B Y J A M E S C A R V I L L E
The GOP's slick San Diego facelift isn't going to solve its underlying problem: Its candidate. Oh, man. What a week I just had out in San Diego. Time of my life. In retrospect, maybe I had a bit too much fun. It seems that the chairman of the Republican National Committee thought the presence of a couple of Democrats at the convention was "provocative," and my buddy George Stephanopoulos and I got our cans kicked right the hell out of there. How did I get in there in the first place? All week, I was scheduled to be a guest on Larry King's show, and as a result, CNN gave me a press pass. In effect, this serpent of a political consultant got the credentials to call himself a journalistic worm. Before I got my hall pass yanked, I had a chance to meet lots of Republican delegates, and they were extremely gracious, most of them asking after my beautiful wife and baby. The people who spoke at the convention made me feel even more at home. From the moment when Elizabeth Dole started working the hall just like that good progressive Phil Donahue, there was a distinctly Democratic tingle in the air. Speakers waxed poetic about the virtues of affirmative action and paid moving tribute to immigrants and the less fortunate among us. While I was around, they had the courtesy not to preach about unborn fetuses or assault weapons. Even Newt Gingrich was kinder and gentler. When his party so generously gave him his 20 seconds in the spotlight, he chose to devote his remarks to the sunny, inclusive topic of beach volleyball. (Good move, Newt: maybe now they'll let you make that guest appearance on "Baywatch.") But despite my OPTIMISTIC, UPBEAT, ENERGETIC outlook on the San Diego convention, I can't say I was crazy about Bob Dole's big speech. It had the elements of some of President Clinton's least successful addresses: It was sorta long and rambling and sounded at times like a laundry list. In the parts where it was well-written -- namely, those lyrical passages snuck in by the novelist Mark Helprin -- Dole just seemed over his head. I mean, getting a guy like Dole to say phrases like "an America that only the unknowing call myth," is like forcing a guy like me to get up on stage and sing opera. (I could have put a sound clip of me singing my favorite aria from "La Boheme," but I decided to spare you.) The other thing that had me squirming was hearing Dole flap his gums about "keeping families whole." Look, talking about your age when you're 73 is what I call gutsy. But pontificating on the subject of broken homes when you split up your own is inexcusably brazen. Overall, as the polls are showing, the San Diego convention has given the Republicans reason to smile. They did a good job. But before they get too cocky, they ought to keep in mind three simple things:
The Democratic convention will be different. We aren't starting out in a hole. Unlike the Republicans, we will not have to ask the American voters to ignore what we've done for the past couple years. We will not have to ask the American voters to ignore our party platform. Most importantly, we will not have to ask the American voters to ignore who's heading up our ticket. What did you think of the GOP convention? Was it the beginning of a winning fall campaign? Join Carville in Table Talk.
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