(3 of 4)
But even if he loses, Rockefeller fully intends to make a fight for his progressive principles when it comes time for the G.O.P. to write its platform at the San Francisco convention. This prospect gives many Republicans the willies. They remember all too well how Rocky forced his views on Richard Nixon in 1960 — and how Nixon gave in in a fashion that may well have cost him the election. Says a top Republican of the possibility that Rocky will try to repeat that performance: "He might break all the china in the party's closet."
ROMNEY: Trouble with Timetables
Michigan's Governor George Romney is the probable preference of both Eisenhower and Nixon. Surveys indicate that next only to Goldwater he would run best against Kennedy.
But Romney remains adamant in his denials. "I'm not going to be a candidate. I'm not going to seek the nomination. I'm not going to become part of any 'stop' movement." Sighs a Republican who favors him: "It's tough when a fella's got the attitude he has."
Making it even tougher is Romney's timetable. He is deeply involved with a special session of the legislature, which is considering his make-or-break tax-reform proposals. If his program passes, Romney must immediately plunge into budget conferences, then into another legislative session that will probably last until April. Only then will he even make up his mind about whether to run again for Governor. And by then, it may be far too late for him to make a move toward the presidential nomination.
THE OTHERS: Not Much Bounce
Little known outside the East, Pennsylvania's Governor William Scranton seems to want to keep it that way, and Republicans are beginning to believe his vehement denials of candidacy. There is no movement in the works for him.
Mentioned more and more often as a compromise candidate is Kentucky's Senator Thruston Morton, thanks in large part to recent praise from Ike. But Morton has been doing about as much as Romney and Scranton to further his cause—which is to say, nothing.
Another whose name has been cropping up lately, though some Republicans consider him to be hopelessly damaged goods, is Richard Nixon. "I'm not going to be a candidate in 1964," insisted Nixon in Manhattan last week. In 1968, when he will be only 55, he might entertain more ambitious ideas. Others whose names have been tossed out to see how they would bounce: General Lucius Clay, ex-Minnesota Representative Walter Judd, Oregon Governor Mark Hatfield. None bounced.
ADDING IT UP
Almost all Republicans agree that if Goldwater beats Rockefeller in the New Hampshire primary, the nomination is his. They also agree that he might win the nomination even if he were to lose in, say, New Hampshire and California.
Despite this, there are plenty of leaders who, though fond of Barry, do not like the situation. They are distressed by the enthusiasm shown for him by such extreme right-wing groups as the John Birch Society. But there are some indications that that very enthusiasm is bringing many of the extremists into the regular Republican Party—and in so doing they make the party no more conservative, but rather become more moderate themselves.