On Politics / David Postman
Minority numbers up for GOP convention

By David Postman
Chief political reporter

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The stage was filled day after day with a rich mix of races and cultures. The convention floor was not. The thousands of delegates were mostly white. And that was after some pretty strong affirmative action ordered by the Bush campaign.

It was a stark enough contrast that it was the stuff of Democratic jabs, much comment from the punditocracy and cracks from late-night comics. (David Letterman: "Every night at the Republican Convention, they had a theme. And tonight the theme was 'Let's End this Charade and Get Back to Our Restricted Country Club.' ")

This year Republicans think they've got the numbers to show they're serious about diversity.

Of the 4,788 delegates and alternates expected in New York, 17 percent will be minorities.

Democrats say 40 percent of delegates to their national convention were minorities. That reflects the electoral advantage Democrats traditionally hold among minorities.

Republicans are going for most improved. Four years ago, 9 percent of GOP delegates were minorities. In 1996, it was 6.3 percent.

The biggest gains this year are among African Americans, up 65 percent from four years ago.

It's the most racially diverse Republican convention ever. Republican National Committee Chairman Ed Gillespie called it "a milestone achievement in our party's connection with America's minorities."

Washington's delegation is less diverse than the national group. State party Chairman Chris Vance said minorities make up about 12 percent of the delegation.

Republicans are quick to say they used no quotas. But it didn't happen by accident.
 
"It has been part of a concerted effort to increase our share of the minority votes," Gillespie said this week. "We have been reaching out to the grass roots."

Mike McKay, vice chairman of the Bush campaign in Washington state, said minorities on the slate of state Bush delegates had all been active in the campaign.

"It would be a significant morale problem if we did outreach to people who were not active and left other people behind," he said. "And that'd be inconsistent with our philosophy."

Republican promotion of their diversity numbers will spur debate about whether Bush or Democrat John Kerry would be better for minorities.

Michael Steele, Maryland's lieutenant governor and an African-American Republican, said his party has historic ties to black voters. But he said the party "walked away from that relationship to pursue a different strategy" of courting white, Southern, males. He participated in a teleconference with reporters organized by the RNC.

HERE'S A POINT I missed on deadline that was pointed out by several readers. From Boston I reported that Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Seattle, told a group of College Democrats that they should be afraid of a second Bush term because a military draft would be inevitable. What I didn't say is there is pending legislation to reinstate the draft, sponsored by McDermott and other Democrats. It's a symbolic move; McDermott says he'd vote against it and wants only to draw attention to who is fighting in Iraq. But if he's using the draft to scare young voters, it would have been worth mentioning that the bill has his name on it. onpolitics@seattletimes.com