Ehrlich on Washington column, August 18, 1996

\EWS FROM Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. Second Congressional District of Maryland 1 407 York Road, Suite 304 Lutherville, Maryland 2 1 093 EHRLICH ON WASHINGTON By Congressman Robert L. Ehrlich, Jr. 315 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 Week of August 18, 1996 REPORT FROM THE CONVENTION Last week my wife Kendel and I attended the 1 996 Republican National Convention in San Diego. As newcomers to national politics; we decided to attend (not at taxpayer’s expense) as observers rather than as delegates. We welcomed the opportunity to participate in such an historic event. The two national party conventions are a political olympiad of sorts. Every four years, Republican and Democratic delegates from every state and territory are elected in primary elections or by party caucuses. These delegates later convene in a pre-determined city in order to nominate their presidential and vice presidential candidates; draft their respective party platforms (a statement of party principles); and engage in other party business. Past conventions have given us a number of dramatic moments. In 1956, Senator John Kennedy narrowly lost a bid to be Democrat Adlai Stevenson’s running mate. In 1976, Governor Ronald Reagan lost the Republican presidential nomination to President Gerald Ford. Interestingly, both Kennedy and Reagan parlayed these defeats into winning presidential campaigns four years later. Today the role played by the party conventions is far different than it was twenty years ago. Most of the drama is gone. The identity of the presidential and vice presidential nominees is known before their names are placed in nomination. The success or failure of these events is