Carter's Right-Hand Man

The remarkable rise of Stuart Eizenstat

" If the President had to fire all but one of us, he probably would keep Stu." That high praise comes from top White House Assistant Hamilton Jordan, and he is speaking of Domestic Affairs Adviser Stuart Eizenstat. In a matter of months, Eizensfat has quietly moved into an unrivaled position at the White House that was underscored by his role in shaping Carter's urban policy. Says another high-level aide: "On a day-to-day basis, Stu probably has greater influence on the President on a broader range of issues than anybody."

Eizenstat, 35, was one of Carter's original Georgia Mafia, but his rise has nonetheless been remarkable. The son of an Atlanta shoe wholesaler, he was a star basketball player in high school and later studied at the University of North Carolina and Harvard Law School ('67). He wrote speeches on domestic affairs for Lyndon Johnson, then became an adviser to Hubert Humphrey during the 1968 presidential race. At that time he believed in the Great Society approach to social problems: spend more money on them.

But by the time Eizenstat joined Carter's campaign staff, he had become what he calls a "pragmatic progressive." Says he: '"I still believe that government has a positive role to play in making people's lives better. I'm not one who believes that Washington is the enemy of the people. But we've learned in the last ten years that there are limits to government's resources and to its capacity to solve problems."

Eizenstat now directs a 27-member staff that advises the President on domestic matters and coordinates White House policies with federal agencies. He is one of the few advisers to see Carter daily, and sometimes several times a day. Other Administration officials give him high marks for accurately presenting their views on policy to Carter, but Eizenstat usually attaches his own recommendations as well. Says an associate: ''On almost every domestic issue, Stu has the last word." He pushed successfully for keeping a few proposed minor reforms in the Administration's tax cut bill, which is now before Congress. He persuaded Carter to add 415,000 more public service jobs to his economic stimulus package. Now he is trying to speed up work on a national health insurance program. At times he has given Carter bad advice. He erred in recommending that the Administration pay back maritime unions for their election support by backing legislation that would have required at least 9.5% of U.S. oil imports to be carried aboard U.S. ships. He also misjudged congressional sentiment about a consumer protection agency; it died in the House.

At first, some Cabinet members were rankled by Eizenstat's influence with the President. Says White House Press Secretary Jody Powell: "In the past, Cabinet people have tried to undercut Stu. But now the word is out that this sort of thing just doesn't make it any more." Still, a few Administration officials complain that Eizenstat often looks at issues mostly from a short-range political viewpoint. Last week several economic advisers were grumbling that he is too deeply involved in economic policy. He took some courses in economics at college but majored in political science. His critics were particularly angry with him for helping to persuade Carter to postpone making a policy statement on inflation until the President returns from abroad next week. Eizenstat felt that the statement was too vague.

Soft-spoken and self-effacing, Eizenstat usually wears pinstripe suits and neatly knotted ties. He has little time for social functions, preferring to spend his private hours with his wife Fran and two young sons at their home in fashionable Chevy Chase. On rare occasions, he plays a quick set of tennis on courts near his home. Despite his growing role in the Administration, he intends to stay in the background, acting as Carter's solidly dependable right hand on national policies. Says he: "I'm going to try and shape things."

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