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Republican Convention a 4-Day Infomercial August 3, 2000 Texas Gov. George W. Bush accepted the Republican Party's presidential nomination on August 3 by delivering a multi-faceted, confident address that wrapped his long-espoused doctrine of "compassionate conservatism" with volleys at his Democratic rival, Vice President Al Gore. A shower of balloons and confetti greeted the end of Bush's acceptance speech, in which he portrayed himself as the best leader for changing times and said the Republican Party had become "the party of ideas and innovation, the party of idealism and inclusion." The Texas governor's 51-minute speech, which capped the party's convention, covered a broad swath of policy propositions aimed at showcasing the face of the moderate GOP promoted at the four-day event. It also drew discernible differences between the atmosphere offered by a Bush administration versus a "third Clinton-Gore" term. Rarely, however, were his attacks on Gore centered on the vice president's record as a lawmaker or presidential campaigner. Rather, Bush sought to link Gore with the scandal and partisan battles that have marked President Clinton's 8-year tenure. "Our current president embodied the potential of a generation. So many talents, so much charm. Such great skill. But in the end, to what end?" Bush asked. "For eight years, the Clinton-Gore administration has coasted through prosperity," Bush said. "And the path of least resistance is always downhill." "They have not led. We will," Bush pledged often in the first portion of his speech, each time to thunderous cheers and applause. The Texas governor's speech was interrupted dozens of times for such approval. "Not this time, not this year," Bush said of Gore's bid to take Clinton's place in the White House. "This is not the time for new chances, this is the time for new beginnings." "Compassionate conservatism," Bush explained, should not see the government involved in every effort to right the nation's wrongs. But it should not mean that "indifference" must rise up to take the place of demolished bureaucracies, he warned. "It is to put conservative values and conservative ideas into the thick of the fight for justice and opportunity," Bush said of his doctrine. "This is what I mean by 'compassionate conservatism.' And on this ground we will govern our nation." And governing, Bush insisted, will consist of "fixing" a number of damaged programs -- as well as the way in which Washington conducts its business. Of the Social Security system, for example, Bush said his proposal to allow younger retirees to invest portions of their payroll taxes into the stock market would immediately depoliticize the entitlement program. "Social Security has been called the 'third rail' of American politics -- the one you're not supposed to touch because it shocks you. But, if you don't touch it, you can't fix it. And I intend to fix it," he said. And of his pledge to provide $483 billion in tax relief over five years, Bush said the federal budget surplus must be returned to the people who provided it. "The surplus is not the government's money. The surplus is the people's money. I will use this moment of opportunity to bring common sense and fairness to the tax code." The newly minted Republican nominee also stepped forward on the abortion issue, saying that if Congress sent him a bill banning a late-term procedure opponents refer to as "partial birth" abortion, he would "sign it into law." He also pledged to work to "protect the natural world around us," shore up the Medicare system, and reduce world nuclear stockpiles and at the same time deploy a robust national anti-intercontinental ballistic missile defense shield. All of this would be accomplished, he said, in a tension-free air of civility in the nation's capital, thanks in part to his years as a resident of Midland, Texas, a world very far removed from that of Washington, D.C., he explained. "(My) background may lack the polish of Washington. Then again, I don't have a lot of things that come with Washington. I don't have enemies to fight, and I have no stake in the bitter arguments of the last few years. I want to change the tone of Washington to one of civility and respect," he said. "We are facing something familiar, but they are facing something new," he said of the Gore campaign. "I do not reinvent myself at every turn. I am not running in borrowed clothes. When I act, you will know my reasons. When I speak, you will know my heart." The speech was well-received. Michigan Sen. Spencer Abraham said Bush "hit more than a home run. I've spent five years in the Senate, and we haven't had that kind of leadership in the White House," Abraham said. "We've had poll-taking and not enough action." "America needs this guy and Dick Cheney," said Helen Christman, an alternate delegate from Hawaii. "He didn't pull any punches." Accepting the Republican vice presidential nomination the night before on August 2, former Defense Secretary Dick Cheney looked ahead to the moment President Clinton leaves office, saying the eight years of the Clinton administration were marked by "little purpose" and proclaiming that Texas Gov. George W. Bush would "repair what has been damaged." "We're all a little weary of the Clinton-Gore routine," Cheney said in his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention. "It is time for them to go," Cheney said repeatedly, echoing a similar declaration by then-Sen. Al Gore -- speaking of the Bush-Quayle administration -- when Gore accepted the Democratic vice presidential nomination in 1992. Cheney officially became the Republican Party's pick for vice president August 2, shortly before Bush received the delegate votes necessary to gain his party's presidential nod. By acclamation, convention delegates confirmed Cheney as the party nominee. He was nominated by his home state delegation from Wyoming, and his nomination brought a round of cheers from delegates. He pounded relentlessly on the Clinton administration throughout his speech -- and on Vice President Al Gore, the Democrats' hope for retaining the White House in this election year. Cheney said the nation's continued strong economy and high rates of individual prosperity should not overshadow a political atmosphere besmirched by sharp partisanship and scandal. "In the end, George W. Bush will defeat this vice president, and I will replace him," a confident Cheney said amid wild cheers and chants of "they must go" resonating throughout Philadelphia's Comcast First Union Center. Cheney described Bush, his longtime friend and the eldest son of the president he served as defense secretary through the difficult days of the 1991 Gulf War, as "a man without pretense and without cynicism: A man of principle, a man of honor. On the first hour of the first day (of his administration)," Cheney said forcefully, Bush would "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," he continued. Cheney seemed to relish the chance to deliver some rhetorical retribution upon Gore, whose campaign has sought to embarrass the vice presidential nominee in recent days with severe criticism of his voting record as a member of Congress in the late 1970s and early 1980s. "Politics has become war by other means, an endless onslaught of accusation, a constant setting of groups one against the other," Cheney said. He cited the campaign of former New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bill Bradley, who battled against Gore during the primary season, and accused the vice president's campaign of bending the truth and engaging in other unsavory tactics. "This is what Bill Bradley was up against, and others before him," Cheney continued. "Does anyone, Republican or Democrat, seriously believe that under Mr. Gore, the next four years would be any different from the last eight? They came in together, now let us see them off together," Cheney said. The Gore campaign responded to Cheney even before he had completed his speech, saying in an e-mailed statement that Cheney had just delivered the most "negative" Republican convention speech "since Pat Buchanan (in 1992) ... The mask is off the Philadelphia masquerade ball," Gore's operation said. But inside the hall Cheney and his address were given high grades. "I know what a great man he is," said Sen. Orrin Hatch of Utah. "He is honest, competent, a brilliant person. I think it's a real tribute to George W. Bush to pick somebody of that kind of caliber." Larry Eastland, an Idaho delegate, enjoyed Cheney's offensive, saying, "This is the vice president's job. Somebody always has to have the job of pointing out the differences, and it's the vice presidential candidate that has to do that." One respondent, however, worried aloud about the tone of the speech. "Personally, I think he's telling it pretty much the way it is," said De Carlson of Nebraska. "I hate to say it, but I'm afraid that this might be a very negative campaign. But I hope we ride the high road to keep with a respectable campaign. The American people are really tired of dirty politics." Bush finally captured the Republican Party's ultimate prize, when a four-day "rolling roll call" of states came to an end at mid-evening on August 3. Bush's home state was the last to cast votes. In a brief but spirited display of affection and enthusiasm, members of the Texas delegation lofted their cowboy hats into the air as the state's Lt. Gov. Rick Perry -- who will assume Bush's governorship if he is elected to the White House -- introduced delegate Maria Sanchez, who declared Texas' intention to nominate. Yet for all this, the convention was little more than a 4-day informercial. With everything scripted and the running mate announced a week in advance, there was little drama and nothing to see except the speeches. Jubilant delegates spent much of Thursday night ignoring the convention's staged goings-on, and awaited Bush's acceptance speech by dancing in the aisles, yelling to each other across the vast crowds in the convention center aisles, and waving newly-painted Bush-Cheney signs. Some of those signs were of the usual political pep-rally variety, but others were a little more unusual. One held high as Bush spoke read, "coherent foreign policy." The night's musical interludes were supplied by a variety of country and Latin acts, and actress Bo Derek made a brief stage appearance. Front-and-center before the Georgia delegation, just to the left of the convention stage, delegate B.J. Lopez designated herself as the group's cheerleader. Lopez said this year's gathering has been "bittersweet" for Peach State Republicans after the unexpected death of Sen. Paul Coverdell, who passed away two weeks ago after a brain aneurysm. The Georgia delegates kept a floor seat open in Coverdell's memory. "The first night they were dedicating the platform to him, and everybody was very tearful," said Lopez. State delegates, she said, needed to take a couple of days to get into "the swing of things" and enjoy the festivities. By Thursday night the delegation's mood had brightened, and most members were eagerly anticipating Bush's appearance. Elizabeth Cox, a long-time party activist from Summit, New Jersey, said she was attending her 12th GOP convention. This trip, she said, was her most tranquil. "I think it's running like clockwork this year," she said. "It's nice to see everybody more or less unified," said Cox, who characterized herself "as a Bush supporter for 20 years." The infomercial quality of the convention was emphasized by the presence of Derek and other actors, including Ricky Schroeder, former professional football quarterback Steve Young, professional wrestler "The Rock," and former Miss America Nicole Johnson. Using actors and other celebrities to promote their candidates has long been a campaign tool of both parties. However, the scripted nature of this convention, combined with videos, testimonials, and celebrity endorsements, gave the Republican convention the appearance of a typical infomercial. All that was lacking was the 1-800 number to call to order the candidate. "But wait--there's more! For $14.95, you get not only Governor George W. Bush, but we'll throw in former Defense Secretary Dick Cheney for free!" Johnson addressed the convention on July 31, addressing education issues. Johnson made her political sympathies clear in interviews after being crowned in 1998. She is unabashedly Republican, which puts her in tune with several of her recent predecessors. The day after her victory, Ms. Johnson voiced her opinion that President Bill Clinton, a Democrat, ought to resign. She also expressed her admiration for Elizabeth Dole, who is considered a potential Republican presidential candidate in 2000. And she accepted congratulations from her boss, religious broadcaster Pat Robertson, who once sought the Republican presidential nomination. This type of traditional conservatism contrasts with the 90s-style political correctness of Johnson's predecessor, Kate Shindle, who made speeches about "safe sex" and anointed Hollywood star Sharon Stone as one of America's great humanitarians. Johnson, a diabetic who wears an insulin pump, works as a writer and producer for "The 700 Club," a Christian television program with a conservative political bent. The inclusion of actress Bo Derek in the program appears particularly hypocritical of the Republicans, who have emphasized morality and values. Derek introduced California Assemblyman Abel Maldonado, who delivered an address in Spanish on the final evening of the convention in order to appeal to Hispanic voters. Derek, best known for her nude starring roles in the 70s films 10, Bolero, and Tarzan, is not exactly the type of role model that is consistent with the Republicans' message.
© 2000 TruthNews. All Rights Reserved. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
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