And I though the Republican National Convention was bad in 2000.
Four years ago, the RNC stage was graced by such key party activists as J.C. Watts, Jennifer Dunn, and Rick Schroeder. The point was to hide real but unpopular party leaders — Tom DeLay, Trent Lott, Newt Gingrich, et al — from public view.
It more or less worked in Philadelphia, so they’re doing it again in New York. The list of prime-time speakers for this year’s convention would be funny if it weren’t so ridiculous. It includes:
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, New York Gov. George Pataki, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sen. John McCain, Secretary of Education Rod Paige, and Sen. Zell Miller
There’s an odd commonality among them — none of these speakers are actual GOP leaders. Indeed, some are widely disliked by the party leadership, one is technically a Democrat, and nearly all of them hold positions that are strongly rejected by the real party leadership.
Giuliani supports gay rights, Pataki is strongly pro-choice, Schwarzenegger is both and has kept Bush away from California. McCain is considered a pariah in some GOP circles and was recently rebuked by House Speaker Dennis Hastert for not being a “real” Republican.
In fact, consider what some of the RNC’s big speakers have said about the Democratic nominee:
“[Kerry is] smart, he’s tough, and he’s experienced. He has the capability…. It’s hard to know what the atmosphere is out there, but I’m confident John Kerry can connect with people in the same way [I did in 2000].” — John McCain
“[John Kerry is] one of this nation’s authentic heroes, one of this party’s best-known and greatest leaders — and a good friend.” — Zell Miller
These are some of the RNC’s biggest attractions.
That said, having Rod Paige address the convention is the crassest political manipulation of a man’s race since the Willie Horton ads.
Paige’s biggest accomplishment was a fraud, he’s condemned public schools for not having the right “values,” he doesn’t seem to know anything about the administration’s education policy, and when he tries to defend it, no one believes him. He’s even equated the nation’s largest group of school teachers with terrorists.
Paige should have never received his cabinet position in the first place. Once there, he’s given the White House countless reasons to call for his resignation. As the New York Times noted a few months ago, Paige has “exhausted his credibility and disqualified him as a spokesman for national education policy.”
And yet, because Paige is African American, he’ll be exploited and paraded around the Convention as a model spokesman for the Bush campaign. It’s pathetic.
And finally, I can’t help but notice the irony of it all. GOP leaders are finding people who bear no real resemblance to the party or its agenda to pretent that they are “moderate” and “mainstream.” It’s a fraud, of course. While the RNC speakers will be putting a centrist face on a right-wing party, its real leaders will be working behind-the-scenes to make the party even more conservative.
But as long as no one peeks behind the curtain, I’m sure no one will notice.