Show I something funny in our country" Walter Mondale said smiling “When you lose they simply throw you over the edge of the cliff and it's over" When he ran for President in 1984 Mondale received 375 million votes compared with Ronald Reagan's 544 million Reagan's electoral vote totaled 525 to 13 for Mondale How does Mondale feel about it now? “I miss the right" he said “I'm angry at many policies But I'm content where I am My search for the Presidency took 10 years out of my life Woof it's gone Sometimes I seemed kind of like a national vagabond or something crisscrossing the country “I don't have to do that anymore I can have a night at home a weekend at home I’ve made my peace with the past But I have friends who lost a campaign 20 years ago and if you get two drinks in them it comes back I’mlucky I'm not like that" We chatted in an elegant conference room in the Washington DC office of Winston & Strawn the law firm of which Mondale is a member Now 58 he appeared robust vital in top physical and mental condition Mondale served four years as Minnesota Attorney General 12 years as a US Senator four more as Vice President under Jimmy Carter But his manner seemed out of sync with his achievements “As a boy I got spanked for bragging" he said “I grew up believing that honesty integrity and hard work either spoke for themselves or were missing" Much has been written about the Scandinavian heritage that instilled in him such qual ities as emotional restraint and privacy Was this why he never learned to handle TV more effectively?Tve always resisted the Hollywood redo because I don't feel it is honest" he said “You're told that you should have your hair dyed and face fixed your views altered to fit some marketer's concept of what the public supposedly wants to hear That's not leadership It's an insult to the people" He paused “The President can get into every living room in America dominate what people around the world think are the facts The power of TV is inevitable What we need to figure out is even more to respect myself and be respected by my family and friends as well as to leave a legacy about who we are as a people and where we should be going this sounds noble and I don’t mean it that way I mean it in an unfancy Midwestern way Yes it's great to win We need the discipline that goes into that But we need to temper ourselves with humility and justice and decency" Could he recall the moment when he knew he had lost the Presidency? "I thought" he replied quickly “we had a chance at the end of the Democratic Convention But the moment you speak of happened in the second TV debate with Reagan Suddenly when I realized he was much better than in the first one I figured that was it “There was more than me at stake in continuing the fight There were lots of governors and Senators and others running There was also what I stood for So I had to keep the campaign momentum going to the end and 1 did" What advice would he offer anyone running for President in 1988? “No 1: Remember why you're running Let it be based on policy direction and values no ego or anger No 2: Master the modem methods of communication and do it honorably No 3: Spend a lot of time with young Americans They're our future No 4: Spend a lot of time in the South and West The Democrats are in danger of becoming a regional party instead of a national one No 5: Start early and work hard to raise the money you need No 6: Buy a case of self-effaci- ne how to make it positive That's why 1 argued for six Presidential - campaign debates We could have spent a night on economics another on national security another on social justice" After suffering one of the most devastating losses as a Presidential candidate does he have confidence in the voters? “Yes I do" Mondale replied “In the 1984 US election the public heard my plea for social justice and thought they also heard big government and higher taxes They didn't want it It wasn't a case of their not getting the message Who am I to complain? This is the same public that elected me for over 20 years "I wanted badly to win But I wanted spanks I’m almost certain nmiiniarrGrtm I won’t run agm” Mandate says "I miss thefight but not the campaigns” BY MALCOLM I tanippwtare No-D- oz tablets" Where does he go from here? “Lately I've done some teaching at the University of Minnesota Law School" Mondale told me “been involved with the Hubert H Humphrey Institute the National Endowment for Democracy civic things like thdt I'll probably help do some campaigning this fall Yet Im almost certain I won't run for office again" He smiled “I miss the fight but not the campaigns “I'm enjoying the challenge of private law practice and 1 do a lot of international work When abroad I often meet with heads of government" Mondale was quiet for a moment Then he said softly: “I'm sort of feeling my way and deliberately doing it slow To dwell on the past can destroy you Maturity requires that you know when it's over Then you can rebuild your life I can shape life the way get on with it I like to now" g BOYD MGE 12 JUlir 20 11M NUUK MAGAZWE |