Party Chief Calls For Democratic Unification

The Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, speaking at the Kennedy School last night, stressed that Democrats must unify disparate groups within the Party if they are to regain the presidency in 1988.

A standing room only crowd of more than 600 packed the ARCO forum to near Paul Kirk '59 predict the future of 'The Democrats After Reagan,' a speech sponsored by the Institute of Politics.

"We are already in the post-Reagan era," said Kirk, who often became emotional and stumbled over words during the speech.

"We were brought to our knees in 1984," Kirk said, adding he was hopeful that in 1985 Democrats "have been brought to their senses."

The New Sensibility

The new sensibilty, Kirk outlined in his speech, means a housecleaning and unlfying of the party plagued by divisiveness in the 1984 election. The American people are more likely to trust a party that can run its own administration, said Kirk, a longtime associate of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy '54 (D-Mass.).

To accomplish the goal of efficent party government, Kirk said his administration in its first year has limited the impact specific interest groups have in the Party. Kirk also said he will eliminate forums where Democrats air dissent among themselves.

To push interest groups from the central role they occupy in party politcs, Kirk earlier this year eliminated several minority caucuses, putting a number of special interest groups under the direction of a single office. "Most Americans don't belong to organized caucuses" and the party must court those who don't Kirk said.

Along these lines, the Massachusetts lawyer also said he had asked several special interest group organizations to avoid preliminary endorsements of candidates in 1987.

Kirk said a fairness commission, created at the 1984 convention and mandated to investigate the party's system of alloting delegated to a low-key role to avoid controversy within the party.

The Rev. Jesse L. Jackson charged during the last campaign that the party's system of giving delegates only to those candidates who garner a certain percentage of votes in state primaries was unfair.

Kirk said the party has already stopped "the hemorraging of the realignment," to the Republican party. He pointed to a Democratic victory in a special Congressional race in Texas this past summer and predicted the Democrats would regain control of the Senate in the coming election.

In that eastern Texas race, the Democratic candidate, Jim Chapman, defeated a well-financed, former football player and Republican favorite, Ed Hargett.

A Republican effort to get Democratic southerners to switch their party affiliation was a failure, Kirk said, costing his opponents $1.5 million.

"We must move into the future," Kirk said, "unafraid of change." Kirk said Democrats can and have taken a leadership role on a number of issues, including South Africa, the deficit, defense policy, and trade policy.

He also said the party must reach out to the young of the nation. He said the party must give to young voters the kind of inspiration given to his generation by John F. Kennedy '40 and to an earlier generation by Franklin D. Roosevelt '04.

Kirk said he has refused advice given to him at the beginning of his term that the party should become more like the Republican party.