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 after the election are you?

 J.B.: No.

 Thomas: Well, even if he doesn't get indicted, I don't see how he

 can win in 1974. Because I've said, and I believe this fervently, that

 this year, I don't care whether you are a Democrat or a Republican, if

 you've got a book past due at the library, you are in deep trouble.

 I mean, any incumbent who has got any blemish on his record, who has

 been in any kind of hanky-panky, anything like that, he's going to have

 a problem, if he has a qualified man running against him who brings it

 out. I mean, it ought to prove to our benefit as far as the state is

 concerned, because there are so many Democrats, particularly in the

 cabinet, you know, who are involved in these scandals. And if we don't

 elect two or three people to the cabinet, there's not much hope for us.

 Hell, we'll never have a better opportunity than we've got now.

 J.B.: Askew would be pretty tough though, wouldn't he?

 Thomas: Askew would be tough except for one thing. And I think that

 this is the way we are going to run the campaign 75% of the

 people in Florida, or close to that, are conservatives and it doesn't

 matter whether they are registered as Democrats or Republicans, they

 are still conservatives. If we prove, and this is going to be our

 campaign, we can prove that Askew is not a conservative. He ran as

 a conservative and he was elected as a conservative, but the day after

 he was elected, he started bending to the left and he has gone too far

 to the left. The vote in Florida against busing was about 80% and

 Askew endorsed it. Now, a lot of people say that busing is not going

 to be an issue this year, but I'll tell you-right now,.it damn sure is.






From the Southern Oral History Program, #4007, Interview 4-60 in the Southern Historical Collection,
University of North Carolina Library, Chapel Hill. FOR REFERENCE ONLY: PERMISSION TO
PUBLISH MUST BE REQUESTED. WARNING: MOST MANUSCRIPTS ARE PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT.