i.)4u1(45 i1oiwa6 grids Saturday, March 15, 1986 Events aid Clements push Bill Clements can look back over the last few weeks and smile at what he sees. An unex- pected convergence of events is strengthening his campaign to recapture the governor's man- sion. Last week's teacher com- petency testing is one of those events working in his behalf. Gov. Mark White is the focal point of teachers' dissatisfaction with the testing pro- cess. Even good teachers don't like it and are convinced its primary objective, weeding out incompetents from among their ranks, is doomed to failure. They blame White for their own inconvenience and for a flawed approach to solving a real problem. Teachers' unhappiness with White clearly creates a more favorable environment for the ultimate Republi- can gubernatorial nominee, but it seems to be shoring up Clements' primary campaign as well. At first that puzzled me, but conversations with a number of teach- ers have given me an understanding of why it is so. Although teachers were instrumental in White's de- Although teachers were instrumental in White's defeat of Clements four years ago, most teachers bear Clements no animosity. Their support of White in 1982 was based more upon their expectations of White than upon their grievances against Clements. feat of Clements four yeas ago, most teachers bear Clements no animosity. Their support of White in 1982 was based more upon their expectations of White than upon their grievances against Clements. Further, teachers want to beat White so badly they are looking for the strongest candidate to do the job. Recent years of political involvement have taught them the importance of money to a campaign, and they are confident Clements' campaign will be adequately fi- nanced. Plus, of course, Clements has the added advan- tage of name identification. The turning of teachers' eyes to Clements is practi- cal, not emotional. Their dissatisfaction with White, heightened by the recent test, offers potential to Tom Loeffler and Kent Hance as well. Loeffler and Hance could steal Clements' teacher chips with a carefully crafted, intensive effort. The potential for teachers' support of any Republi- can in the primary exists today, but that potential is jeopardized by the long-standing habit of most Texans, teachers included, of voting in the Democratic primary. With well over a month of campaigning left, the present intensity of teachers' feelings could diminish, allowing them to postpone support of a Republican until after the primary. Another event working in Clements' behalf, the state's financial crisis, has far greater impact, and its political results are not so tenuous. It touches every state agency, every state college and university, and has an impact on most families of the state. If new taxes are sought to meet the projected deficit, then all families will be touched. The budget crisis, thus, puts a priority on manage- ment skills. Clements' very credibility markets him as a skilled manager, one who can put "business sense" into management of the state's affairs. And to his advantage, people are now remembering him as a tough, no-non- sense manager as governor, and memories of his abra- siveness are fading. For months, polls have shown Clements to be the front-runner in the race for the Republican nomina- tion. I have not been impressed by those polls. It has been clear to me for some time that Clements' support, though broad, is not deep, much like Dolph Briscoe's support in 1978, the year Briscoe lost to John Hill. Until now, it has seemed possible Clements might not make the runoff, akin to Bob Krueger's demise in the Democratic Senate race two years ago. But the budget crisis and teacher dissatisfaction are minimizing that possibility. They present problems which play to Clements' strengths, and Clements is not one to let such opportunities pass. Clements isn't bashful, whether in pointing out White's failures or his own accomplishments. The more unhappy teachers become with White, the easier it is for Clements to portray White's shortcom- ings. And the more severe the state's financial crisis, the easier it is for Clements to portray his own strengths. In short, the worse the state's problems are, the bet- ter Clements looks. And Clements is looking a lot better these days. Doug Harlan is a San Antonio attorney and Republi- can peace justice. He is a former college professor with a Ph.D in political science.