Pollster talks about course of campaign

As election day draws nearer, University students discussed the strengths and shortcomings last night of the three presidential candidates with American Civilization adjunct professor Frank Luntz. Luntz, who served as pollster and consultant for independent candidate Ross Perot during his initial bid for the presidency, told the students that President Bush will not be re-elected. Luntz also said he believes Perot would garner about 15 percent of the vote. Luntz outlined all of the candidates during his brief summary he titled "Election 1992, What Went Wrong?" "Bush never should have said 'Read my lips'," Luntz said. "When he was told [by his advisors] that he could break his promise -- that was the beginning of the end for Bush." Luntz, who also served as a pollster for Patrick Buchanan during the Republican primaries, predicted that Gov. Bill Clinton would win the election. But he noted that the Democratic presidential candidate's integrity was questionable. "Clinton got around -- up until the year he ran -- more than Ted Kennedy," Luntz added. "Some people said he inhaled, some people say he never exhaled." Luntz also spoke about his disappointment about the way Perot dropped out of the race. "The public reason he gave for getting out was crap," he said. "He said in private that it was a brutal process and he did not want his family involved. Why do you tell people one thing and mean another?" Luntz examined Clinton's reported moral indiscretions and Bush's strategy of highlighting them. "No one cares about Bill Clinton's private life right now. They're comfortable with it," Luntz said. "Bush gives us no positive reasons to vote for him. All of his discussion is why Clinton is wrong -- not why Bush is right." Luntz said the public's perception of the U.S. is so negative that voters are looking towards change. "The reason Bush is losing so badly is because he is losing your parents," Luntz said. The lecture was held in seminar style and students were encouraged to discuss the issues. To many of the students, Luntz and his reputation was the major attraction to attend. "There are a lot of people who see Frank Luntz as a political buffoon," College sophomore Valerie Cashour said. "But I think after sitting here in a small casual group situation, he comes across as a more respectable person -- we got to see where his opinion comes from."

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