BRUTAL CONTEST: Orange County developer Buck Johns,...

BRUTAL CONTEST: Orange County developer Buck Johns, a conservative Republican loyal to George Bush, recently had dinner with Gerald R. Ford, who offered this analysis: Bush would need both Texas and Florida to have a chance, but they happen to be the two states where Perot could eat up votes he needs. . . . Says Johns, who is a native of Arkansas: “Clinton is inept, but I don’t know if the President can pull this one out. The economy is brutal, and voters are inclined to lay blame at the top.”