Lyons and Fuchs Say Campaign Rests on Candidates, Not Issues

Two political analysts agreed last night that the presidential campaign of 1956 will be one of personalities and not of issues.

Speaking before a forum held be the Liberal Union, Lawrence Fuchs, Professor of Political Science at Brandeis and Louis Lyons, noted radio and television news commentator and Curator of the Nieman Fellowships, both voiced agreement with Adlai Stevenson on the major aspect of the campaign. "There are no real issues between the two parties," Lyons said. "What the voter has to decide is who he wants to take charge."

In his speech, Fuchs branded Richard Nixon as a "character assassin and a no-good demagogue." Fuchs went on to emphasize the great gains in the public opinion polls and in the elections of the last four years that Stevenson and the Democrats have made. "However," Fuchs added, "if I were a bookie, I'd have to lay 8-5 on Ike. Stevenson has just too much ground to make up."

Lyons said that the major issues of the campaign have been blurred by Eisenhower's personality. "Stevenson's initial task is to pin the failures of the administration directly on Eisenhower." By doing this, Lyons felt that Stevenson would have the best chance of winning back the Democrats who voted Republican in 1952. "The Republicans," he said, "will just claim Peace and Prosperity and try to ride on Ike's coattails again."

"The Democrats cannot afford to make health a real issue in this campaign as it might easily boomerang on them," Fuchs said.