The race for November begins early for Franks

By Elihu Rubin

On Tues., Jan. 20, former Republican Congressman Gary Franks announced that he will challenge Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) for his seat in the U.S. Senate.

His candidacy announcement had the ring of power and clarity: "I am running for the U.S. Senate because I feel the hard-working families of Connecticut deserve a representative in Washington who will fight to limit federal government, lower taxes, and improve education." Sounds good. Who wouldn't vote for that?

Clearly, Franks is a crafty politician. He understands that his message must be strong and simple. He does not bother with the details of his intended proposals, or even the specifics of his platform. He wants to make politics easy to grasp for an electorate more concerned with the private lives of its elected officials than the boggling details of policy.

But overcoming Dodd, a popular and powerful Democrat who has been in Washington since 1974 and in the Senate for the last 18 years, will be no small task. Though the election is still over eight months away, early polls indicate that Franks trails the incumbent by roughly 20 percentage points.

Franks publicly recognizes that the cards are stacked against him, but even his self-effacing comments carry sharp political barbs. For example, Franks told the New Haven Register: "I know this is an uphill battle. There is no question of that. We are challenging a man who has been in Washington for nearly a quarter of a century, the epitome of an entrenched incumbent."

So we know that Franks is a good communicator. We know that he has a flair for jabbing his opponent. But these elements are not enough to win the seat. Franks needs money. He is at a severe economic disadvantage, having collected a paltry $500,000 compared to the $2 million sitting in his opponent's coffers.

So Franks goes to Greenwich, Conn., with former Vice-President Dan Quayle and raises $30,000.

An African American campaigning in Greenwich with Quayle? What time-warp have we entered?

But it's not as surprising as it may sound. Quayle is one of many right-wing Caucasians who is more than happy to hop on the Franks bandwagon. Bill Bennett and Jack Kemp may also campaign for Franks, courtesy of the Grand Old Party. The Republican national leadership is enamored with this black conservative.

Like many Republicans, Franks is tough on crime. He believes in the death penalty. He wants the bad guys to fry. But unlike many black politicians, Franks does not believe that the death penalty is unfairly and disproportionately applied to African Americans. In comparison, Dodd, and many Democrats like him, believe the racial disparity surrounding capital punishemnt is cause for national concern.

A player like Franks is an asset to the Republicans, which is why they are helping him raise money. A black man is articulating a conservative agenda, and this makes him a candidate that a predominantly white party is not afraid to vote for. He makes them forget our country's racist past.

But instead of squabbling over agendas and finance, perhaps we should ask ourselves, "Isn't it too early to be thinking about elections?" Dodd seems unconcerned with Franks' high-flying campaign production and his flurry of political jabs. According to his spokesman, Marvin Fast, it is too early for the busy Senator to focus on the re-election campaign.

This is as it should be. We do not want our elected officials constantly obsessing over the next election. We would prefer them plodding away in Washington--proposing bills, attending committee hearings, flirting with interns, and generally fighting for freedom and the American way.

Give credit to Franks for making a splash. He had been planning his political comeback for 14 months and has the intention of giving Dodd a run for his money.

The challenger understands that to get anywhere in this arena, particularly if you are attempting to dethrone a political dinosaur, you have to start fundraising and campaigning early. Though he speaks forcefully and plays both race cards, Franks will need more than a visit from Dan Quayle to vault him to Washington.

Elihu Rubin is a junior in Saybrook.

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