Portsmouth Herald
LAMAR ALEXANDER BRINGS CAMPAIGN TO EXETER
9/8/95 Pg. A7
By Liane Evans, Herald Staff

   EXETER - U.S. presidential hopeful Lamar Alexander's walk-and-talk
campaign took him through Exeter yesterday, with visits to the Town Office
Building, Exeter Kiwanis Club and Riverwoods Retirement Community. A barbecue
at Swasey Parkway was scheduled for yesterday evening.
   Alexander, a former Tennessee governor and education secretary under
George Bush, is trying to establish name recognition with New Hampshire
primary voters by gaining as much publicity as he can during his sporadic
90-mile trek from central New Hampshire to Portsmouth. Yesterday, his hike
stopped in front of the Rockingham County Courthouse. He will resume his walk
from there sometime in October, an aide said. He plans to reach Portsmouth,
via Hampton and the coast, the day before the New Hampshire primary.
   Wearing his trademark black and red plaid L.L. Bean-style shirt that he
hopes will gain him an edge with New Hampshire voters, Alexander, 55, gave a
brief speech at the affluent Riverwoods retirement community yesterday after
eating lunch in the dining room.
   While the room had been set up to accommodate at least 75, only 14
residents sat in Riverwoods Great Room to hear Alexander speak. One resident
said notice of Alexander's visit was posted too late and many Riverwoods
residents probably missed it.
   Alexander, who has positioned himself as a Washington outsider, touched on
the topics of welfare reform, education, job growth and increasing personal
responsibility.
   He called rival Bob Dole's welfare plan ``831 pages of gobbledegook. It's
your money. I want you to keep it here,'' he said.
   Lamar wants to abolish Washington involvement in abortion, welfare and
education, and he advocates a voucher system enabling parents to send
children to the school of their choice.
   Alexander said he has encouraged Colin Powell to run for president on the
Republican primary ticket, but would not drop his candidacy if Powell runs.
   Alexander said he hopes a strong third-party candidacy does not emerge.
``The country needs a majority president,'' he said. ``Clinton has been
handicapped as a 43 percent president. He's had a rough time persuading us of
anything.''
   On job growth, he favors cutting the capital gains tax, establishing a
flat tax with one or two levels of taxation, and providing vouchers for
training during job transition.
   At least one Riverwoods resident thought highly of Alexander. ``I think
he's wonderful,'' said Libby Holaday. ``He has his feet on the ground. He's
not your standard politician. I think he's thought things through.''