By: Mary Mostert, Analyst, Original Sources (www.originalsources.com)
August 3, 2000
In what appears to be a studied effort to dismiss a clearly smash hit in political party convention circles, pro-Democrat writers and commentators are slamming the supposedly "unbalanced" muliticultural look of the Republican Convention in Philadelphia.
The New York Post noted yesterday, "Bush's first stop is a Latino festival co-starring his hunky Spanish-speaking nephew George P. Bush, symbolizing his bid to move the GOP beyond whites, who comprise 80 percent of convention delegates."
The "predominantly white" convention delegates have been the butt of sarcasm not only by the media, but by Democrats, including Bill Clinton and Al Gore, who point out that, among the delegates, whites predominate, but at the podium, there is a very strong black, Hispanic and other minority presence. Jesse Jackson was reported by the N.Y. Post as saying:
"the lineup of African-American and Latino speakers and performers featured at the Republican convention on Monday night, contrasted sharply with the overwhelming majority of white delegates on the floor."It's a tactical consideration," he said. "They're really trying to put appealing sheep's clothing on devious wolf policy."
While I don't know how they are coming up with the racial numbers at the Republican convention, if 80% of the delegates are white, there are fewer whites among the Republican Party delegates than there are in the population of the United States as a whole - which is 83.4% white; 12.4% black, 3.3% Asian and .8% American Indian.
Yesterday, the person who sang the National Anthem was a Chickasaw Indian woman from Oklahoma with a marvelous singing voice. The opening prayer was given by 49er quarterback and Mormon elder Steve Young and the closing prayer was given by Greek Orthodox Archbishop Demetrios. The popular wrestler "The Rock" urged everyone not registered to vote to go register.
Gayle White, an Oklahoma rancher-farmer and a Democrat talked about Governor Bush stopping government bureaucrats from tell "us farmers how to use our land" if elected.
Leilani Duarte, of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin talked about being helped, in her hour of desperation, by Republican Governor Thommy Thompson's welfare reform program, saying the social worker even "Called me by my name, not my case number."
Kim Jennings, of Rodgers, Arkansas, a single parent, talked about the "difficult" job it has been for her to work, go to school and care for her child, made more difficult by the fact that the "more I work, the more the government took. By cutting my taxes Gov. Bush will reduce my taxes by $1000. With that tax cut I can save for Burgundy's college education. I trust George W. Bush as our next president."
Kim was followed to the podium by Governor John Gilmore of Virginia who noted that Benjamin Franklin had said there in Philadelphia, "In this world nothing is sure but death and taxes." Ben would never think his words would become the slogan of the modern Democrat Party." He reminded the delegates that while the Republican controlled congress had passed a bill eliminating the "marriage tax," the "present administration" promises to veto it.
Then Rudy Bradley, an African-American and a member of the Florida State Senate, talked about joining the Republican party after "52 years as a Democrat." He left the Democrats because, he said,
I finally figured out that my philosophy of freedom, prosperity, and less government was not welcome.
I also grew tired of the Democrats' partisanship - they seemed more interested in scoring political points than solving the people's problems.
So I switched to the party of hope, freedom and compassion. And I am not alone. Nearly 500 other elected officeholders have switched to the GOP since the beginning of the Clinton-Gore Administration. And it's because of leaders like Governor George W. Bush.
Like me, Governor Bush's vision is to renew America's purpose by redefining the role of government - not ending it.
Like me, Governor Bush believes the most effective government is government closest to the people.
Then the delegates were treated to a musical number by Rep. Joe Scarborough, a Republican member of the House of Representatives who put together his own musical group.
Rep. John Kasich, Republican of Ohio, and the cornerstone of the successful effort in the Congress to balance the budget and the resulting surplus, told the Delegates:
We believe America works best when it is run from our families and our communities to the top.Nothing better illustrates those Republican principles than George W. Bush's economic program. First and foremost, we believe in tax cuts. For me, tax cuts are more than just numbers; they are a real moral issue. Every time we cut taxes we make government less important and people across the country more important. Tax cuts give us the power and the resources to fix the problems we face everyday in our own families and within our communities.
Today in America, the government taxes people more just because they are married.
This is wrong and we will end it.
People work a lifetime to build a business or a family farm. Then the government takes it away when they die. This death tax is wrong and we will end it.
Our senior citizens are punished for working longer and contributing more to our nation.
This policy makes no sense and we will end it.
George W. Bush has demonstrated real courage and real leadership for standing up to the Washington elite. He has proposed a bold plan to save and strengthen Social Security.
Rabbi Marvin Hier in a talk entitled "Speaking for the Children" said:
"During his term as President, George Washington wrote to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island, saying:" 'Happily the government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction and to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demeanor themselves as good citizens.'
"Those words define the Museum of Tolerance - visited each day by thousands of people - from diverse backgrounds and cultures, each leaving with a different memory. But the same message.
"The freedoms we cherish are not given in perpetuity; they must be earned and reclaimed everyday - and become our legacy to our children."
Then Windy Smith, a 26-year-old woman with Downs syndrome, read a copy of a letter she wrote to George W. Bush.. Thousands of delegates and media listened in respectful silence as Windy read:
My name is Windy Smith and I am 26 years old and I'm pulling for you to be our next President of the United States of America. I love to vote and I always stay up to watch the returns.
Mayor of Los Angeles Richard Riordan then told the convention delegates that the
"highest level of giving is teaching people how to be self-sufficient. The secrete to success is courage and giving."Then Senator Trent Lott spoke briefly, prefacing his introduction of Lynne Cheney by saying:
"What an exciting night!We've just nominated the next Vice President of the United States.
And, just in case you forgot, the current Vice President voted to raise taxes on seniors' retirement income.
He voted to raise gas taxes.
He voted to make the death tax retroactive. That's right, he voted to reach back to take more money from those who had already died. But even worse, he proudly calls this the best vote he has ever cast. Is it any wonder Americans don't want this Vice President to be their next President?
A radiant Lynne Cheney, proudly introduced her husband Richard by telling us, in part:
Dick and I have been married almost thirty-six years, and I'll tell you it has never been boring.And not just because of the many shifts and turns in our lives, but because the man I am married to has a very interesting mind.
Conversations with him have a way of taking unexpected turns. Problems get redefined, and you find yourself thinking about things in a new way. I cannot imagine the discussion that would not benefit from his presence.
He will be a very, very good vice president.
Let me also just say that he is a fabulous father.
And then Richard Cheney spoke in a quiet and deliberate demeanor words that the Washington Post and other news sources today have interpreted as "the most partisan to be delivered at the convention, ... an attack more on Clinton than on Gore, reflecting the determination of Republicans to turn the fall campaign into a referendum on the president's personal behavior:"
I have been given an opportunity to serve beside a man who has the courage, and the vision, and the goodness, to be a great president:
Governor George W. Bush.
I have been in the company of leaders.
I was there on August 9, 1974, when Gerald Ford assumed the presidency during our gravest constitutional crisis since the Civil War. I saw how character and decency can dignify a great office and unite a great nation.
I was a congressman when another man of integrity lived in the White House.
I saw a president restore America's confidence, and prepare the foundation for victory in the cold war.
I saw how one man's will can set the nation on a new course.
I learned the meaning of leadership from President Ronald Reagan.
I left Congress to join the cabinet of President Reagan's successor.
And I'm proud to say that I'm not the only man on this ticket who has learned from the example of President George Bush.
I saw resolve in times of crisis ... the steady hand that shaped an alliance and threw back a tyrant. He earned the respect and confidence of the men and women of America's armed forces.
I have been in the company of leaders. I know what it takes.
And I see in our nominee the qualities of mind and spirit our nation needs, and our history demands.
Big changes are coming to Washington.
To serve with this man, in this cause, is a chance I would not miss.
And then came what Clinton supporter call the "attack" on Bill Clinton:
We can make our public schools better.We can reform the tax code, so that families can keep more of what they earn ... more dollars that they can spend on what they value, rather than on what the government thinks is important.
We can restore the ideals of honesty and honor that must be a part of our national life, if our children are to thrive.
When I look at the administration now in Washington, I am dismayed by opportunities squandered.
Saddened by what might have been, but never was.
These have been years of prosperity in our land, but little purpose in the White House.
Bill Clinton vowed not long ago to hold onto power "until the last hour of the last day."
That is his right.
But, my friends, that last hour is coming.
That last day is near.
The wheel has turned ... and it is time ... it is time for them to go.
George W. Bush will repair what has been damaged.
He is a man without pretense and without cynicism. A man of principle, a man of honor.
On the first hour of the first day ... he will restore decency and integrity to the oval office.
He will show us that national leaders can be true to their word...and that they can get things done by reaching across the partisan aisle, and working with political opponents in good faith and common purpose.
That hardly justifies the use of the word "attack." An attack, according to my dictionary, is defined as "to set upon forcefully, violently, hostilely, or aggressively, with or without a weapon; to blame or abuse violently." For either the Democrats or their media defenders to characterize such mild disapproval and a reminder that Clinton's term is about over as an "attack" tells us something about what we can expect in the way of spin from the Democrats and the media in the coming months. It also tells us something about the fear that appears to be striking the Democrats.
I suspect, based on the reaction of the audience, however, that Cheney's words "it is time for them to go" may well become the Republican campaign slogan in the weeks and months to come before January 2001. It just seemed to fit the mood of a Clinton-Gore weary people. The crowd began to spontaneously punctuate Cheney's ending remarks with Time to go! Time to GO!"
It was a clever and entertaining production which showcased not only the diversity, the talents and the unity of the 21st Century Republicans, but the very real challenges facing America and their proposed solutions under a new Bush-Cheney Administration.
Just because it was entertaining doesn't mean it was, as has been charged, "full of fluff." There was, indeed, some strong medicine in it, but some generous spoonfuls of sugar helped the medicine go down.
To comment: mmostert@originalsources.com
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