Profile of MN delegates to GOP Convention.
Karen Boothe, 8/12/96

Minnesota's 33 delegates to the Republican National Convention are in San Diego today for the start of business. MANY travelled to San Diego over the weekend.

Every delegates who spoke with us said he or she is motivated by the belief that the party belongs to those who show up....and that showing up is important if one wants to effect political, economic and social change. A recent survey bears it out. Researchers questioned delegates from around the country and found the MINNESOTA delegates are more concerned about SOCIAL issues.

Moonyeen Bongaards of Shorewood, is a delegate who ALSO served on the national platform committee last week. She's looking forward to getting down to convention business later today (mon):

BITE: 7601 "what they have to offer" 24-secs

and just what exactly does Bongaards think differentiates the republican party from the democratic party? Beyond the fiscal agenda as revealed by Bob Dole last week....it's the SOCIAL issues she says. She doesn't want Dole wavering from social conservatism in favor of moving toward the middle:

BITE: 7616 "strong conservative base." 12-secs

Bongaards couldn't commit to supporting the "tolerance clause" Dole and others have called for in the party platform...and indeed...last week platform writers such as Bongaards RESTORED the stronger language of the Republicans' 1992 anti-abortion plank.

WHERE do the Minnesota delegates lie on the issue? Almost two-thirds beleive it shold be illegal except in cases of rape or incest, a position held by fewer than 50-percent of the national delegates. More than one-quarter beleive it should be illegal in all circumstances...that's twice the pecentage of national delegates.

Jessica Shannon, a 17-year old alternate delegate, who's the youngest of the Minnesotans....typifies members of the state delegation in HER view of the abortion question. Bite: 7626 "adhering to it" 20-secs

But Shannon and the other Minnesota delegates will have to be prepared to stand their ground as chances grow for a floor fight over the issue. Another hot button issue is Affirmative Action. Minnesota's 33 delegates are more likely than their national counterparts to oppose it, and are ALSO more likely to support the right for states to exclude children of illegal immigrants from public schools.

But Minnesota Moderate Republicans will be heard during the convention too. Governor Arne Carlson, who snubbed delegates at the STATE republican party convention in MAY...is not only in San Diego attending the national convention...he's scheduled to speak and tout presumptive nominee Bob Dole's education policy. Moderates like Carlson have not hidden their criticism of what THEY say is a party dominated by social conservatives who are purging social moderates from the party leadership and preventing others from wanting to crawl beneath the BIG TENT.

Delegate Gopal Khanna of Edina shudders at such analysis. Though he opposes legal abortion, expresses concern over declining social mores in the country and considers himself a conservative....he says he's the very embodiment of a party that's open to divergent views. Khanna chairs the Asian-Indian American Republican Affilate group of the state party:

Bite:7619 "of that reality." 19-secs

And he says, while much of his time will be spent conducting convention business on the floor...he has no intentions of keeping immune from the messages protesters are bringing to San Diego:

Bite:7622 "that's what democracy's all about" 24-secs Khanna, and other party activists REGARDLESS of their political stripe...seem to agree on ONE thing....that THIS year....the shadow of Pat Buchanan from four years ago must not stretch over the convention hall in San Diego. It was THEN that Buchanan virtually burned up the hall in Houston by hotly declaring the party was engaged in a "religious war...a cultural war" for the soul of America. And while Minnesota delegates are more likely to view Buchanan more favorably than national delegates....they ARE in agreement with convention planners that such an emotional scene is NOT to be repeated this year.

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