When Richard Nixon lifted the Governor of Maryland from a position of relative obscurity to the second spot on the Republican Party's tick et last month, Spiro Theodore Agnew reacted with becoming modesty. "Spiro Agnew," he told reporters in Miami Beach, word." By "is last not week, exactly a Nixon's running household mate was well on his way to making quite a name for himself. There was considerable debate, however, over what sort of name it was and how it would affect the G.O.P. ticket's chances in the 1968 presidential race.
In an extraordinary series of press conferences, speeches and interviews, Agnew conjured up some long-dormant poltergeists of American politics. Hubert Humphrey, he said, was "soft on Communism." In addition, the Vice President was "soft on inflation and soft on law and order over the years" — in fact, "squishy soft." Because of Humphrey's attempt to straddle hawk and dove lines on Viet Nam, said Agnew, the Vice President "begins to look a lot like Neville Chamberlain." He added: "Maybe that makes Mr. Nixon look more like Winston Churchill."
Traditional Role. Richard Nixon's strategists had assigned Agnew the traditional aggressive role of the running mate, but they scarcely anticipated such thrusts. "I am more blunt than Mr. Nixon," the Governor explained. "I can't change. I'm that way." Agnew's way may, in fact, prove a political boon to the G.O.P. After his attack oh Humphrey, the initial speculation was that he had damaged the Republican cause. That feeling eventually gave way to another. In 1968, a year when a strongly conservative mood has gripped many voters (see box, page 22), such a note of toughness may attract even more people than it repels.
Nixon's strategy rests on his ability to siphon off enough strength from Alabama's George Wallace to nail down the electoral votes of several Southern states. He is emphasizing "law and order" himself, but Agnew is doing it in much tougher terms. "Nixon and Agnew are riding the right issue—trouble in the streets," said a Maryland Republican. "It's the big issue. It outruns everything, especially with women voters. They're scared to death to walk down the street any more. But what a hell of an issue to have to run on." According to a Democratic strategist, the G.O.P. hopes to score victories in Dixie by telling Southerners through Agnew they can get what Wallace promises, but without Wallace. Nixon's lieutenants deny the charge, but one of them demonstrates how the two men are viewed in the Nixon camp: "Nixon is going to do the big thing. He's the knight, and this guy is the foot soldier."