Humphrey on What's Wrong

Before swinging into the last lap of his campaign, Hubert Humphrey paused to reflect on what had gone wrong, what part his own personality had played in his troubles and how he still hopes to govern the U.S. During an interview with Humphrey in Washington, TIME Correspondent Hays Gorey found him newly self-confident, by turns introspective and expansive, self-pitying and resolutely cheery. Humphrey naturally stressed his role as the underdog, tended to blame outside factors for his difficulties, and spoke with such unwarranted optimism that his words occasionally took on an aura of unreality. Nonetheless, they mirror Humphrey's current mood.

IT wasn't just a case of stepping into the campaign and getting started. I had to reorganize--completely--the Democratic National Committee. I had to get the Kennedy and McCarthy people into the campaign structure. This was a party of severed relationships. I was like a surgeon. I had to try to take care of all the wounds. And we had no money.

My first major error in judgment was when we went to Philadelphia to open the campaign [Sept. 9] and made it appear beforehand that this opening could be compared to Nixon's start in Chicago. He had been planning that Chicago parade and all the trimmings for six weeks. I had six days. All the stories comparing the two had a permanent impact. Nobody cared that we had no time. Nobody noted that Philadelphia isn't Chicago.

There were earlier adversities. Bobby Kennedy's death cast a pall over everything. It certainly did over me. I couldn't campaign for weeks. Then I got started and had to stop because I was ill. I was out of action for twelve days [with the flu, in July]. Then along came the convention--the two conventions, one inside the Amphitheater, one outside. What could have been worse for millions of people to be watching while trying to make up their minds whom to vote for? We went out of there destroyed. It's not a wonder that I'm running behind in the polls. You fellows should be surprised that I'm in this race at all.

In Texas, I had 13--think of it--13 scheduled meetings with various groups [political, ethnic and labor factions, some at odds with others]. Well, now we've got an organization going in Texas. We're going to win Texas. You know how a town looks after a cyclone has passed through? Well, that was what we looked like in California. New York? Not even Bobby Kennedy could put that together. Now New York is a standoff. We're going to win it. We've had to get all the aunts and uncles and cousins to agree to come back and have a family reunion and family picture taken together.

You know, you may not believe this, but in some ways I'm a loner. I'm a loner particularly when things go bad. I retreat within myself. Well, one of my problems this campaign has been that I have been in trouble, and I've become more and more of a loner. Even after all my years in public life, I don't really feel I understand the press. Sometimes I think if I make myself too available, you fellows will think I'm trying to do a snow job. This surprises you, doesn't it? Well, Humphrey isn't quite the cocky guy everybody thinks. From now on I'm going to hold press conferences and do all sorts of things. What have I got to lose?

I know talent. I've got a talent hunt on now. I'm going to bring a new team to this town and it's going to be a good team. I want to run this Government. No man knows more about the structure of Government than Hubert Humphrey. I mean all of it. I have studied every department of Government structurally.

I'm going to have Ed Muskie serve as a Special Assistant President, a super Cabinet official, a coordinator of domestic programs. It's going to be a Humphrey-Muskie Administration. We talk every night, share thoughts and ideas about the campaign and the Government that we're going to run. Sure, we have our differences. Differences are O.K. I've never demanded that people around me not have any differences. I need Ed Muskie. I need him to fill out my character.

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