Words and Actions

<SPAN style=FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-no-proof: yes; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA><P class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal>In 1974 Dick VanderVeen made national news when he became the first Democrat from Grand Rapids elected to Congress in 60 years.<SPAN style=mso-spacerun: yes> </SPAN>His campaign calling for President Nixon's resignation had turned the race into a referendum on Watergate and the victory was a historical turning point in that national drama.</P><P class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office /> </P><P class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal><B style=mso-bidi-font-weight: normal>From his journals:</B></P><P class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal>What was happening in our special election became political news all around the country.<SPAN style=mso-spacerun: yes> </SPAN>In the last days of the campaign reporters and TV crews from Washington New York and around the world began to appear.<SPAN style=mso-spacerun: yes> </SPAN>Marion fed a BBC television crew in the kitchen on Edgemere.<SPAN style=mso-spacerun: yes> </SPAN>Mary McGrory Jack Germond NBC CBS and ABC appeared. . . .</P><P class=Dick style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt 0.2in; LINE-HEIGHT: normal> </P><P class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal><B style=mso-bidi-font-weight: normal>From <I style=mso-bidi-font-style: normal>Newsweek</I> following the election upset:</B></P><P class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal>Worst of all for the president was the damage done his reduced base of support by the Grand Rapids returns-the second straight GOP defeat in a run of five special congressional elections this winter and spring.<SPAN style=mso-spacerun: yes> </SPAN>The first in Pennsylvania two weeks earlier was widely termed too ambiguous to read since the margin was only 400 votes and Watergate was not overtly an issue.</P><P class=MsoNormal style=MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal><SPAN style=mso-tab-count: 1> </SPAN>But Democrat Richard F. VanderVeen's convincing victory in a district that never gave Ford less than 60 per cent of the vote occasioned no such bewilderment; he made the election a referendum on whether Mr. Nixon should stay or go and the answer by 51 to 44 per cent was go.</P><P></SPAN> </P>