National political conventions may have turned into big block parties, but they still have two vital purposes - speeches and platforms that detail what the parties stand for and a call to arms to loyalists before the November election wars.
So believes J.D. Williams, retiring political science professor at the University of Utah and the new national committeeman for the Utah Democratic Party.Williams is one of the leaders of the Utah delegation, only 29 votes in a convention of about 4,000 delegates that meets this weekend and next week in New York City.
There will be few surprises at the convention, said Williams.
Long ago, the national conventions ceased to be real nominating bodies - the parties' presidential candidates are picked in a series of state primaries. Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton will be the nominee and, said Williams, even his choice of vice president is not an important issue in convention business, because the convention will routinely nominate anyone he picks.
"We've gone far beyond the 19th Century when conventions did nominate," said Williams. "But as a party revival, they're still most important. Recall the speech by (New York governor) Mario Cuomo in 1984, calling the Republicans to task. Remember the moving speech by (now Texas governor) Ann Richards in 1988. A party not in the presidency must weight what it stands for in an elec tion year. Very, very important. And it's done in part in the convention."
A little less significant - because not much is made of them any more - are the party platforms. A classic example of what a platform can be, said Williams, is what the Republicans did in 1980 - threw out their traditional pro-choice stand for pro-life, promised to get government off the peoples' backs, promised to reduce taxes and build a strong military. Except for the one huge exception - a balanced federal budget - Ronald Reagan used that GOP platform in his first administration.
Williams admits that Utah's delegation will have little impact on what happens in New York next week. Well, maybe with one possible exception.
U.S. Rep. Wayne Owens, D-Utah - who is running for the U.S. Senate this year - pledges to attempt to have the convention adopt former presidential candidate Paul Tsongas' economic recovery plan as part of the Clinton-dominated platform.
"That, at least, will be one bright, shinning moment for us (the Utah delegation)," said Williams. The success of Owens' attempt is in doubt, however. It's questionable if Clinton - who has his own economic development plans - will want to run on a platform that contains part of his former rival's campaign promise.
Williams said he doesn't believe that special interests dominate the national Democratic Party. "All political parties have magnet groups, drawn to that party because those groups feel that particular party has something for them. Labor is a longtime, vital part of the Democratic Party, true. It has its place, like business and wealth have theirs in the Republican Party." While minorities are an important part of the Democratic Party, also, Williams said that the Rev. Jesse Jackson has "nearly zero influence" on the party this year, unlike 1988 and 1984.
Finally, Williams said it's understandable that Clinton is doing so poorly in Utah considering he already has three strikes against him here. (A recent Deseret News/KSL-TV poll showed the Democratic nominee with only 10 percent support in the state.)
"First came the moral questions - the charges of adultery before the New Hampshire primary. Then take into account that he is pro-choice when a majority of Utahns, I believe, are pro-life. Finally, fewer than one in four Utahns are Democrats."