PHILADELPHIA -- With a tone of great fanfare and showmanship, the opening night of the 2000 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia unveiled a "newer, kinder" Republican party. The second night focused more on military and foreign policy issues and featured speeches by American war heroes.
In what seemed like an obvious attempt to erase the widely-held conception that the Republican party is the voice of the white and conservative elite, Monday night's opening ceremonies showcased an array of 'nontraditional' Republicans and Bush supporters who addressed standard policy issues from different points of view.
Within the first half hour of the evening session's start, the Convention featured an African-American woman, a Latina woman, a single mother and a Jewish rabbi. The remainder of the evening continued to feature women and minorities en masse. In addition to the old guards General Colin Powell and Representative J.C. Watts, celebrity appearances dotted the evening.
"This is not your father's party" might well have described the mood.
Former Reagan speechwriter Ben Stein of "Win Ben Stein's Money" hosted a lightening round of his television program in which he showcased Gov. George W. Bush's accomplishments in Texas while Miss America 1999 played the role of contestant. Singer Brian McKight performed, and a gospel choir roused the crowd.
In addition to the performers, regular citizens spoke about how they had identified themselves with the Republican party.
A single mother, who said she identifies herself as a Democrat, spoke about the importance of education and how Gov. Bush's educational reform in Texas gives her hope for her children's futures. A young woman who had lived in foster care for eight years shared her experiences and urged for reform of child services.
The roster was composed of citizens "speaking from the heart" about issues that apparently mattered to them personally. The speakers effectively demonstrated how the Republican party embraces both them and their causes.
But more important than the showcasing of nontraditional Republicans was the way in which each speaker attempted to simultaneously redefine the party image and preserve its core values.
Contrary to its cold "party of the wealthy" image, the 2000 GOP convention started by emphasizing not the stock Republican issues such as tax code reform and defense spending, but education and childcare.
With the theme of the evening being "Leave no child behind" and the catch phrase of the convention being "Renewing America's purpose," the GOP remained true to its educational policies while adopting an attitude of compassion.
Texas First Lady Laura Bush spoke to a warm audience about the importance of responsible parenting and the role a new Bush administration would assume in redefining education. Her easy and honest demeanor was well accepted by the crowd, which was dotted with "We Love Laura" signs.
But the highlight of the evening for both the audience and the party was the appearance by General Colin Powell. With an upbeat but still serious attitude, Powell roused the emotions of the audience as he affirmed the fact that "we have much work to do and a long way to go" to deliver to the children of America the promise of a high-quality education.
"To deliver that promise we must remember our children ... [they] belong to us all. We are all responsible for them. We can't leave any child behind," he said.
His theme of community responsibility was reminiscent of the debate supporting First Lady Hillary Clinton's book "It Takes A Village," and some media figures mused at the distinctly Democratic tone to parts of the speech. Powell seemed to be cognizant of the tone being set by his proposals and told the crowd, "Some call it compassionate conservatism. I call it common sense."
Still, while the Republicans emphasized compassion and education, they advocated traditional Republican means for achieving the goal of leaving no child behind.
The strongest applause of the evening was awarded to Powell's proposal to fix America's failing schools through private funding, charter schools, improving standardized test scores, and extensive but prudent use of school vouchers. Powell masterfully blended the necessary compassion normally identified as democratic with the importance of innovation, competition and accountability usually identified with free-marketer Republicans.
The tone has been set for the emergence of a new Republican party. The stern image of an elitist party is dying while a new image of compassionate conservatism is being born.
And while political pundits might wave caution flags that the parties are shifting towards the center, the Republicans remain confidently affirmative of many of their traditional values. Only the presentation and packaging have been changed.
The second night of convention was filled with patriotic overtones as to the role of America within the international community was discussed.
Appropriately enough, speeches about hegemonic issues were delivered by well-known war veterans.
Former Senator Bob Dole honored World War II veterans in his address while Gulf War coalition leader H. Norman Schwarzkopf spoke via satellite from the deck of a battleship. The occasion marked a decade since Iraq invaded Kuwait to touch off the Gulf War.
The final remarks of the night were from Arizona Senator and former prisoner of war John McCain. In a highly-anticipated speech, McCain refrained from controversy while on the podium by sticking to the night's international and military theme rather than mentioning campaign finance reform -- an issue greatly associated with his name.
"I say to all Americans -- Republican, Democrat or independent -- if you believe America deserves leaders with a purpose more ennobling than expediency and opportunism, then vote for Governor Bush. If you believe patriotism is more than a sound bite and public service should be more than a photo op., then vote for Governor Bush," McCain said.
Kathleen Reeder is working for the George Bush campaign and is The Dartmouth's contributing analyst at the 2000 Republican National Convention.
