The American people will vote on Nov. 8 for the person that they want to lead them for the next four years. This cannot become a referendum on the successes and failures of the Reagan White House. This election must be America’s choice of a strong and competent leader. We must put aside our dogmatic differences and study our choices in leaders.

So far, our leaders push blame at each other and turn their face to hide when they must talk honestly about what must be done to solve this problem. It is neither a Republican problem, nor a Democratic problem, it is an American problem.

We need strong leadership in the coming years. We need a president who is not just likable, but instead we need one who will push Americans to strive for a better America rather than sit passively by as the status quo deteriorates. We need a president that will challenge Americans to do better—a leader that will challenge Americans, young and old, to educate themselves, a leader that will work with labor and management to increase U.S. productivity, and a leader that will keep us strong, but fair and cautious, in world policy.

We need a president that will lead us into the next decade and one who will lay the foundation for the next century. We don’t need a Republican president who is pre-occupied with the Soviet Union. America needs a Democratic president that is pre-occupied with the U.S. America deserves competent leadership, not charisma and affability. America needs and deserves Mike Dukakis as president.

Dukakis may not have a lot of charisma, but he certainly has the ability to lead and the capacity to govern. Dukakis and the other guy don’t have ideological differences, they both believe in a republican democracy—they differ on solutions. The issue that really sets them apart is that President Dukakis, as Bruce Babbit said, “… will challenge us to reach higher and fulfill a larger destiny.” Please vote on Nov. 8. Remember to vote for Dukakis and keep hope alive.

Thomas Elkins, Secretary

Young Democrats of N.I.U.