on a little more about the people around people he listens to accordingly we have three of jimmy carter's

top campaign before this tonight first hamilton jordan carter campaign manager mr jordan is thirty one years old his political work for carter goes back to nineteen sixty six when he was youth corps denied or for carter campaign in georgia the lighter matters the governor's nineteen seventy campaign and again his top administrative it as jordan beneficial aspects of saw a saw what had been the real political problems at the damaged the political damage caused by the ethnic purity while i don't think a long run that we give us a pretty damaged campaign leave the problem with that is a problem of the heavens all my courtiers statement clarifying his position i think statements of support from reading the elections country like the martin luther king day a common noun have had health they don't stop the momentum that weren't there a lot of people like leonard woodcock and others who were about to jump on the card or bandwagon

that as a result of the ethnic purity things that we wait a minute i will stop and not take another look i don't think in cases with comments that that's true that their scam it appeared with them quarter in detroit this saturday we have pledges of support for most of the major you interview people in the state of michigan i think to the extent that a candidate that has a problem with it and moves on another candidate is seen as being stronger and i think that might be the result of the so called ethnic purity where you're not taking the position that was a problem so it's a problem we recognize it as a problem to apologize for what he called an unfortunate use of the words but nothing beyond that what about what about money problems all the candidates seem to be having money from their youth of spectators a situation here

live though what we raised and the match and finds that we get an election commission have been used to fund our media campaigns and there's days when the passion than that the election commission not been duly authorized it they allocate funds will have requested an engineer tried time and supply time for all of this and everything you know that politics not do things that you otherwise would have had my ear are you know we're all hurting us but we are continuing to run a shoestring campaign which we which run all year and so many of the common wisdom as the lines of nine years worth that could be decided is that your view of it what was not there is not a single primary in a country that's going to make or break our campaign we're running everywhere pursuing is probably important because it's a it's one of the few states where all the candidates are running a beyond canceling it isn't the end of the texas to michigan and so it is important that we will be well there can be a costly

wars but it's it's more important problem for the other candidates in this simply because we're running everywhere it might be next as jody powell the campaign's press secretary he's thirty two years old a political scientist by training he first went to work as a volunteer chauffeur in carter's nineteen seventy campaign he later took on some press the eighties and became the press secretary after carter was elected as a new so much over and the governor rounds are it doesn't show up in the form of ethnic purity came along the campaign's major perception problem seemed to be the fact that the allegation that your man was fuzzy on the issues we know not only have scheduled a series of speeches on all major issues foreign policy speeches of the way we have one coming up on health care just a couple days the whole continue throughout the campaign i think that problem that the senate has been a problem is the result of two things first the tremendous acceleration in the campaign

and the fact that the second wave exoneration the sense of innocence is quite true that and depression demanded a candidate the sorts of specificity on political issues they're asking this time around that coupled with the fact that here you have someone coming out of nowhere it has no voting record in washington although it's written about what a voting record willie mays what you find out how many people voted one will win them with another way we can level envoys on the file by all in another well reconsideration of well the coverage of what thats another legitimate you know i'm going to record you know it's really playing out since they'll vote and i voted for or whatever whatever piece of apple pie was a coming up seats we had a candidate that that surprise everyone as hester prynne that's ever like step back and joe mcguinness to do that where the coming from what we know about him and i began the law and so the end though there was no well no

long thirty five year record for example in washington tonight that they could get their hooks into there was no there's no easy answer to that question is that the problem lies with the idea that he's sort of all sides of his mouth and ninety nine you know common perception of a coven of voters like it looked like a report we deal with it which is what we are doing with with speeches on all know the various major issues quote paulette palmer visit the newest what about issues a lot of them in our memory of those and show a fairly early in the campaign it was a thirty minute show and then twenty minutes of the show either the moderators said now people that i'm here talking about his campaign's early to know the candidates are talking about the issues really realize that that up to that point in the show us good at essex political questions about one question that issues of an icon the way that are what i think i think i think the main reason it finally

been around the carter deputy campaign manager mr brown who is thirty six is a georgia state legislator chairman of the georgia general assembly black caucus he's been a supporter and worker on carter's for two years so bad as jimmy carter girl is as black support if and when hubert humphrey enters the reason i don't think so far so i don't believe this country is going in the race in a big way i feel that a lot of work and it's critical for the ethnic here again that the labor in a dead horse did you feel that within them honestly feel the wind in the white community the ethnic purity issues debt i think they'll be some concern always but i as most people have expressed that was a poor choice of words but anyone who knows jimmy carter knows that jimmy carter is not a racist was not the problem a lot of people don't know jim baker well the third thing is the fact that we have just introduced in the cotton we're going about

their daily there's very strong leadership in georgia black leadership in georgia voters supporting the democratic candidate see in these leaders are moving across the country and every community carrying a message doesn't hurt your lips of manure jackson prison like a ralph abernathy and others to have gillian wong other leading oh georgia lack of politicians have not come up at a record no it doesn't hurt me i think is quite evident that the only interview with a pot of potato carrot privately i think it is quite evident that ralph abernathy has expressed his support of jimmy and understand that his public endorsement forthcoming that's information that i have i have the same kind of information from mayor jackson and i feel that that will be announced parachute nigerian banners supporting your daughter now been trying to

understand that sometimes random i don't hold that against him and he's the only public figure in georgia like who has publicly express support for someone other than jimmy carter as girl three and here are a few already evans and novak column was pointedly suggested that the carter campaign is run by people who may be too young to have experienced and two georgia prevention to run in a national candidate national campaign for the presidency you have the feeling that you're we're do you feel after you got this thing under control that's right and the successes and those poisons he voyages not when it's called for us we set out early with a plan with booth in the usability thing eventually became of them

we like the candidate as we were on the country for the primaries and so it's a learning process for us an overview ok now it's just like that that there's such a vast number of young people and older people across this country who really make up this team and we're there because we're we've been there with him for some time but the real success of this campaign has been those people in states like pennsylvania states like wisconsin states like michigan where we gotta go who were just joining in and getting their talents and i think that's the interesting feature of this movement has really moved a question according to these women in many stories that have been written about your man since he became the leading candidate that is a loss of the news he's a top man workforce couple of people work for a fact there's one quote is you never been

true that gave him chewed out by jimmy carter our lives that it is it's an extremely high standards for himself and i'm not sure exactly well as a matter fact when you say a lot of things and the convention center being chewed out that that just doesn't happen you know what you've done wrong and it's usually a few rick what word and and i think in generally as of opinion that israel you can say like you feel worse than we do about china's and teens intent to leave it at that but he's very exacting on himself than going to be exactly what people agree that the word for it but i don't think you'll find anyone that has worked for him those at winning now those of it that

there were former state governor released you and say cumbersome world for the most part that that that opportunity to be involved in something that was it was moving that was that was dynamic that that was always on boys into something that was worthwhile there was was not an interlude at least in their lives that they probably would not swapping john brennan himself as with robin a new problem one phenomenon of your campaign intrigues me a lot and that is appears to be that many people who cover the campaign many people who observe it and while your intelligence your energy your organization and hear what many of your issue positions make sense but they also appear to feel and say there's something missing at a record deal of doubt that you have firmly held convictions about anything a suspicion that your issues are technical positions now do you sense that the union with adel expressed full blown on our

listeners to repeal center though i have very deep convictions of the world almost every issue that's important to people that country i've been through it and i grew up all fall my nerves to the racial changes in the south a very instructive to me assure the animated volunteers an engineer but housing project i've been governor equality to make decisions in government don't suffer when mistakes are made we took governor appointed that intelligence up on economic vision for people to understand that and i'll always has been very specific thing has got me concerned and publish a politically speaking is that i don't get simplistic answers that is a question that we'll still be debating fifty years in the future like abortion and that's a very difficult question that i can spot a position very clearly was a complicated answer because involve more arty legality approval feelings are split as persian but

the aisle have full of believe that seo apollo only we've now been through a number of states have come in four of twelve current and brush that you hold as a convertible and i think people look and someone that so that they can trust the government and results election show that i'm very good shape that but i'm sure they're all keeping a lot of people told me that i mean do you agree that because those are persecuted injured and qantas said you don't come equipped with the usual baggage of many years and hundreds of congressional votes putting your positions on the lines on many of the national issues where you have experience as governor of georgia for one term that we have to take you and trust more than we have to take the other candidate was a little more difficult to convince people you haven't really before all of the other american has to make this into twelve unequivocal to open statements as anyone

else and get in politics much more so than a member of congress but i've never been in a wash an insane have been acquainted with the national news media coverage in washington and go three months ago nobody knew a lot and i i just had a chance to travel with them to modify i think the news we time it saying the wall street journal used to the whirlpool was imposed new york times and also that i was at least a specific almost the city commissioners any other candidate and right the senate approved it because i'm not well known by those who have covered politics in this country the last five ten fifteen suggest that have huge why should we take jimmy carter why should we trust jimmy carter more than the other candidates whom we as reporters and voters know in a more conventional way clock in say the animals can't do insinuate that they're not worthy of trust and if i trust only

comes with a lot of plants with those candidates in a lot of the political advantage among people who have all gotten to know me and mustapha family in the volunteer there's an intensity of commitment to my campaign and a depth of sacrifice among people who volunteer to go in new hampshire don't expect what their vacation time people that live in wisconsin iowa thousand georgian to win in florida or tenants don't have this and that trust has evolved from his accountant and the voters of the country is a very intense and a very powerful and very intimate thing and i don't have that intimacy yet of course with those who've served in a more objective way and all about i would have with the nuclear agenda if if this weren't religious crusade another candidate for the campaign for the presidency one could understand extending trust on a mystical or intuitive level is it wise for a country to put its fate in the hand of a man on the basis no not i don't think

so but i don't believe that cereal exclusive case with me partly because quantify how autism that they were going to do it in a jail the competition because i'm an engineer scientists and businessmen because the workers were like a record on civil rights division are there people who doubt about it because at that point the national saint in washington but the bait reason to be for this music out of the myriad of the vote and that anyone of alfred a vote a vote for me because mr libby's convictions and i am about to have a very strong belief and a complete separation of church and state no no you've mounted his convictions and a political whenever help support for playing with me and those surprisingly the city and just been like your account of the little town safer and fifty people were our

lives are similar on the churches a way of life is reading fortune as an extraordinary burden of mystical about level i've learned with attention focused on a seven has a lot of great interest but i don't think it's a detriment or knesset you made your credibility and honestly in this campaign perhaps the leading receiving the most prominent issue ad begins all your older speeches aren't you've said repeatedly are if i ever live you if i ever mislead you don't vote for me and you haven't you been indulging in the time honored practice of every candidate are trimming parts of your speeches when you go to certain areas so as not to offend particular groups of people you know i do have reserves the issues that are important to the orient eleven hour trouble letting the coach of women and in the global oil or energy level i never have tremors killer speeches delivered

and up till the audience is there in the campaign not let a misleading statement or more controversial issue not to vote for one of a surprise to encounter he has been the controversy surrounding the early as well all as a candidate or ellen ochoa has been less controversial than there was say that i'm aware of that are functionally in a country that is controversial i had taught for images of an absolutely a representative or knowledgeable who claim that approach and can serve the country well without line a moment a lot of the stage version of them like an opposite in four years or eight years people saying that was taken alive singing roll it out on a screening question is just use one example is a trivial example but johansson sir john morton of the new york times respected reporter reported last month that you were frequently prefaced her speeches are good in the beginning is because a long list of american heroes

usually ended with minimum wage mccain opted in certain places unknown in illinois you and that had the name martin luther king when egypt talk to about that was to have you forgotten you said no i didn't forget what i would do it again not isn't that charming and is not misleading the voters' will that's almost half of an aqua and when asked about the poplar avenue that washington jefferson and lincoln roosevelt truman and when i had like you know it's always and in one of the king jr who without a president but he was a great man and though i did a comedy audiences it had like people and even though it would just travel percent but though i didn't consider changing and thus incentives that we had quite a discussion on the bottom line and bipolar plan before jim bowden wrote that article that a little because it was so uncertain about how an overdue to get to know her and so now on anybody up with changing its

name it that illustrate the fact that we have within us a say residents in the same gun owners and the same ability to face tough questions as exists in french people don't do any weaknesses gotten along well i think perhaps aren't as much the numbers of hinted around and to the man who other people want very rigid that is a no i was very successful as governor in dealing with a legislature emotion approach plant and now have long been able to compromise enough to accommodate the illusion that the problem in washington where so much of government jackson balances his compromise if not on principles at least on parts of issues a problem on another movie apollo ten of one of the militia salinas an outright accommodated and operate in dealing with legislation

in georgia thought we had a successful illustration and that was always a problem for them because they're the week of muslim women something deeply a journey before the take it to the public to open it up to find out the last vote and if i go down i couldn't fly nj and i don't compromise away in opposition in a back room and it is incompatible with politician may very well be a polish of the weakness but how did the word is ethnic purity slip out a remarkable man whose use of the language is so precise answer calculated what are some of your answers a lot of fat i gave it you know a week or so before the world noticed it was an answer to a question about the housing and not feeling then and now was and i see nothing wrong with a community of having a right to maintain it as the character you sort of appeared in a pointed out about five played by july to move into the neighborhood and a forgery i must talk about nsa character an ethnic heritages that background and

to me that word of the purity of that and then the connotations of racism authorities with the phrase later discovered that have a company that would you understand people recognizing your extreme precision and the use of language having the suspicion that perhaps she raised this deliberately because you calculated the political fallout would be more beneficial than it would be than a damaging was one of local wisconsin which is a very liberal state and i had that you're going to vote a lot of the foreigners wallace loyal elements will schwalbe spend it wouldn't deliver the ball but i can certainly see why someone who think that they chose but the timing of the statement obviously showed it was manageable full of very vulnerable state and wisconsin and new york though i had no feeling that they were being treated in that way as a racist i

apologize for this elegantly i grew up in the south when only did not fight for equality for the division very vividly their pride in their own right we have to have their government lurched from his colleagues in washington hear my mom about tomorrow evening i'm robert mcneil weeks but has been you're only her mood