ustxtxb_obs_1982_04_09_50_00010-00000_000.pdf

Teague candidacy to represent the 6th District, “slowing down the train” was his main theme. Too much had happened too fast, he said. Teague, like most conservative Texas Democrats, philosophically supports Reagan’s underlying maxim: government that governs least governs best. But he thinks Stockman and company took that principle too far. “The ‘Trojan Horse’ economic theory espoused by David Stockman does not ask the wealthy to make the same sacrifices being asked of the poor,” he said at his announcement press conference. Can Teague beat Gramm becaue he disagrees with his economic theory? In a recent telephone interview Teague was cautious. “Let me put it this way,” he said. “The supply-side favors the wealthy. Gramm has more money in his campaign treasury then my daddy had in his estate when he died. Of course, it will be a tough fight. “But I think I can win,” he added. If Teague wins, it will be the victory of a populist candidate against a strict theoretician. Teague points out that Gramm, in order to ram the budget through congress, voted against some sacred cows which never should have been considered. Gramm supported cuts in the minimum benefits under social security, cuts in farmers’ home administration assistance, and he supported cuts in the student-loan program. Teague claims that Gramm lied to his constituents that he promised a reduction in the federal budget and a reduction in taxes would be good for the country. Gramm promised prosperity and low interest rates, Teague says. Instead, he said, we have the largest budget deficit in history with nearly 10 million people out of work. Indeed, Teague is supported by a recent announcement by the Congressional Budget Office, which warns, that despite the Reagan administration’s optimistic figures, federal deficits will soar beyond $100 billion within the next two years. It would seem, then, that Teague is saying all the right things. Gramm took a theoretical gamble and lost and the people will take the brunt of the loss. Teague’s announcement speech was well-rehearsed, soft and firm. His handshake is warm, his eye-contact genuine. He obviously believes in what he says he feels betrayed by people like Gramm and doesn’t want his kind to represent the 6th District. But for somebody who had a father in congress for 32 years and who has lived in the district most of his life, Teague doesn’t appear to know much more than what he typed up for his announcement speech. When asked about which counties would be toughest to grab away from the incumbent, Teague drew a blank. “I don’t know. I guess Montgomery County. But that’s because I don’t know anything about Montgomery County.” When asked about the new Federalism, he reiterated parts of his speech slow the train down. The decision-making is too fast. The state of Texas cannot handle so many programs so quickly, he said, administratively or fiscally. And when presented with Gramm’s track record of funding projects in small communities like Ennis, Joshua and Cleburne or for Texas A&M University Teague changed the subject. It’s true that if Gramm’s fiscal philosophy succeeds, funding days for small communities and universities are over. But Teague wasn’t quick enough on the draw to point that out. Teague has several other strikes Austin After working for about 14 years in community service programs funded by the federal government, Rex Carey was axed, the victim of President Reagan’s budget cuts. Carey lives in the 6th District and was only too aware of the role Rep. Phil Gramm played in the budget slashing of 1981. The agency he worked for Community Services Administration was disbanded last fall. Carey now devotes his time to running against Reaganomics and Gramm. “There’s no denying that my agency was destroyed because of the budget cuts,” Carey says, “I worked with the OEO \(U.S. Office for Economic Opporsidered a conservative. But I am concerned about the cuts in those programs. You don’t have to read much analysis in the papers to see the result and impact of the budget cuts.” “I’m running because of the impact of the economic program on the elderly and the poor,” Carey says. “We’re turning back the clock to the 20s and 30s.” Carey considers himself a rural Texan. He grew up on a farm in North Central against him. He initiated his campaign six weeks late and his campaign treasury is minuscule. “We’ve gotten a few contributions mostly from local people and friends,” Teague admits. “But some people who’ve given Gramm money have offered me some. I think they just want to see what Gramm’s program is. And I don’t think he has one.” Despite the problems, the Teague name IS legendary. And though Teague claims, “Dad and I never sat down and said, ‘I think you should run for office,’ ” the younger Teague doesn’t mind the blessings of his father’s memory. And it may be that the small towns of the 6th District would rather have their libraries funded and social security benefits intact, than put their votes on Gramm’s powerful economic philosophy. “I don’t think he can win,” says John Williams, publisher of the Bryan-College Station Eagle. Williams thinks that Gramm “is just too smart and powerful.” He agrees that Teague is a nice guy, but his assessment of this race nice guys will finish last. M.M. Texas, attended Tarleton State Univ., and graduated from Baylor University in 1961 as a history major. He spent five years in the Air Force, including a stint in West Germany. He returned to Texas where he worked for the regional office of the OEO in Austin and where he worked toward a master’s degree in Government from the University of Texas at Austin. He received his master’s degree in 1970. He is married and has three children. His last years with the federal government were spent as an analyst and coordinator for Community Action Programs for CSA. Though he worked out of Dallas, he has lived in Midlothian since 1978 a member of the 6th District. Carey spends a great deal of his time speaking throughout the 6th District, visiting people in towns and courthouses. He has no plans to set up a formal campaign structure. Carey says that being an evaluator for federal programs, he knows that you can’t just cut them and hope for the best. “Gramm is experimenting with the economy,” Carey says. “And experimenting should be confined to the classroom.” M.M. Carey’s Job Chopped 10 APRIL 9, 1982