The Bare Bones

Although there is no August lull for the candidates, there is one for the voter. While the nominees and their strategists are busily planning ways & means of getting the voter's attention and his vote, he can inspect the bare bones of the presidential campaign, the chief advantages that each party and its candidate have before the heavy speechmaking.

THE DEMOCRATIC ADVANTAGES

Arithmetic. Democrats outnumber Republicans roughly 11 to 9, and the political equivalent of Newton's first law of motion is that U.S. voters are hard to move from one party to another. But the Democratic arithmetical advantage is reduced by the fact that voters are not so party-bound as they used to be.

Prosperity. High levels of employment, wages, profits and national output always have helped the party in power. The issue could not be put more baldly than it is in the Democrats' 1952 campaign song:

The farmer's farmin' every day,

Makin' money and that ain't hay!

Don't let 'em take it away.

The Short, Smug View. In any field, especially foreign relations, many an American is apt to mistake small gains for big victories and to conclude smugly that the U.S. is improving its position in the world.

The Opposition's Weakness. When a party is too long out of power, some of its leaders and spokesmen become irresponsible. The Democrats will paint the Republican Party as the party of Jenner, McCarthy & Cain.

The Payroll. On the U.S. Government payroll are 2,603,300 civilian employees who, with their families, carry a tremendous vote into the Democratic column.

The Beneficiaries. Some of those who receive Government checks (e.g., the old-age pensioner) consider the Administration in power rather than the U.S. taxpayers as the source of their benefits.

THE REPUBLICAN ADVANTAGES

It's Time for a Change. A lot of people think just that.

The Future. Just as the Democrats have an asset in the present, Republicans can stake a claim to a great U.S. future not based on war or deficits.

The High Cost of Living. Inflation is a burden the Democrats must shoulder.

The Big Picture. More & more, voters are aware that the U.S. long-run position in the world has deteriorated and is in grave danger of further deterioration, especially in Asia and the Middle East. The Korean deadlock is a symbol of the Administration's inability to make real headway in resolving the world crisis. An Administration which will not admit its past calamitous mistakes (e.g., China) cannot set vigorously about retrieving those mistakes.

Communism. Many voters, including lifelong Democrats, are worried and outraged by the Democratic Party's lack of indignation at Communist influence in and on the U.S. Government.

Corruption. When a party is too long in power, corruption grows, and the Republicans will benefit from voters' realization that the Democrats are caught in this familiar swamp.

High Taxes & Waste. Each payday the taxpayer is reminded of how much of his income the Federal Government is taking, and many a taxpayer believes that a large part of what he pays is wasted.

STEVENSON'S ADVANTAGES

Old & New. To those voters who want both continuity and change, Adlai Stevenson is a new face on the old party and the old policies. His pitch is: "Don't let them take it away, but if you want a change, I'm it."

Good Words. Voters like a man who knows how to express himself in clear, dignified, freshly minted sentences. Stevenson has that ability.

Good Works. Stevenson's public record is not long or great, but most of it is good.

EISENHOWER'S ADVANTAGES

Stature. The presidency of the U.S. is now the biggest, toughest political job in the world. Dwight Eisenhower's experience in making decisions in a world contest gives him an enormous advantage.

Attraction. Both men have charm and the priceless quality of attracting first-rate men to work with them. Eisenhower seems to have more of both qualities; at least his attraction has been more widely tested and proved.

Organization. At home and abroad, American problems are largely those of organization. Eisenhower is one of the great organizers of the century.

Principles. On some matters, Eisenhower cannot express himself as well as Stevenson, but when Ike speaks of the fundamentals of his religious and political faith (as he did in his informal afternoon speech at Abilene--TIME, June 16), his words ring as true as any man's.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.