By: Mary Mostert, Analyst, Original Sources, (www.originalsources.com)
August 1, 2000
It was a study in contrasts yesterday. In the words of Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Mark Bowden and Steven Thomma,
Preparing to launch George W. Bush on a mission to reclaim the presidency for the GOP, Republicans yesterday marshaled symbols of diversity and inclusiveness - from a distinguished black general to a Latina singer - in opening their 37th nominating convention here.Through two sessions of speeches and performances at the First Union Center, the party presented a picture of ethnic harmony and opportunity. On the day when the Texas governor's name was formally placed in nomination, speaker after speaker asserted that Bush would bring a new, positive cast to presidential politics.
Driving home that message was the night's final orator, retired Gen. Colin Powell, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
"Governor Bush has reached out to all Texans - white, black, Latino, Asian, Native American," Powell said shortly after electrifying the crowd with his entrance onto the convention stage. "He has been successful in bringing more and more minorities inside the tent by responding to their deepest needs.
"Some call it compassionate conservatism. It's just about caring for people. He can do the same thing as president. He will bring to the White House that same passion for inclusion. I know he can help bridge our racial divides."
The parade of minorities inside the First Union Center seemed to send a message to those protesting, largely over-weight seemingly 1960s leftovers out on Broad Street who were part of the Democrats "Reality Check" project. The "Reality Check" protesters held up signs claiming that 35 million people still "lived in poverty" in America. The minorities INSIDE the convention were telling story after story on how they escaped poverty, with Republican principles, faith in their own capabilities and hard work.
The Philadelphia Inquirer noted:
"Republican Party chairman Jim Nicholson had said in the morning that this would be a different kind of Republican convention. And he was proven correct in the evening when the choir from the Greater Exodus Baptist Church in North Philadelphia was beamed in to the convention hall with a rollicking gospel concert. The audience clapped enthusiastically."Greater Exodus’ minister, the Rev. Herbert Lusk, filmed with his congregation inside his Church, spoke of having been turned down for a loan from the bank next door "ten years ago" and reminded his Congregation that today, thanks to their faith in God and their faith in themselves and hard work they now OWNED the bank next door and had opened a charter school. He ended his rousing sermon by calling forth the blessings of God on George W. Bush.
After the day was over, TV network pundits were asking each other and guests "what happened to the religious right in this convention?" Apparently the media can’t accept a "religious " representative who is dark-skinned, self-confident and successful.
Outside the convention, C-Span filmed a "Reality Check" tour of one of Philadelphia’s poorest areas, which was one of the Democrat "spin" projects we mentioned a couple of days ago. It seems like something out of the past, complete with a running commentary by an aging Welfare Rights protester who was DEMANDING more government hand-outs from the Republicans. This was obviously an effort to advertise to the public that Republicans had passed welfare reform.
Both of the Clintons used the occasion of the Republican Convention to show the public what we can expect from them in the coming months. Hillary Clinton, speaking at an Urban League took the occasion to launch a negative, and inaccurate, attack on Dick Cheney. According to an Associated Press story, Hillary Rodham Clinton :
"decried the Republican National Convention on Monday as a ‘scripted show" designed to obscure differences between the parties, and criticized Dick Cheney's congressional votes on South Africa."Mocking George W. Bush's mantra of ‘compassionate conservatism,’ Clinton told 1,000 supporters of the National Urban League that the GOP convention in Philadelphia would offer ‘soothing sounds’ of compassion for the underserved but would ultimately provide little more than ‘empty rhetoric.’
She also said that Republican vice-presidential choice Dick Cheney "voted against freeing Nelson Mandela from prison when the white minority government ruled South Africa, saying, ‘It's hard (for Cheney) to explain no matter how hard he tries.’
Actually, that’s a snap to explain. Dick Cheney did not vote against freeing Nelson Mandela from prison. He voted against the Democrat imposed sanctions in the 1980s which required American companies to pull out of South Africa. He rightly noted, at the time, that pulling out the American Companies would harm black employees in South Africa the worst, while destroying the business foothold in South Africa that was enjoyed by the American companies.
And, Dick Cheney was certainly ahead of the times in that choice. The 1980s sanctions, passed over Ronald Reagan’s opposition, caused American companies to have to sell their buildings and plants in South Africa for 10 cents on the dollar and now that sanctions have been removed, many of them have no desire to risk going into South Africa again and perhaps having their businesses confiscated by the socialistic ANC government.
Of course, it WAS mostly the black South African employees of multi-national companies who lost their good paying jobs, thanks to the foolish Democrat policies which, obviously, Bill and Hillary still support. Before Democrat imposed sanctions, the South African rand was worth approximately a dollar. Today, after years of sanctions and six years of Nelson Mandela, the rand is worth about 15 cents.
The lame duck president, Bill Clinton, took the occasion of the opening of the Republican convention to criticize Republicans for their "tax cuts and prescription drug coverage for seniors. Their strategy is to talk about compassion and all -- and it's a brilliant strategy and a pretty package -- and they're hoping if they wrap it tight enough, no one will open it up before Christmas. " In separate releases, Clinton also criticized the "Republican leadership" for not having passed the trade bill with China and for "blocking judicial nominations."
However, in view of Al Gore’s sinking numbers in polls as a result of the negativism of the Democrats message and their attacks on the Republicans, Clinton appeared to pull his punches slightly saying,
""We don't have to have one of these negative campaigns. I recommend we just call a time out and say everybody running this year is good, patriotic American, men and women who love their families and love their countries and will do what they think is right. But they have honest disagreements."In effect what the Democrats managed to do yesterday in attempting to rain on the Republicans parade with their organized whining was to create a visual image for the viewer of continuing poverty after 70 years and $5 trillion of Democrat hand-outs to "solve" poverty problems, compared with a few years of financial success achieved by black Republicans who followed the education, optimism and hard work routine being strongly advocated by the GOP, and black speakers such as J.C. Watts, The Rev. Lusk, a variety of new black and Hispanic Republican candidates and Colin Powell.
The choice is shaping up to be between Bush’s optimism and Gore’s pessimism, Bush’s education successes and Gore’s determination to continue failed education policies for the sake of the Teachers’ Union. The speakers throughout the day yesterday at the podium in Philadelphia appeared to have been a majority of minorities - blacks, Hispanics, Oriental, with the opening prayer offered by a Rabbi and the closing prayer by Rev. Billy Graham’s forth son, the Rev. Franklin Graham. Those minorities and religious representatives were presented as success stories and friends - not as clients for government hand-outs.
Watching the C-Span coverage with me was my young friend, 20 year old Teresa. At the end of the report on the "Reality Check" coverage in which a middle aged activist tried to explain their "demands" for an "end to poverty" Teresa’s comment was to shake her head and ask, "How dumb do they think we are?"
Good question. From the two scripts we saw yesterday, one being the Republicans’ series of speakers and the other the Democrats series of contrived demonstrations, I would guess that the Democrats think voters are all too dumb to recognize left-over 1960s Saul Alinsky philosophy of "rubbing raw the sores of discontent" through street protests. It worked pretty well when Bill Clinton was young. Today, the young people are just a whole lot smarter than to think contrived picketing is going to solve any problems.
To comment: mmostert@waveshift.com
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