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Democratic National Convention '96:
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Posted August 22, 1996 One way to understand the role party conventions play in the Presidential election is to consider a tennis match. In tennis, the server has a clear advantage, and is expected to win most of the time. Matches are often fairly even, with each player winning his or her serve, until one "breaks" serve. This forces the other into a struggle to catch up. Consider this theory in the context of the post-convention "bounce" presidential candidates invariably receive in the polls. The first candidate throws a party, the nation watches the glowing propaganda (the days of discord and floor fights are all but gone) and soon after the respective candidate sees a popularity boost -- that is, until the other convention starts. Last week, Republicans aced their serves. Even if it drew poor ratings and sneers from the press for being shallow, the GOP's superscripted, made-for-TV convention was a clear success. Dole's astonishing bounce brought him from 20 points behind Bill Clinton to within the margin of error in some polls. Now, with Dole breathing down Clinton's neck, the Democrats have to return serve in Chicago. The Democratic party is in its most publicly unified condition in years, and there is little chance of disaster or embarrassment. Still, Clinton and Co. must show some sparkle to bounce back ahead, and put the Dole campaign back on the defensive. If they hit some balls into the net, they could be in trouble. One way the Republicans were able to pull off such a successful affair was by meticulously controlling the face the party presented to the public through its convention managers and speakers at the podium. The likes of Rep. Susan Molinari (NY), a pro-choice woman (though she was told not to mention abortion) and Rep. J.C. Watts (OK), one of two black Republicans in Congress, presented a carefully crafted image of GOP diversity and moderation. So who will the Democrats answer with? Here's a roundup: KEYNOTE: In 1988, a little-known governor delivered the keynote address to the Democratic convention. The speech he delivered was famous for its rambling length, drawing cheers for the line "in conclusion." Who was the unlucky stiff with a seemingly doomed political future? Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton. Keep this in mind next week when another political up-and-comer delivers the prime-time keynote speech at the 1996 Democratic convention: Indiana Governor Evan Bayh. And the parallels between Bayh and Clinton don't stop there. Bayh, 40, is an attractive baby boomer. He is a popular, multi-term governor. As Clinton did in Arkansas, Bayh has built his credentials as an education reformer. Bayh was also an especially attractive choice in the anti-tax climate of the campaign. He is a fiscal conservative, and Indiana under his reign is one of just two states that has not raised taxes since 1989. And Bayh is clearly being groomed by his party for continued political advancement -- perhaps, someday, as a successor to Clinton. He has already proven some acumen in the national political fray: he took a prominent stance against Republican governors during the 1995 debate over a balanced budget amendment, charging they weren't interested in the opinion of their Democratic colleagues. Bayh's even got good genes. His father, Birch, was a multiple term, venerable Senator from the state, and the younger Bayh has already set up a fund-raising apparatus thought to be in preparation for a Senate bid. In short, Bayh looks like an ideal pick, echoing without upstaging his party's nominee. But some who have followed him closely caution that he is not a master orator. His speech, some say, could be a dud. Then again, that didn't stop Bill Clinton. WHITE HOUSE: The biggest names will come from the top: the President and the Vice President. First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton will speak (despite some debate over whether her questionable popularity makes that a good idea). Tipper Gore, attractive and charismatic, will also speak. CONGRESS: Fortunately for the party, Congressional Democrats emerged from the political wilderness this winter and pushed through minimum wage hike legislation in time for the convention, making them eminently more showable. The convention co-chairs are Sen. Tom Daschle (SD), the Senate minority leader, and Rep. Richard Gephardt (MO) the House minority leader. The convention's vice chairs are Sens. Carol Moseley-Braun (IL) and John Breaux (LA), who hail from opposite wings of the party. Moseley-Braun is a committed liberal, while Breaux is known as a moderate, adept at building bridges of compromise with Republicans. Also vice-chairing are Rep. Nancy Pelosi (CA), a popular and telegenic party leader who can be relied on for an impassioned speech. Sen. Chris Dodd (CT), chairman of the DNC and an eloquent spokesman for the Clinton administration, is slated to address the delegates. "REAL AMERICANS": Like the Republican fête in San Diego, the Democratic convention will provide some dramatic moments from speakers who hold no political office. The actor and active Democrat Christopher Reeve, paralyzed in a horseback riding accident last year, is sure to deliver moving words. And Sarah Brady, whose husband James was wheelchair-bound after being shot in the 1981 attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan, continues her vigorous anti-handgun campaign from the podium in Chicago. (Democrats are sure to publicize their differences with Republicans over gun control throughout the campaign.) The convention's honorary chairwoman is Alma Brown. She is the widow of former Commerce Secretary Ron Brown, who was killed in a plane crash last April in Croatia. Ron Brown was one of the most beloved and powerful figures in the Democratic party, a former DNC chairman and the man slated to chair Clinton's 1996 campaign. The Brown and Clinton families are close friends. MAYORS: Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley is the latest in an infamously long-reigning line of city bosses, all of whom have been legendary masters of the political machine. Daley is perhaps the most powerful mayor in America. No way was his town hosting a convention without him getting a big fat speaking slot. Detroit mayor Dennis Archer, and co-chairman of the party's platform committee, has been a vocal critic of Bob Dole. Archer, another high-profile mayor, is president of the National Conference of Democratic Mayors. And among the convention's vice-chairs is Martin Chavez, the mayor of Albuquerque, NM, who is considered a rising party star and a potential future governor. DON'T LOOK FOR: Former Pennsylvania Gov. Robert Casey, a pro-lifer who contemplated a challenge to Clinton. Casey made political waves in 1992 when he claimed he was muzzled by the party because of his views on abortion. Clintonites counter that it would have been poor strategy to give a speaking slot to one of his loudest critics. Also, rumors that first daughter Chelsea Clinton, 16, would take a turn at the mike turned out to be about as credible as they sounded.
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