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Show T2A Sunday, July 12, 1992 Standard-Examiner Editorials ~ Demos have chance to stir high drama What normally would be the pinnacle of a national rally — the nomination of a presidential standard-bearer — will be a foregone conclusion at the National Democratic Party Convention in NewYorkthis WOOK, Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton’s acceptance as the party’s minee will be anti-climatic since he has handilycaptured the delegate count to sweep the nomination on Wednesday night. Clinton lessened the suspense even more by announcing in advance of the convention that his vice presidential running mate will be a fellow Southerner — Tennessee Sen. Albert Gore. With the enthusiasm muted, the Democrats are forced major political parties in recent years and particularly to reverse the perception that the Democrats are a party of losers in the presidential sweepstakes. With a theme titled “A New covenant with the Amencan People,” the Democrats took a wise shift in their traditional policies to impress the increasingly large number of converts to the conservative movement that is spreading across the country. The Democrats — in speeches, celebrity appearances and musical extravaganzas — finally will depart from their long-held philosophy that bigger and more government programs are the answerto the nation’sills. Convention planners have been forced by the tide of public opinion to not stay the course. In other words, if will be no ordinary national convention, says convention producer Gary Smith. Smith has a great challenge in making this year’s spectacle memorable in the minds of the American people and stir some momentum for the Democrats who will be on the campaign trail this fall. Contempt for politicians, public restiveness and fading interest in watching windy if not boring speeches has caused network television to decide against gavel to gavel NN “Ail thosein favor of Bill and Al say ‘aye’. The ayes haveit. Now let's go sightseeing and shopping!" Demos have safe, non-threatening ticket Bill Clinton just cost me a nickel. Back in the spring when Clinton was only fighting sleaze journalism and the incumbent president, I bet Clinton would take the risk and choose a white womanora person of color as the Democratic vice presidential nominee. It’s been obvious for weeks that 1992 wouldn’t be the year for diversity at the top of the political heap. The Sister Souljah number took care of Jesse Jackson as a broker. The selection of Gov. Ann Richards as Democratic convention chair screamed: Not this year for a woman veep. So I prepared to pay up. But not to shut up. Clinton, even if he wanted to, couldn’t choose somebody besides a white man as a running mate. Clinton can’t take risks. He can de- liver a message that he’s for change. Sen. Al GLENDA HOLSTE womanin the sphere ofpresidential politicsstill gets shot at merely for being strong and experi- tional Convention. It’s women’s night (and relief for those who prefer competitive sports more substantive than what takesplace in the ballpark). Of course, the hype in these kinds of things at political conventions is designed to make the whole look larger than the sum ofits parts. But enced. Hillary Clinton isn’t running for any- the fact that the Democratic convention will woman on a presidential ticket. The media treatment of Clinton’s wife has made it obvious that a strong, experienced thing, but she’s regularly been carved up. The backlash would be worse for a woman candidate running with Clinton. That kind of leap has to wait for until the political culture can absorb whattheelectorate is saying about change. If Congressfinally builds a substantial pool of women members, across the political spectrum, then it will be reasonable to expect a woman on a presidential ticket could both have the credentials for office and gain ac- Who could disagree? The nomination campaign has Gore does that. Gore reinforces the message of generational change, two bright Boomersfor the price of one. More important politically, Gore doesn’t pose a threat to the white male status quo that could turn the 1992 presidential campaign overtly toxic with racism or sexism. Gore is safe, smart, seasoned and Southern. Clinton needs all four of these S-words. He gone on since the year began with candidate after candi- could have found a womanoran African-Amer- Wecould argue that there are any numberof women who already are heavier hitters than Sen. Dan Quayle was when George Bush picked him in 1988. But that really doesn’t argue that a Bill Clinton could pick a running mate who is controversial for any reason — gender included — and win the presidency. Quayle wasa liabili- ican, for instance, with three of these qualities. ty for Bush early on in the 1988 campaign and coverage and instead has compressed by many hoursair time that will be devoted to the hoopla of the convention. date strutting his 15-minutes of fame on the stage. That does not make the work of convention delegates any less rigorous or important. There will be plenty of high drama that could be infused into the fall campaigns as the Democrats floor debate focuses on the party’s potential for improving the nation’s economic health. It will not, however, compare to the old-fashioned conventions with all the pizazz of intrigues, uncertainties and stampedes. With the rejected constitutional amendment for a balanced budget now history, it would be a missed opportunity if the Democrats do not adopt a platform that requires viable solutions to reverse the increasingly bulging federal budget deficit and favorably supports a federal budget cap as a mechanism to control runaway federal spending. But not one whoissafe. This has been the nastiest of campaigns already. Clinton’s primary ordeal proves the wis- dom of seeking safety. At last, it’s the year of the woman in congressional politics. But only Perot could contemplate (and I suspect reject roundly) trying to make this the year of the NEW YORK — For morethan 30 years as a political reporter, I have been hoping to cover a realignment. And now, just as the Democratic National Convention is about to open here, it has come. Butit’s the wrong one. The one I’ve waited to see is a political party realignment, the great upheaval that takes pow- er from one long-dominant crew of politicians Cutting Head Start false economic act is bad news. Baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent moved the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals from the National League East to the West and replaced them with two West Division teams, the Atlanta Braves and the Cincinnati Reds. This move, which coincides with the arrival next season of two new teams, the Florida Marlins (East) and the Colorado Rockies (West), is defended by Vincent as being in “the best interests” of the game. Tom Boswell, The Washington Post’s eminent baseball authority, has given it his blessing and so have other sports savants. But even in baseball, realignment is a political story and as a political reporter, I am here to tell you that this one is all wrong. I say that as one who has been preparing for a long time for the political realignment that has never come. According to a lot of cycle-spotters and political theorists, realignments are supposed to occur every 36 years, as the issues and leaders of one generation give wayto those of the next. The last such realignment, almost everyone agrees, happened when the Great Depression ended the era of Republican dominance and brought Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal coalition to power. Analyst Kevin Phillips thought Both liberals and conservatives extol the virtues of that gives disadvantaged children extra help to succeed. So whydid the Democratic leadership in Congress shortchange the program by $250 million in the emergency urban aid bill that was passed recently? The cutback was a false economy. Research shows that children who lack adequate nutrition, medical care and parental support often are destined to fail in school. The value of Head Start is reflected in other ways. Its graduates have a much lower rate of teenage pregnancy and are halfas likely to end up on welfare as those who do not participate in the program. A 1984 study tracking the progress of Head Start graduates from a poorsection of Ypsilanti, Mich., concluded that every dollar spent saved $6 in later social costs. Head . Start’s primary goal is to prepare kids for school and teach them fundamental concepts that most other children already have learned by the time they enterfirst grade. The preparation includes feeding and inoculating youngsters, checking their eyes and teeth, and getting their parents involved in the education process. Congress reauthorized HeadStart two years ago with the goal of ensuring that all eligible youngsters would be enrolled by 1995. At current funding levels, however, the program serves only about 25 percent of the 2 million low-incomepreschoolers who need help. That’s not nearly good enough. President Bush has proposed a $600 million increase for Head Start in next year’s budget. Meanwhile, a second urban initiative is taking shape in Congress for 1993. If the White House and lawmakersare serious about seeing toit that these kids have a decent chance of succeeding, they will find the $3 billion needed to pay for this cost-effective program. ceptance. he doesn’t look good now, head to head with Gore. Clinton can’t afford any more backlash on non-issues. _ « This year will concentrate its gender politics elsewhere, and certainly in a more solid political construct for building that talent pool. make the special time to concentrate on women candidates and issues that work to women’s advantage says something positive about cultural acceptance in the treehouse. Tune in Tuesday to see California Treasurer Kathleen Brown (yes, a member of THAT Brown family) lay out the themes that make women “change agent” candidates for Congress and statehousesthis year. A total of 153 women from both major political parties are running for the U.S. House, 18 for the Senate, seven for governor. Democrats at the New York convention and the telly audience also will hear Tuesday night from Gov. Barbara Roberts of Oregon, Rep. Pat Schroeder of Colorado and Mayor Sharon Pratt Kelly of Washington, D.C. The women speakers Tuesdaywill follow the impossible to follow act of Monday speeches by Richards and former U.S. Rep. Barbara Jordan of Texas. There’s irony in the year when ”change” is the premier buzzword, that “change” in the White Housestill can be practically defined only as swapping one bunch of white men for another. St. Paul Pioneer Press If you doubt that, tune out the All-Star game Vincent’s team calls were terrible mistake and gives it to another. But we haven’t had one of those since 1932. The realignment wegotlast week was a shift of National League teams be- Head Start, the federally sponsored preschool program Tuesday night and tune in the Democratic Na- tween the eastern and western divisions. Andit DAVID S. BRODER he spotted the start of another realignment, right on schedule, in the Republicans’ recapture of the White House in 1968, but Watergate and ticket-splitting stopped it in its tracks. In recent years, we haven’t heard muchrealignment talk; instead, the prevailing pattern has been divided government, with each party getting a piece of the action but neither one being entrusted with very much. Maybe Vincent thought he shouldfill the vacuum with his baseball realignment. If so, he should have thought again, The commissioner cloaks his move with a certain facile logic, a surface plausibility. The seven eastern-most cities — Montreal, New York, Philadelphia, Miami, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati and Atlanta — would be in the East, under his plan. The seven western-most--Chicago, St. Louis, Houston, Denver, San Diego, Los An- geles and San Francisco — would be in the West. Any child could have done that, by drawing one line on the map.But it is much too simplistic a solution. Vincent’s great friend and predecessor, A. Bartlett Giamatti, would have spotted the mistake instantly. Giamatti understood that baseball stands at the center of America’s urban culture. Teams take on the character of their cities, and reinforce it. Realignment of teams involves far more than recording map coordinates or mea- suring airline distances. It requires understand- ing the affinities and rivalries of different constituencies — the same shrewdnessit takes to build new coalitions in a political realign- ment. to be outraged. It belongs where it was, with Montreal, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and St. Louis. (And incidentally Cincinnati belongs there, too.) These are the Old Cities, built on natural harbors or on the banks ofgreat rivers, populated by waves of European immigrants, dedicated to muscular work, heavy industry and surface transportation. The New Cities such as Atlanta, Miami, Denver, Houston and the three California metropolises are entirely different creatures. What in the world do Chicago and San Diego have in common? Nothing. When the Cubs went there to play the Padres in the 1984 League Championship Series, the culture shock was so great the Cubslost three straight — and their chance for their first pennant in 39 years. A wise commissioner would have taken that history into ac- count. The New Cities are built around their airports. They are populated by newer waves of immigrants attracted by the weather or the beauty more than the promise of jobs. Theyare dominated by banks, not factories, and are dedicated to recreation, rather than work. Watch people getting off a plane in any of these New Cities and they are smiling, anticipating a great time on a ski slope, a beach, or in a tony restaurant. Whatever brings travelers to Chicago, or Pittsburgh, or Philadelphia, one thing is certain: they are not there to have fun. The teams are like their cities. Old Cities’ teams have known frustration and defeat. New Cities’ teams treat life as a game and think every tomorrow can bring a win. Mixing the two is a terrible mistake on Vincent’s part. Realignment should be left to the politicians. And I’m confident they'll get around to it soon. Probably right after they balance the budget. Washington Post Viewed in this light, Chicago has every right TODAYIN HISTORY Today is Sunday, July 12, the 194th day of 1992. There are 172 days left in the year Today's Highlight in Histor, On July 12, 1812, United States forces led by Gen. William Hull entered Canada during the War of 1812 against Britain, (However, Hull, concerned about a new alliance between theBritish and Indians led by Tecumseh, retreated shortly thereafter to Detroit, and surrendered to the British a month later.) Onthis date In 1977, President Carter defended Supreme Court decisions limiting government payments for poor women’s abortions, saying, “There are manythings in life that are not fair.” In 1984, Democratic presidential candidate Walter F. Mondale announced he’d chosen U.S. Rep. Geraldine A. Ferraro of New York to be his running mate. In 1988, Democratic presidential candidate Michael S. Dukakis tapped Sen. Lloyd Bentsen of Texas to be his running mate. In 1990, Russian republic president Boris N, Yeltsin shocked the 28th congress of the Soviet Communist Party by announcing he was resigning his party membership. Ten years ago: Saying it was satisfied hostilities in the South Atlantic were at an end, Britain announced it was returning the remaining 593 Argentine prisoners who’d surrendered on the Falkland Islands. Five years ago: For the first time in 20 years, a delegation of Soviet diplomats arrived in Israel for what was described as a “technical mission” to document Soviet citizens and make an inventory of Soviet property. One year ago: A Japaneseprofessor who had translated Salman Rushdie’s “The Satanic Verses” was found stabbed to death, nine days after the novel's Italian translator was attacked in Milan. Today’s Birthdays: Comedian Milton Berle is 84. Artist Andrew Wyeth is 75. Senator Mark Hat- field (Republican, Oregon) is 70, Pianist Van Cliburn is 58. Comedian Bill Cosby is 55. Fitness guru Richard Simmons is 44. Olympic gold medal figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi is 21. Thought for Today: “If a man cannot be a Christian in the place whereheis, he cannot be a Christian anywhere.” — Henry Ward Beecher, American clergyman (1813-1887). Associated Press ee eee ie eee ile ek: Bent on changing their image, they have programmed dramatic changes in the format of the quadrennial convention that opens in New York Monday. Delegates can expect a glitzy, well-crafted show designed to overcome the moribund quagmire that has engulfed the ee ee ee | aimed at improving their performance at the polls. we Ah tem Ff cA | looking at other methodstostir convention excitement, |