Word: setbacks
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There was a flurry of excitement at the assembly involving a nonpolitical document titled "Witnessing in a Divided World." Bishop Per Lonning of the Church of Norway (Lutheran) called it a "dangerous setback," because it showed a "lack of missionary urgency" and did not emphasize the uniqueness of Christianity. Agreeing, the delegates voted nearly unanimously for a revision, but in dealing with a bushel of political statements on everything from nuclear arms (yes to a freeze) to Palestinian rights (an emphatic endorsement), they never had a chance to act on the rewritten statement. Nonetheless, the delegates were enthusiastic about...
...hard times came as a shocking setback to a country that only a few years ago was one of the most dynamic developing nations. After the Brazilian army seized power in 1964, the generals signed up European-and U.S.-trained technocrats. Borrowing billions from abroad, the government made huge investments in roads, dams, rural electrification and heavy industries such as steel and petrochemicals. For a while, the strategy worked spectacularly. Between 1968 and 1980, economic growth averaged 9% annually...
...followed by Breathalyzer tests to make sure the voters were sober enough to drive home. Their "votes" consisted of buying $5 margarita cocktails in the name of their favorite candidate. For Colorado Senator Gary Hart, whose Texas backers drank only 39 margaritas in his behalf, it was a setback after he had leaped into contention at a showdown in Senator Alan Cranston's home state of California. In the candidates' division of the Calaveras County Jumping Frog contest, Hart's frog surprised pundits by leaving the rest of the pack in the dust...
...Christian Democratic headquarters, the shock of the setback was compounded by its severity. The party's own polls had forecast a vote of 40% to 41%, and Party Secretary De Mita had confidently predicted at least 37%. When De Mita finally emerged on election night, he was shaken. Said he: "We believe the problems of government now are more difficult, more complex. The vote seems to have expressed a judgment of protest, or condemnation." Around the corner, a block away at the Communists' modern, red stucco headquarters, there were scenes of jubilation. As a youthful crowd...
Some Christian Democratic leaders blamed the setback on costly political mistakes. Under De Mita's leadership the party had sought to renew its image by portraying itself as a reformist force in tune with postindustrial society. That campaign apparently backfired because it alienated people who preferred its role as a repository of traditional values. The Christian Democrats' attempt to glamorize themselves with respected, independent, "celebrity" candidates also failed. Former Bank of Italy Governor Guido Carli fared well enough in Milan, where he was elected a senator, but Film and Opera Director Franco Zeffirelli lost in Florence...