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A Few Obstacles. Will the Office of Take-Over ever see its plans bear fruit? In what appears to be a generally Democratic year, only an optimist would rate Percy's chances at better than even. Governor Kerner has accused Percy of letting his ambition overrule his conscience in his support of Goldwater. Chicago's 976,000 Negroes are solidly anti-Goldwater and seem certain to vote a straight Democratic ticket despite Percy's progressive stand on civil rights. Another Percy headache arises from Illinois' voter-assistance law, which permits officials to help voters make out their ballots. Says Percy Aide Hauser: "In 1,500 Chicago precincts, you've got to watch like a hawk, since only in a few are there any real Republican judges. Usually the Republican judges are Democrats listed as Republicans." Adds Percy: "Voter assistance is automatically worth between 60,000 and 100,000 votes to the Democrats."
Then, too, some voters are concerned lest Percy's Christian Science attitudes affect his public policies, particularly in the field of health and welfare. Percy's reply: "In matters of personal health, I don't see doctors and I don't take drugs. But on the occasions it's required—for insurance, for school and so forth—the children are seen by a pediatrician. All of us, of course, see a dentist or an eye doctor. If Loraine breaks an ankle or falls from a horse, she has the ankle set by a doctor or has a doctor determine if she has broken a rib. There's nothing that would prevent me from making any decision relating to public health that would not be in the best interests of the public, giving Illinois the best possible medical and mental-health programs."
If, against all the obstacles, Chuck Percy should win in November, he will automatically take his place in the front rank of the national Republican Party. If, at the same time, Barry Goldwater loses, Percy would immediately become the subject of presidential speculation for 1968. That, of course, is a long way off, but the possibility has not escaped some sharp political eyes. In 1962 Chuck testified on reciprocal trade before a House committee in Washington. While he was in town, he stopped off at the White House to chat with President John Kennedy. Kennedy was considerably impressed by Percy. Later, in an informal conversation with Illinois' Republican Senator Everett Dirksen, the President asked, "What does Percy want?"
"You ought to know," replied Ev.
"I don't know," insisted Kennedy.
Said Dirksen: "He wants to sit in that very seat that you're sitting in."
Horatio Alger could do no better by any of his heroes.
* Actually, she only lent it out to her granddaughter after exacting the promise that it would be returned.