August 25, 1996

GOP Wing-Ding Highlights Need For Television Reform

The Republicans had themselves a wing-ding at San Diego last week -- much to the consternation of the so-called national media.

Conflict over the abortion issue -- which enabled liberals four years ago to triumphantly proclaim the GOP "mean spirited" -- was put to rest by the platform committee before convention.

Pro-life and pro-choice advocates compromised on language that each could claim as its own. No prime-time speeches this year to divert delegates from their mission of nominating a winning, presidential candidate.

For four days, muckrakers of the major networks trolled for disgruntled abortion delegates. It became amusing to watch frustration mount with network floor reporters. Pro and con delegates replied with wide-eyed astonishment: "Me unhappy? Not at all. It has been settled. Isn't this an exciting convention!"

After a night of fruitless goading, ABC's Sam Donaldson stalked up to the anchor booth declaring. "If I'd found a story, I'd let you know." His colleague, Cokie Roberts, observed that "Republicans are dour and somewhat mean."

Ted Koppel, ABC Nightline anchor, packed up after two nights and went home complaining, "There's no news here."

Too bad. He missed the parade of pro-choice speakers discussing major issues and being applauded by pro-lifers.

He also missed the stunning speech by Elizabeth Dole as she walked around the convention floor -- Opra style -- interviewing people who attested to the character of her husband. Eat your heart out Hillary.

Bob Dole and Jack Kemp gave passionate, uplifting acceptance speeches which the network pundits grudgingly admitted were better than expected. However, CNN's Judy Woodruff based her approval on belief that Kemp "would not yank money away from welfare mothers with small children."

When keynoter Rep. Susan Molinari brought down the house with her recitation of traditional Republican support for women, CBS's Leslie Stahl felt it necessary to opine that "women find the GOP platform extreme."

NBC cut short Texas Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's put- downs of Clinton -- standard convention fare -- to air a video of Clinton's pre-arranged defense. How little will you bet that a similar favor will be extended to Dole at the Democrat soiree in Chicago this week when he is castigated?

Following a giant-screen video about Ronald Reagan's achievements, NBC's Tom Brokaw allowed as how the conservative president's role in history is "uncertain."

The networks accepted Gen. Colin Powell's speech as a winner inasmuch as he took some veiled digs against a couple of Dole's issues. A rousing speech by Congressman J.C. Watts -- a young, handsome, articulate, conservative African-American from Oklahoma -- was ignored by the television pundits. Instead, they complained about the "tightly scripted" convention featuring blacks, Hispanics, young people, women and babies.

The most outrageous display of bias came from the Jane Fonda network -- ps! I mean CNN. The network that made a reputation covering breaking news without editorial comment squandered it by giving two of its press passes to George Stephanopoulos and James Carvil.

Stephanopoulos is Bill Clinton's senior adviser. Carvil is designer of the Democrats' "rapid response" deny-and-attack strategy. Bill Clinton's junk-yard dogs were given microphones on the convention floor to do their dirty work.

Let us hear no more of Clinton's sob story that Republicans are sure to resort to negative campaigning.

It is true that the GOP convention was "made for TV."

That's what the major television networks have taught Americans to demand. Controversial party debates in public are a thing of the past. They are victims of press coverage of the 1992 GOP convention. Pat Buchanan's anti-abortion views then were widely derided while pro-choice sentiments were unreported.

The commercial networks this year criticized Republican convention managers for not allowing Buchanan to speak. These same networks said nothing in 1992 when Pennsylvania Gov. Bob Casey, was not allowed to speak to the Democrat convention in support of pro-life. This year, even platform committee discussion will not be allowed at the Democrat Convention. Abortion any time for any reason is a "right" -- and that's that. It will be interesting to see how many TV talking heads take the party to task for tightly scripted events.

Hindsighters suggest that party primaries and/or conventions should be abolished. State selection of nominees exhaust the candidates' stamina and campaign cash. Ross Perot's third party system, they assert, would be simpler. A dog-and-pony show of candidates, followed by a mail-in vote of registered party members, would determine a winner. He or she a week later would accept the nomination in a one-hour speech.

This should give thinking Americans the willies. We would be entirely dependent on multi-billionaires, opinion polls and television. God save us!

A better plan would be to hold party primaries on the same day in August. No more New Hampshire snow. This would be followed in September by two-day conventions staged entirely by the parties and televised only by CSPAN. Election Day would be a national holiday on the first Wednesday of November -- no temptation for a three-day outing out of town. Results would be announced 24 hours after the last poll closes, and no exit polls.

Before and after these events -- but not during -- commercial networks could analyze, criticize and homogenize to their hearts' content. Television has changed our lives, but we don't have to let it run our lives.

PARTING SHOTS

People who do not worry about politics should have their television sets repaired.

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Democrat friend J.M. says Dole and Kemp make a good team -- Dole can't construct a sentence, and Kemp can't complete one.

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John F. Kennedy told his bride-to-be Jackie Bouvier all about his "womanizing," according to former Florida Senator George Smathers, quoted in Edward Klein's book "All Too Human." Confession is good for the soul and avoids spousal surprises.

By Lindsey Williams, columnist for Sun Coast Media Group newspapers