(8 of 9)
Earlier polls generally had shown a woman vice-presidential candidate would attract about as many voters as she would repel. Politicians, and some pollsters, are not at all sure, though, that the surveys are correctly measuring the extent of potential backlash. They note that voters have been asked to respond to a theoretical situation that they have never actually had to face. One Republican pollster points out another factor that may distort the results: the majority of the people employed organizations to question voters are women, and men may hesitate to express unfavorable opinions of a woman candidate to them. In- deed, Mondale's aides admit that their belief that a woman vice-presi- dential candidate will help the ticket is based on gut feelings rather than any statistical evidence.
Reagan's assistants are puzzled about how to handicap Ferraro's effect on the race. They concede she has some strengths. Some White House aides speculate that her selection might help the Democrats hold the votes of the Yuppies, who turned out heavily for Gary Hart but viewed Mondale as a man of the past. Ferraro also presents the Republicans with a delicate problem: how to campaign against her without looking sexist.
Besides questioning her qualifications, the Republicans plan to portray the selection of Ferraro as a cynically political move. They will also paint Ferraro as an ultraliberal. Ferraro sounds ready for combat. "Everyone keeps comparing me to Vice President Bush," she said in Elmore. "That's delightful. I think we should have a debate or two." A spokesman for Bush said he was willing, but the White House may veto the idea: the President's aides want to keep the focus on Reagan and Mondale.
The President indirectly sounded part of the Administration line on Ferraro at a White House luncheon Friday for female Republican elected officials. Said he: "The Conservative Party of Great Britain chose Margaret Thatcher as their leader not because she was a woman but because she was the best person for the job. There was no tokenism or cynical 'symbolism' in what they did." Reagan-Bush Campaign Director Edward Rollins sarcastically termed Ferraro "a superb choice. She is bright, articulate, and she stands for everything Mondale stands for—increasing taxes, cutting defense spending."
Reagan strategists are still looking at—the election in the geographical—terms Mondale's aides abandoned. In the White House view, "Ferraro's choice cements Reagan's hold on the conservative South and West. The choice of a Southern or Western male might not have shaken that hold either, but, say the Reaganauts, it would have forced the Republicans to devote money and campaign time to securing the Sunbelt base. Those resources can now safely be devoted to the urban Northeast and industrial Midwest.