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A "Real People" segment Saturday featured the According to a Bloomerite organizer tf the
world championship rope-jumping competition event, thi3 year's competition b not quite open,
held in a litjle town, somewhere in the United "We're not gonna let any Russians precipitate in
States, called Bloomer. In Bloomer, skippers hop the competition this year " he said,
faster and fancier than people anywhere else on 1 hope not. That would be a little messy. Espe-
the good planet Earth. Well, almost anywhere. cially indoors.
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The furor over the Soviets' and their pals' deci
sion not to compete in the 1084 Summer Olym
pics has quited. Discussion about that decision
now is taking an interesting, though not entirely
unpredictable, tone.
"We're sorry all those countries won't be here,"
American athletes and fans alike can be heard
saying, "but now we can win more medals."
That's notall bad. Everyone wants to win, and
it's only natural to be happy when one's chances
of doing so are increased. In this case, however,
the way American and others' chances have
improved may prove costly indeed.
Granted, the primary stated purpose of the
Olympics is toprovide amateur athletes an op
portunity to compete against their counterparts
from other nations. The 1984 Summer Olympics
will be somewhat crippled in that sense". However,
many of the best will be in Los Angeles, and the
competition there should be anything but lack
luster. The 1984 Games will not be world cham
pionships, but still could be successful as interna
tional athletic competition.
The Games also may be only partially success
ful in their secondary function as a non-political
international gathering. This is where the Soviet
bloc's abdication really hurts. The Olympic Games
for all their national fervor, are a chance tor peo
ple from different countries to mingle where
money and lives are not at stake, where the test of
a person's mettle is not how much capital they
control or how many people they can kill, but how
fast they can run, how high they can jump, how
far they can throw. Beneath the national colors
on their breasts, Olympic athletes are humans
competing against humans.
That type of contact is important in today's
world, particularly between the United States
and the Soviet Union. The USSR's decision not to
compete in Los Angeles, whatever its reason, can
only serve to increase East-West polarization.
The Russians may not be precipitating in the
world rope-jumping championships in Bloomer,
but they've already rained on the Olympic parade.
Christopher Burfe&da
Win or lose.
Mandate sco
ory
Whatever the outcome of the November general
election, Walter Mondale will have scored a victory.
The choice of Rep. Geraldine Ferraro of New York
most certainly with the consultation of democratic
pols and his aides, was a choice of vision ensuring
the future of the present power structure.
Burden
I would venture to say that, although they would
never admit it publicly, the democratic leaders
sense the chances of bsating President Reagan in
1 984 are slim to none. Running a close race with him
could be considered a victory. So the selection of a
woman vice presidential candidate does many things
for the party and for Mondale. Among these:
It puts Mondale and Ferraro in the history books,
whether or not they win the election. If they do win,
so much the better; then they'll havethalked up two
firsts.
It gives the party a scapegoat should the ticket fail
in November. Quite simply, it could set women in
politics back 20 years if the democrats lose, because
the likely reaction will be "we fought a good fight, but
the country just wasn't ready for a woman in the
White House. Well try again later, honey."
If the male democratic leaders have the foresight
to acknowledge that they may lose in 1984, it gives a
foothold in 1988 when there will not be a Ronald
Reagan to contend with. Mondale could run again in
1988 without the pressure to chose such a non
traditional running mate. He will be able to literally
chose the best man for the job, since he's already
broken the gender barrier. Most voters will not see it
as a retrenchment, since, if the democrats lose this
year, they will be able to say that they tried.
However, the Democrats may still have to deal with
the "minority" populace in 1988.
It slyly evades the issue of minority representation
in the top two positions, and in the party, since
women in this country are considered hi the lump
term "minorities." It ensures that should this move
succeed, the power of the country still will be in the
hands of white people. This is especially important if
the Democrats look at the possibility, however
remote, of presidential assassination.
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Daily Nebrcskcn
Tuesday. July 17,1934