National Journal articles from August 2000

National Journal archives from August 2000

Backstage, Stay Cool.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2000... At 7:29 p.m., in a makeshift control room behind the Republican National Convention stage, Red Cavaney is groaning. "What is this?" he says as 11 other people in the room tense slightly. Sitting erect in a swivel chair, wearing a headset and a...

A Whine Festival.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2000... Most journalists are hardworking people. It's probably their best quality. But their least appealing trait is that they want everybody to know just how hard they work. Whining is not too strong a word. In fact, whining is part of the newsroom...

It's All About Leadership.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2000... Republicans used to win presidential elections by drawing bright lines to distinguish themselves from Democrats on issues. But George W. Bush is a different kind of Republican, and he wants to wage a different kind of fall campaign. "It...

Convention party-crashing.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2000... To: Washington Friends From: Lisa Caruso Subject: Convention party-crashing How's it going in D.C.? It must be pretty dead on Capitol Hill these days, so I thought I'd drop you an e-mail about my convention adventures on the party...

Where's the Beef? Not at the Podium.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2000... If you're looking for meat at this convention, try biting into a Philly cheese steak. When it comes to meaningful discussion of public policy and key issues, this show has been about as nourishing as a breadstick. For months, George W....

House Leaders Play `Mr. Fix-It' at Convention.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2000... A member of Congress who wants a special committee assignment or help with tucking a pet project into an appropriations bill usually turns to party leaders. But whom are you going to call at the Republican convention, where you are deprived of...

Whether You Like It or Not, Newt's Back.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2000... Many political figures who have fallen into disgrace have won rehabilitation after a decent interval of contemplation and penance. Richard Nixon, Oliver North, Gary Hart, and Tony Coelho all come to mind. Now it's Newt Gingrich's turn. ...

GOP Delegates Give Hastert Mixed Reviews.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2000... Don't expect J. Dennis Hastert--for whom low-key is printed in front of his name about as often as Speaker is--to make many waves this week. The Illinois Republican plans to spend the convention the same way he spends most days in the...

Politicians and the Web: They Don't Get It.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2000... Internet Alley companies lining the media convention halls may be talking up the promise of the Internet in politics, but a recent study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania showed that only half of all congressional candidates have...

McCain Still Has the Fire in His Belly.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2000... Well, what now for John McCain? Having paid his entry fee for a prime-time convention speech--a solid if not quite joyful commitment to George W. Bush's election--the self-described "distant runnner-up" in the Republican nomination race...

These Three Groups Really Can Swing.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2000... In every election, swing voters are key. But identifying swing voters--and the issues that motivate them--isn't always easy. At a breakfast meeting with reporters, top Bush campaign strategist Karl Rove shed some light on which groups the...

Is a `Stepford Convention' a Bad Thing?(Brief Article)
August 5, 2000... For the voters, conventions are metaphors for who the presidential candidates are and how they would govern. Cynics are calling the Republican gathering "the Stepford convention"--programmed, scripted, devoid of spontaneity. Is that a damaging...

Hugs for a Recent Republican Convert.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2000... Although he has served nine terms in the House, this is California Rep. Matthew G. Martinez's first Republican convention. That's because for the other three conventions he attended, he went as a Democrat. Martinez officially changed...

A House Candidate Learns How to Hustle.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2000... Bart Baron--a balding, mustachioed, 57-year-old automobile-industry consultant--is here to shift his House campaign into high gear. He has attended "seven or eight" events each day, chatting up Republican Party honchos and lobbyists. He's...

Silicon Valley Sits Out the Conventions.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2000... Despite the hype surrounding the omnipresence and influence of the Internet at the political conventions, high-tech firms are keeping a relatively low profile at this year's gatherings. Many CEOs have opted for vacation time over politics or...

Young Performers Hope to Shine in the Media Big Top.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2000... Jackie Veneruso has one of the most unattractive jobs at the convention: media logistics coordinator. If the press's phones or Internet connections aren't working, she's the one who gets the call. If pouring rain causes the media tents to leak,...

For GOP Gays, Progress But Still Problems.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2000... Conservative pundit Mary Matalin "would make a great lipstick lesbian," Michael Duffy of the Human Rights Campaign said at a reception Monday for gay and lesbian Republicans. Then Duffy presented her with a lesbian accoutrement--a bumper...

Paxon's Path From Politician to Player.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2000... On the 21st floor of a Market Street skyscraper late Monday night, Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, a traditionally Democraticleaning lobbying shop, hosted a posh party for Republican lawmakers, powerbrokers, and a bevy of lobbyists and...

Gunning for the Democrats This Fall.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2000... The theme of "compassionate conservatism" may suit the needs of the Republican Party this week. For the National Rifle Association, however, which has poured in more than $900,000 of "soft" money to GOP committee coffers this cycle, that...

For Washington's Premier Lobbyists ...(Brief Article)
August 5, 2000... "I've got to get out of here!" Suddenly, Washington lobbyist Henry Gandy is on the run. He barrels down a crowded convention hall aisle and dashes up a flight of stairs not more than a dozen yards from where former President George Bush and...

Two Bush Trailblazers Look to the Fall.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2000... Two pioneering Washington moneymen for George W. Bush have made a long and successful trek to Philadelphia. Now, native Texan James C. Langdon Jr., 54, and Pennsylvanian Peter Terpeluk Jr., 50, are poised to assume new duties in their drive...

... Baby-Sitting Comes With the Job.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2000... larger K Street operation here. According to a July 24 list of lobbyists and their duties here, Donald L. Fierce of Fierce and Isakowitz is the senior adviser for the Government Affairs Volunteers. Fierce and 21 other heavyweights on the senior...

Dining at the Shrine.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2000... Imagine for a moment you're a prominent Republican pol. It's opening night at your party's national convention. You can either join the throngs of party loyalists at the First Union Center or settle in for an exquisitely prepared--and...

Cheese Steaks and Fries, Fat Is Where It's At.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2000... Skip the Scarsdale Diet Throttle the Turbo-Protein Diet. This week, why not try the Convention Diet, especially if you have no particular desire to live until the 2004 election? Start with the native cuisine. Philly cheese steaks--using...

A GOP Motto With Multiple Meanings.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2000... It's impossible to miss, but also forgettable. Renewing America's Purpose. Together. It's in humongous letters on the wall in the convention center and often on the podium's video screen. Say it four times quickly. Mean anything yet? Well,...

No Panic Among the Button Pushers.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2000... When it comes to free enterprise, the Republicans don't mess around. The memorabilia booths at the "PoliticalFest" in the downtown Pennsylvania Convention Center have been jam-packed the past few days, and sales for many vendors are going...

NASCAR to All Ships at Sea: ... Where the Hell Is Our Banner?
August 5, 2000... OOPS! IT'S IN THE BAHAMAS. OVER. To people who weren't in the know, the big NASCAR lunch at the former Philadelphia Navy Yard may have looked awesome enough--plenty of checkered flags snapping in the humid breeze, naturally cool driving...

Cheers, Jeers, And Fears in San Francisco.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2000... During the Republican convention in Philadelphia, National Journal published remembrances of the past 10 Republican conventions. Three of them are reprinted on the following pages. The Cow Palace in San Francisco, in July 1964, was the...

Fireworks in 1976: Ford Edges Reagan.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2000... The Bicentennial year brought with it the last GOP convention fireworks of the century. A congressman respected for his integrity and gentlemanly ways, Gerald Ford had stumbled into the crossfire of history when he became the nation's first...

Reagan and Ford Flirt, But It's Bush.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2000... In 1980, the Republicans met in Detroit to coronate Ronald Reagan. Four years earlier, in Kansas City, Mo., there had been a boomlet for a Gerald Ford-Reagan "dream ticket." Now, it was happening in reverse. The Reaganites wanted a...

They Still Don't Like You-Know-Who.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2000... At the nicey-nice Philadelphia convention, Republicans are not supposed to say anything bad, not even about the first family they love to hate, especially from the podium. But these are party loyalists, and off the convention floor or in the...

How It Played.
August 5, 2000... Press Watch Convention coverage and commentary written for newspapers and Web sites: "Arguing the need for new leadership even in a booming economy, Texas Gov. George W. Bush last night issued a rousing call for a change and a clean...

Sprung From the Bushworld Archipelago.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2000... "It's a goddamned prison camp." I had just passed through the security perimeter into Bushworld again when I heard those words, which uncannily expressed my own thoughts. The woman was walking near me among the barricades, griping to...

Two Mr. Lonelys Find Company in Internet Alley.(Brief Article)
August 5, 2000... In Internet Alley--the convention's glitzy, floodlight-soaked epicenter of the new-media universe--Gary Barrett is a throwback. He's the lone guy sitting before a microphone crudely taped to a table in the corner of the room. There he sits...

Kids Left Behind.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2000... A commentary on public education and other critical issues Recently, a proposal that I made got a lot of attention and was interpreted by some as being a simple call for an extra year of high school. That was wrong. I talked about the small...

To Our Readers.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2000... Need to know where Al Gore stands on bankruptcy reform? Or what percentage of the vote he received in the New York primary? Or how to get in touch with the Ohio delegation in Los Angeles? That information--plus a whole lot more--can be found in...

IS THERE AN EXCUSE FOR GEORGE NETHERCUTT?
August 12, 2000... This November, the most important election in the country will be the one between Al Gore and George W. Bush. The second most important will be--you say Hillary vs. Rick for the open New York Senate seat? Good guess, but no. The race that puts...

On His Own, at Last.
August 12, 2000... AL GORE HAS FEWER THAN 90 DAYS TO PLAY START-UP, CATCH-UP, PATCH-UP--WHATEVER WILL WORK TO RESCUE HIS PRESIDENTIAL BID. Al Gore is in trouble. Well, maybe it's more accurate to say his campaign is in trouble still. Heading into their Los...

Al Gore: A Biography.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2000... THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE Born: Washington, D.C., March 31, 1948 Raised: Carthage, Tenn., and Washington, D.C. Religion: Baptist Education: Harvard University, B.A. government, 1969; attended Vanderbilt University Graduate...

Lieberman: Pros and Cons.
August 12, 2000... JOE LIEBERMAN IS NOT ONLY SCANDAL-PROOF. HE ALSO BRINGS TO THE DEMOCRATIC TICKET SOME ATTRIBUTES THAT AL GORE LACKS. BUT WILL HIS CENTRIST WAYS ALIENATE THE BASE? One truism in the quadrennial campaign for the White House is that a party's...

Joe Lieberman: A Biography.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2000... Born: Stamford, Conn., Feb. 24, 1942 Raised: Stamford, Conn. Religion: Orthodox Jew Education: Yale University, B.A., special "scholar of the house" major, in which a student is given free rein to do an independent senior project...

Party at a Crossroads.
August 12, 2000... THE VERY NOTION OF WHAT IT IS TO BE A DEMOCRAT IS UP FOR GRABS. As Bill Clinton prepares to leave office, the Democratic Party is gathering in Southern California not only to coronate its next presidential nominee, but also to take stock of...

The Clean and the Dirty.
August 12, 2000... L.A. CAN SURPRISE. BEHIND THE DEAD GAZE OF LAIDBACK INDIFFERENCE, THE CITY HAS A FUSSINESS ALL ITS OWN. AND WHAT REALLY MATTERS ABOUT THE NATIVE FASTIDIOUSNESS IS WHAT IT'S COVERING UP. Every place has its stories, and the best stories are...

Dems in LaLa Land.
August 12, 2000... Prosperity is in this year. The Los Angeles convention theme "Prosperity and Progress"--crowds the Democrats onto the same page of the centrist playbook that brought America "Prosperity With a Purpose" at last week's Republican convention. ...

THE MEDIA WORK AREA IN LOS ANGELES.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2000... ENTRANCE Congressional Quarterly CONCOURSE FOYER ALCOVE National Journal Group Los Angeles Times WEST EXHIBIT LOBBY San Francisco Chronicle PETREE HALL Associated Press WEST HALL, LEVEL 1 OCB: Radio/TV Marti...

TELEPHONE NUMBERS IN LOS ANGELES.
August 12, 2000... DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE WASHINGTON, D.C. Web site www.democrats.org Main number 202-863-8000 Main fax ...

Team Gore's Key Players.
August 12, 2000... Vice President Al Gore has had to remake his staff more than once during the campaign. Many of his original foot soldiers declined to make the trek to Nashville when the Gore camp moved its headquarters out of Washington, and he's had a change...

Diverse Team Will Run Show.
August 12, 2000... One of the Democrats' political tasks at its convention in polyglot Los Angeles is to appeal to the electorate in all of its diversified glory. And they might have just the team for the job. The seven key operatives, profiled below, who...

BUSH AND GORE: WHERE THEY STAND.
August 12, 2000... BUSH ABORTION SUMMARY Consistently opposes abortion PUBLIC FUNDING Opposes the use of public funds to provide or to advocate abortions. Can be...

DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY RESULTS.(Statistical Data Included)
August 12, 2000... DELEGATES DELEGATES STATE DATE PLEDGED UNPLEDGED Iowa 1/24 47 9 New Hampshire 2/1 22 7 Am....

BUSH VS. GORE: THE LATEST STATE POLLS.(Statistical Data Included)
August 12, 2000... STATE BUSH GORE POLLING FIRM Alabama 52% 28% Mobile Register/University of South Alabama Alaska(*) -- -- -- Arizona 45% 31% Arizona...

Hotline Extra.
August 12, 2000... An Unorthodox Selection "The political equivalent for Jews of landing someone (m the moon" is what Rabbi Marvin Hier of the Simon Wiesenthal Center called the selection of Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, Conn., as Al Gore's running mate. (Larry...

SO MUCH GROUND TO COVER, SO LITTLE TIME.
August 12, 2000... Given Vice President Al Gore's well-earned reputation for political expediency and opportunism, his choice of Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut to be his running mate is both fascinating and unexpected. On some levels, it would seem to be...

GORE'S BOLD MOVE.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2000... THE DECISION TO SELECT LIEBERMAN AS A RUNNING MATE MAKES A STATEMENT ABOUT THE VICE PRESIDENT. Downplayed somewhat in the focus on Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, D-Conn., as the first Jew to be selected for a national ticket is the fact that...

AL GORE'S CHALLENGES.(Brief Article)
August 12, 2000... IN PHILADELPHIA, THE GOP STAGED THE MOST NONPOLITICAL POLITICAL CONVENTION IN HISTORY. Here's where the presidential race stood early in the week: George W. Bush 54 percent, Al Gore 37 percent--a 17-point lead, according to the Gallup...

They Spoke, We're Late.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2000... They were in time trouble Monday night even before the women Senators came on. But then it got worse. Blanche Lambert Lincoln of Arkansas kept talking and talking about Social Security. "Is she finished?" asked Gary Smith of no one in...

Swinging for The Fences.(Dodger Day 2000)(Brief Article)
August 19, 2000... So you think La-La Land is all about late nights, stargazing, and shameless self-indulgence? True, but on a blazing hot Tuesday afternoon, a different side of the City of Angels was on display. Dodger Stadium was open to those lucky enough...

Now, for the Fall Campaign.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2000... At the conclusion of the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia--as Texas Gov. George W. Bush sighted his campaign for what he hopes is victory come Nov. 7--delegates and political hangers-on were definitely not gnashing their teeth...

The Hunt for Hollywood Celebrities.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2000... Al Gore can wait. Democrats such as Wisconsin delegate Chris Sinicki have descended on Los Angeles in dogged pursuit of Hollywood celebrities. Sinicki planned to arrive on Monday, just in time for the convention kickoff. But last week she...

This Hotel Won't Give Up Its Ghosts.(Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel)(Brief Article)
August 19, 2000... Delegates attending this week's convention festivities might not be surprised to rub elbows with Ben Affleck, Warren Beatty, Ted Danson, Barbra Streisand, or a host of Hollywood's other celebrity Democrats. But conventioneers from three states...

The King of Confetti Prepares a Blizzard.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2000... "Political events are the confetti events of the year. It wouldn't be a party without confetti." So states Drake Diamond, the confetti king with the perfect Hollywood moniker. Later in the week, when the Democratic Party faithful have worked...

Cheers, and Jitters, Among Hill Dems.(Democrats)(Brief Article)
August 19, 2000... Congressional Democrats are getting a little nervous. Many have never been completely confident of an Al Gore victory, but for much of this year they have viewed their own battle for control of the House more enthusiastically. Now, as Gore...

A Senator Suddenly Is Showing His Bark.(Senate Minority Whip Harry Reid)(Brief Article)
August 19, 2000... In Washington, Senate Minority Whip Harry Reid, D-Nev., has a reputation for being mild mannered. But here in Los Angeles, Reid is being called Al Gore's "pit bull." Reid spent Wednesday making the rounds among the convention media to tout...

Candidates Trying to Go Live at Five.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2000... At 5:30 a.m. in Los Angeles on Tuesday, U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Deborah Ann Stabenow of Michigan was already hard at work in her hotel room, doing back-to-back radio interviews in her home state that wouldn't end until 8 a.m. Stabenow was...

Two House Dems Whipped Into A Frenzy.(Representatives Steny H. Hoyer and Nancy Pelosi)(Brief Article)
August 19, 2000... Forget the battle for the White House or even for control of Congress. This week, two savvy and senior Democratic lawmakers are looking further down the road to their own high-stakes battle for a key House leadership post. Reps. Steny H....

Plenty of Loot From the Lawyers.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2000... Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, the wealthy former trial lawyer, just missed being tapped for Vice President, but he is definitely not being overlooked in Los Angeles. On Sunday night, a group of trial lawyers led by local attorney Tom...

The Two Gephardts Who Came West.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2000... House Minority Leader Richard A. Gephardt, D-Mo., canceled appearances Tuesday with two state delegations and at "radio alley" in the convention center because, according to his staff, he had lost his voice. But it may have been more than...

D.C. Wonks and L.A. Stars Don't Quite Mix.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2000... Well, you can't fault them for trying. Hollywood tried to do policy Tuesday in what was billed as a forum to bring washington and the entertainment industry together to talk about education. But the lines were hard for the Hollywood types to...

Pat's Party: Bad News For Al Gore?
August 19, 2000... LONG BEACH--What happened here at the Reform Party convention earlier this month is not the best of news for the Democrats. With Pat Buchanan and his militant "brigades" storming the barricades of Ross Perot's old party and pulling off a...

Voter Forecasts ... Can Be Quirky.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2000... Maybe you haven't noticed, but the presidential election is over. Academic forecasters from very important universities maintain that they can predict the outcome, based on impressive-looking equations. What goes into those equations? The...

A Look at the Electoral Math.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2000... In a perfect world, there would be a ban on public opinion polls between the week before the first major-party convention and the two weeks after the second. Convention time is an extremely volatile period, and polling data are virtually...

Convention Carousing Is No Easy Task.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2000... As delegates, politicians, civic-minded celebrities, and other Democratic VIPs juggle invitations for up to 25 soirees a night, they are learning that convention week carousing is no simple task. It requires the strategic skills of a campaign...

A Toast to Women Who Can Get Out the Vote.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2000... About 1,000 elected officials, convention delegates, and abortion-rights advocates flocked to Beverly Hills on Tuesday for a $250-a-plate luncheon to toast California's abortion-rights congresswomen. They also gathered to help mobilize women...

The Weight on Mayor Daley's Shoulders.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2000... Only two Democrats have won the White House without carrying Illinois, and no Republican has ever been elected President without winning there. The state's 22 electoral votes make it the largest prize among the battleground states in the...

L.A. to Convention: We're Ambivalent.
August 19, 2000... Two years ago, the Democrats were anticipating showcasing their party in a multicultural, strongly progressive, post-Ronald Reagan California. That was the theory, anyway. But a day into this convention, it is becoming clear that this city has,...

Cash and Contacts Fuel a High-Powered Couple.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2000... They are a high-voltage, but low-profile, power couple. Alan J. Blinken Jr., a former ambassador to Belgium, is a major fund-raiser for the Democratic National Committee. He heads the DNC's money chase in 28 states, plus Guam and Puerto...

As NBC Fidgeted, Senators Droned On and On.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2000... "Get me Sarah Jessica Parker!" shouts Jeff Zucker, executive producer of NBC News' Decision 2000 prime time coverage. "You are looking at the back of Sarah Jessica Parker's head," intones anchorman Tom Brokaw, who is on the air at 10:14 p.m....

Just Connect: Mantra of the Conventioneer.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2000... "I just saw Norman Lear," gasps Wendy Sommer, the director of development for the League of Conservation Voters. "I think he can chip in $100,000," she whispers to the group's state outreach director, David Daniel. With that, Sommer wades...

Ohio Delegates: Beam Traficant to L.A.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2000... To House Democratic leaders, Rep. James A. Traficant Jr., D-Ohio, is more than a pain in the neck. He has voted with Republicans on important bills all year long, and he announced in late June that he'll support J. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., for...

Quite a Platform for a 20-Something.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2000... As the New Democrats hit their political adolescence, they are grooming their next class of centrist missionaries. Andrei Cherny is one of their unofficial ambassadors to the next generation. At 25, Cherny, who is finishing up his most...

San Antonio Teacher Puts Dunce Cap on Bush.(Minnie Sanchez)(Brief Article)
August 19, 2000... Texas teacher Minnie Sanchez is getting more Hollywood by the day. She's a member of a group of labor folks out to spread "the truth" about Gov. George W. Bush's policies, and she just can't seem to go anyplace at the Democratic Convention...

Here Come Those Protest Puppets Again.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2000... After a long standoff with the city and a surprisingly swift victory in a federal district court last week, protest organizers were using hammers Sunday afternoon to transform stacks of cardboard into a carnival of colors and faces that will...

Gays' Victory Fund Bash Pulls In Stars.(Brief Article)
August 19, 2000... The scenic sun-dappled rooftop pool area of the elegant Bel Age Hotel in West Hollywood is a long way from the closets where gay and lesbian politicians were once consigned. Fueled by mimosas, and with a string quartet playing softly in the...

Meet Hollywood's John Peterson ... He makes the Town's Stars Shine.
August 19, 2000... IT TAKES A SPOT OF SOLVENT If starstruck delegates think Tinseltown looks even more glittery than usual, part of it actually is. "Grime, street dirt, bicyclists," says John Peterson, who's sitting on the black terrazzo sidewalk of...