Battling for the center in L.A. and Philly

The Step To The Center

A week after the announcement of the vice-presidential candidate, the Republicans dressed up in Democrats clothes and headed to Philadelphia for the National Convention. Past GOP conventions have been the scene of fierce internal battles and breast-beating partisanship. Who can forget Pat Buchanan’s high-charged negative and nationalistic ‘cultural wars’ speech in 1992? No sign of the right-wing rottweilers like Newt Gingrich this time.

Yet one reminder of the Party’s past sat through the whole Convention – the former President Bush and his wife Barbara. Again, serving to underline George W’s blue blood heritage and recalling the link with the last Republican Administration.

Bush Sr.’s presence may have symbolized the white patricians normally associated with the GOP, but you would think it was a different party looking at the Convention stage. An effort was made to ensure African Americans were prominent, and not just as politically correct window dressing – Colin Powell gave a major speech, and Bush’s 24-year-old Latino nephew George P. Bush addressed the Convention. Surprisingly, the GOP even let their only openly gay congressman speak – though less surprisingly some delegates displayed their protest by holding hats to their chests and bowing their heads. That scene itself summed the whole thing up – the heart of the party may not be as vocal, but it has not changed.

The attempt to portray the GOP as forward looking and compassionate went beyond the visuals. The language was borrowed from the Democrats, with talk of being ‘inclusive’. The themes were also a departure from traditional Republican motifs. Colin Powell spoke out against the GOP’s traditional opposition to affirmative action, a thought previously unheard of. An evening was dedicated to education, with talk of funding for Head Start – the very program Cheney voted against establishing. All this raises the question: how do we judge the GOP, by their current warm and fuzzy words or by their past actions?

Most of the GOP old guard bit their lips, accepting what was necessary for electability. One exception, however, was Pat Buchanan, the former Reagan speechwriter, who has since left the GOP. To him, what he saw was the Republican Party of Rockefeller rather than Reagan. Making his discomfort official, Buchanan was nominated last week as the presidential candidate for the Reform Party (the party Ross Perot ran for in 1992 and 1996).

Of the speeches there were no gaffes or loose cannons. Laura Bush (W’s wife) spoke for over half an hour with plenty of applause and laughs. Colin Powell was seen as giving the most important speech, whereas Dick Cheney gave the most negative, attacking Al Gore. As for W. Bush himself, he was able to read the autocue for just under an hour, punctuating his applause lines with squints and smirks. Expectations were low, and while he didn’t give a particularly rousing speech, he touched all the right bases and stayed largely positive – enough to shield him from the critics.

All in all, such a well-rehearsed and stage-managed convention went without a hitch. The message may have been soft, but at least it was well polished. No controversies bubbled up in front of the TV cameras. The main sideshow for the media was when former President Ford suffered a stroke during the Convention. While I have no idea what brought this on, I’m pretty certain it wasn’t excitement.

Gore’s ‘Bold’ Choice

While Bush’s selection was a wink to the core Republicans, Gore’s choice of running mate firmly anchored him in the political center. The choice of Cheney raised all kinds of speculation about Gore’s choice. The move was seen to give him a free hand with no quality or interests to appease. Many thought he would go for someone young, with much focus on Senator Kerrey of Massachusetts. Instead Gore chose the Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman, a centrist ‘New Democrat’.

Unlike Bush’s ‘safe’ choice of running mate, Gore’s choice was hailed as ‘bold’. Senator Lieberman is the first Jewish candidate to run on a presidential ticket. Gore’s decision will put to the test just how tolerant and accepting America really is, or whether prejudice still lies out there. Lieberman is also an orthodox Jew, leading to U.S. talk shows speculating over the event of a national crisis occurring on the Sabbath – would he be there or would his religion take priority? But in this respect Gore’s choice should be applauded – it sends out a stronger signal of inclusiveness than the warm and fuzzy words of the GOP Convention. Yet, maybe it says something about U.S. politics when the selection of a middle-aged conservative white Yale-educated Jewish male lawyer is deemed radical.

Lieberman’s selection may have been influenced by strategic considerations. He was the first major Democrat during the Lewinsky controversy to speak out morally against Bill Clinton’s actions. Lieberman also has no (known) skeletons in the closet. In his selection Gore picked someone who will insulate the Democrat ticket from the ‘restore integrity to the White House’ argument employed by the Bush-Cheney ticket.