GOP comes together in Philadelphia
Valley delegates join national Mecca

This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press August 1, 2000

By THOMAS FRANCIS
Valley Press Staff Writer

PHILADELPHIA - For the Antelope Valley's Republican delegates and other GOP members who have come here from remote parts of the nation, Philadelphia is the political equivalent of Mecca - at least as long as the Republican National Convention is in town.

The pilgrimage to Pennsylvania costs a few thousand dollars, which comes from the delegates' own pockets, a sacrifice that tests their devotion to the party. The reward, of course, is it endows on the participant a certain grace and status as a party loyalist.

Getting to the Republican National Convention also grants them a four-day stay in political paradise. That is, with 2,066 Republican delegates, thousands of other Republican spectators and hundreds of television cameras from across the nation crammed into one stadium.

It is truly a Republican world. It is politics, but without the strife that comes from having the other side around.

"This is the hard core," said Assemblyman George Runner, RLancaster, who is attending the convention as an alternate delegate.

The "hard core" is of a kindred ideological spirit, and as that spirit is multiplied by the number of Republicans gathered at the convention, the event generates a surge of confidence and optimism for the coming election.

"This is the intention of conventions, to get us motivated and excited and to show the American people what we think," said Frank Visco, a Lancaster businessman and delegate from the 25th Congressional District that includes north Los Angeles County.

The 2000 Republican Convention is even more of a lovefest than previous conventions, though. Texas Gov. George W. Bush, destined to win the GOP's presidential nomination, went to lengths to weed out dissension within the party - whether about his candidacy or about the Republican platform.

With Sen. John McCain conceding the nomination to Bush after the spring primaries, there is no debate over who the Republican candidate will be.

There was debate, however, over the Republican Party platform, the formation of which is so precise in its detail that dispute is inevitable, even among people who profess the same political beliefs.

Bush advisers saw to it that the planks of the platform were hammered down last week so that no lingering contentious issues could detract from the positive energy of the convention.

The brilliance of the strategy is not in its concept, which is obvious, but in its execution. The delegates gathered in Philadelphia, as well as the convention's long list of speakers, all seem ready to put their issue concerns out of the way in deference to Bush and his charge for the Oval Office.

"Issues shouldn't be driving the convention; the candidate should," said Sharon Runner, George Runner's wife and a delegate. "When you talk about the individual issues, it hurts the candidate.

"As far as who you wanted to be selected for vice president or what your stance is on abortion, that isn't the point. It's that we must unite behind this ticket - even if there is something you disagree with in the platform - because they have a great shot at winning," Sharon Runner added. "Why have little battles when the big war is beating the Democrats?"

Of the battles, the fiercest surrounds abortion, as factions of the party insist it's time to moderate the GOP's traditional opposition to abortions.

The party remained firmly against abortion in the platform, stating that it favored legislation to protect the unborn child's rights in the 14th Amendment. Yet the comments of pro-lifers like George Runner and Visco indicate that there is tolerance for pro-choice Republicans and patience when it comes to outlawing abortions.

"The problem with the abortion issue is people think it is black and white, that you're either pro-life or pro-choice," Assemblyman Runner said. "There is a lot of difference there and even those of us who are pro-life are realistic about it and know that America maybe isn't ready to decide on banning abortions altogether."

Runner added that a constitutional amendment to abolish abortion is likely too dramatic a step and he favors a period of national discussion on the issue before moving on it.

Visco accepts the differences within the party over abortion, too, and recognizes that agonizing over the issue is to the detriment of the party.

"We are going to disagree (on abortion), but this is a pro-life party," Visco said. "One hundred percent of the people don't think and walk and talk the same way because we are a party that incorporates different points of views.

"There really won't be a debate on abortion because debating the things that divide us hurts us in the general election," he added. "So you will see pro-life people walking arm and arm with pro-choice people. There is room for them in our party."