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Thomas: Well, I'm sorry that you can't spend more time in Panama City.

W.D.V.: I'd like to.

J.B.: Is there anything else that you wanted to comment on that we

didn't ask?

Thomas: No, not that I know of.

W.D.V.: We'll probably come back to you after the election and check

your predictions against reality.

Thomas: O.K. (Laughter.)

W.D.V.: And see how much of it was bullshit. (Laughter.)

Thomas: Well, you know, in 1972 .

W.D.V.: And see how much was pure prophecy. That's about the choice

you have.

Thomas: In 1972, I called the primary right down to a gnat's eyebrow

and people in Washington didn't believe that and in September, before

the general election in November, I told them exactly what Nixon would

get and everybody made fun of me, particularly the Democrats, the said

that it would never happen. But I told them that we would get 72%

for Nixon and we got 71.91 and I'll settle for that all day long. But

that's why I say that Thomas can beat Askew, because 75% of the people

in Florida are conservatives and all we've got to do is prove to them

that Askew isn't .

W.D.V.: You're basing that on the '72 election returns?

Thomas; Yeah. The '72 general election and the Wallace thing. I mean,

it's just here and that's the way it is. And see, you know, I don't have

any crystal ball for my prediction in the '72 thing. I took the Wallace

vote in '68 and the Nixon vote in '68 and added the two together and

added 3% that McGovern was a fucking nut, you know. You've got to

think of that, and that's the way it turned out, you know.


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.