Pubdate: Mon, 31 Jul 2000
Source: Denver Post (CO)
Copyright: 2000 The Denver Post
Contact:  1560 Broadway, Denver, CO 80202
Fax: (303) 820.1502
Website: http://www.denverpost.com/
Forum: http://www.denverpost.com/voice/voice.htm
Author: Bill McAllister

Bookmark: MAP's link to shadow convention items:
http://www.mapinc.org/shadow.htm

'DISILLUSIONED' OPEN SHADOW CONVENTION ACROSS TOWN

PHILADELPHIA - As their placards proclaimed, it was a
gathering of the "disillusioned," the "disrespected," those "2 poor 4
access" at the big Republican National Convention across town.

But when Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., suggested to those attending the
so-called "Shadow Convention" that Republican presidential candidate
George W. Bush was their best chance for political reform, the
audience erupted in boos. McCain threatened to walk off the stage.

Columnist Arianna Huffington, who created the alternative convention
with the help of several national reform groups, managed to quiet the
crowd in a steamy University of Pennsylvania auditorium.

"You know, this is supposed to be the convention where we hear
everything with respect," she admonished the crowd.

With that, McCain, the featured speaker of the four-day event,
completed his talk. The Shadow Convention, however, was off to a far
rockier start than what promises to be the carefully-scripted GOP
gathering that Huffington hopes to ridicule.

McCain's raucous reception illustrated the diverse groups Huffington
has brought together to promote campaign finance reform, the senator's
major campaign issue, and revamp the nation's drug laws are far more
divided than the Republicans who are gathering here to nominate Bush,
the Texas governor, as their nominee for president.

As he did in his brief campaign for the GOP nomination, McCain again
showed a willingness to go before an audience and make a potentially
hostile comment. "I'm obliged, not by party loyalty, but by sincere
conviction, to urge all Americans to support my party's nominee for
president, Gov. George Bush of Texas," McCain declared as the audience
became increasingly hostile.

As he went through a list of Bush's proposals, many in the audience
booed. Some applauded.

The senator declined to back off, although he had acknowledged the
group didn't want to hear "overt appeals" from either party. He told
them that he was a conservative Republican and proud of his party.

"I believe that, despite our imperfections, that Republicans are still
the party of reform, " he said.

He maintained that Congress will continue to address problems with the
current campaign finance system, which he described as "nothing more
than an elaborate influence-buying scheme." McCain said he was
offering his support of Bush because "it would be dishonest by
omission." Perhaps because he has the highest profile of any speaker
at the convention, McCain was a likely target for protesters. About
one-third of the audience and most of the reporters left the hall
after the senator finished his talk.

The audience that remained gave a much more polite reception to U.S.
Rep. Tom Campbell, RCalif., a self-professed maverick who told the
group he shared their belief that the government's war on drugs was a
failure. Campbell, who is running for the Senate, did not invoke
Bush's name or urge support of the GOP ticket this fall.

What many in the audience came for was Al Franken's take on the GOP
convention. The humorist, a liberal Democrat and supporter of
President Clinton, did not disappoint them.

Taking the stage with Huffington, whose former husband spent more than
$30 million trying to win a California senate seat, he immediately
questioned how she could talk about the problems of political money.

"That's something you should know about," Franken told her.

"That was a long time ago," she replied.

Franken also praised some media for not becoming obsessed with
President Clinton's relationship with Monica Lewinsky. Among the
publications he lauded were Sailing magazine and the American Grocer
Monthly.

The Shadow Convention will continue through Thursday. Among the
scheduled speakers is David Kopel of the Golden-based conservative
Independence Institute.

Kopel will speak on "police militarization," according to the
convention sponsors.

Huffington is planning another such convention in Los Angles to mock
the Democrats when they convene there.

"We're engaged in the politics of ideas, not the politics of
electioneering," the sponsors said, adding that the Shadow Conventions
should play "a catalytic role in helping revitalize what has become a
superficial political debate in America."
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MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens