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Republican National Convention - Day 4

(The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation)

Republican National Convention - Day 4

Guest: Richard C. Harwood, Special to MSNBC

MSNBC-Will: Ok guys, I have Rich Harwood here. I have some handsome questions here, so let's go. Welcome Mr. Harwood. Welcome back I mean. :)

MSNBC-Will: KATIA2001 says: I am a independent voter do not know which candidate I will vote for many of my friends are still undecided so far I've seen nothing in Republican convention and the speeches that have moved me to vote for Bush. I am now waiting on the Democratic convention.

MSNBC-Will: My favorite question of the day. How typical is she?

Rich_Harwood: Very. I think a lot of people are waiting to see what both these men say, not just at the conventions but over the course of the campaign. I think that's only for the good, because too often in this country we rush to judgment

ASKMSNBC: guest-wanda says: How can you possibly overcome Powell, Laura Bush, McCain, Cheney and etc, it has been a great success for a boring convention, right

Rich_Harwood: Yes. I think that's true. I said yesterday, and I still believe it today, that these conventions are important, they tell us a lot about who these candidates and their parties are, and given last night's talk by Cheney, they will give us a lot to hold these parties accountable for.

MSNBC-Will: I'll find the Cheney question in a sec....

MSNBC-Will: let's take this one first...

ASKMSNBC: Mick-guest says: Why didn't the present administration do all the 'good things' your talking about in the poast 7 1/2 years?

MSNBC-Will: Is that the Dem's biggest obstacle?

Rich_Harwood: Well, clearly Gore has to account for what the Clinton/Gore administration did the last eight years, but as importantly, he needs to put forth his own views about what he wants to do. I daresay most Americans don't think he's done that yet.

ASKMSNBC: StormyMS1 says: How can the DNC show us who Al Gore really is, when he apparently doesn't know himself????

Rich_Harwood: I think a lot of people are asking that question. And, as I've said before, I think one of the best things the Vice President could do is to go back and read his book "Earth In The Balance" to reground himself.

MSNBC-Will: found the cheney question

ASKMSNBC: GreenM3 says: Mr. Harwood...your opinion of Cheney speech in terms of content and delivery?

Rich_Harwood: The delivery was quintessential Cheney, the content I was disappointed in, given the themes the Republicans have been trying to strike at this convention. It was too negative, filled with too many lines seeking to bait Gore, and I thought in direct contradiction with what Cheney said in the first half of his speech. About setting the right tone of civility.

ASKMSNBC: CTGOPman-guest says: If peace accord is not signed in Middle East by Nov. 2000, will Democrats suffer in polls especially among Jewish and Evangelical Christian voters, and if not, why not?

Rich_Harwood: I don't think so. I think the most important thing is that people think there is a just and fair peace. Rushing to fit that in before a U.S. election date seems to be quite silly.

MSNBC-Will: did Clinton bite off more than he could chew?

Rich_Harwood: Not necessarily. Change comes, I think we need to understand that change comes slowly, that you have to keep taking stabs at it, and what often doesn't look like progress, what often looks like a stalemate, can be the seedbed for something positive later on.

ASKMSNBC: Chipsthe1 says: Rich Harwood, don't you feel there is distrust of Gore among the voters do to the questions regarding the campaign finances over the past few years?

Rich_Harwood: I think people don't really know, don't seem to know, who Al Gore is. he's been a loyal Vice President, and as a Presidential candidate, he hasn't come through to people, some of that is mistrust, some of that is not being effective in communicating, and I think more of it deals with his inability or unwillingness to take real positions.

ASKMSNBC: PMSmith-guest says: How powerful do you expect the Christian Right to be in this year's campaign?

Rich_Harwood: I think they will help to turn out voters, who they target, but I think their days of wielding power, as in the 80s, and early 90s are over. People aren't looking for ideological responses now, they want to get on with moving the country forward.

ASKMSNBC: duck-guest says: When will Al Gore address the environmental issues (zinc mine) on his farm?

MSNBC-Will: I've seen a ton of these in the chat room. Are they all true or propaganda? between the zinc and the oil holdings.... there are a lot that come in duck has a ton I'm sure.

Rich_Harwood: Well, I don't know the truth to any of these things that are being said about Gore in terms of, say, the zinc mine on his farm, or oil holdings, or other kinds of things. I think the dilemma for the Vice President is that because he hasn't been forthright in answering other questions, like campaign finance reform, that now there is a Pandora's Box open in terms of people mistrusting what he says.

ASKMSNBC: CTGOPman-guest says: Harwood, what must gore do to get the vote out in Nov?

Rich_Harwood: First of all, I would get him to throw out all his advisors. And just talk about what he believes needs to be talked about. Second, he should do so with conviction, with the conviction of his heart, and third, he should drop any fears he has about losing the Presidency. He needs to just go out and do his thing.

ASKMSNBC: LLL-guest says: Why is the press not asking Gore about his former voting record?

ASKMSNBC: duck-guest says: When will Al Gore address the fact that he and Cheney voted very much alike?

Rich_Harwood: I don't know if their voting records are alike or not, I suspect they are very different.

MSNBC-Will: Yesterday they were asking when Cheney would address voting like

MSNBC-Will: Gore

Rich_Harwood: But I think there will be lots of time for the news media to take a look at their records.

Rich_Harwood: Fundamentally, I think they are very different people,

Rich_Harwood: with very different ideas about how to move the country forward.

ASKMSNBC: Mick-guest says: Rich - Wuill george W. light a spark tonight?

Rich_Harwood: LOL! I think the chances are that he will do a very good job. He seems to be growing into the campaign every day. I expect him to give a very good speech.

ASKMSNBC: steve_baxley-guest says: Lydia: Do you think that last night's invitee from a wrestling organization that has and is so controversial that it makes Dr. Laura look like a nun,may have done a bit of harm to the republican party, and are you afraid of the same to happen at the Democratic convention should WWF wrestler be invited ?

MSNBC-Will: this was to Lydia earlier

Rich_Harwood: I happen to think the Republican's went a bit over the top last night. I think with Cheney's speech, with the wrestler, with the amount of entertainment they have had over the course of the nights so far, they seem to have an idea of the message and tone they want to set, but it's not clear they have yet the backbone to stick with it, they are hedging their bets.

ASKMSNBC: Chipsthe1 says: Mr. Harwood, you have used the phrase "move the country forward" several times. Just what do you mean by that? Is it a definable term?

MSNBC-Will: They caught you!

Rich_Harwood: I think people tell us, Americans tell us, that there are a number of challenges we need to work on in this country, including education, the environment, and also our over consumption of material goods, our inability to deal with race relations effectively, the need to get money out of politics, that's what I mean by moving the nation forward.

MSNBC-Will: Everyone is playing for the minority vote. What's the difference in each party's appeal?

Rich_Harwood: I think many people, either in the minority community or not, are seeking a party that respects them, listens to them, and is willing to address their concerns. Right now I think people are basically looking for the best place to plant themselves. I think that both Gore and Bush are appealing to different things. Bush suggesting that we need greater compassion, but we need to act on it, not just through government, and Gore trying to position himself as being on the side of the "little guy", the common person. Both, I think, messages would have great appeal if they were put together as opposed to left apart.

MSNBC-Will: Mr. Harwood's piece on MSNBC.com -- http://www.msnbc.com/news/440456.asp

MSNBC-Will: deals with this question

ASKMSNBC: EZGuest says: do you think Bush is up to holding his own in a debate with Gore

Rich_Harwood: Yes. I do. Because they talk about issues in such fundamentally different ways. Bush tends to be more values driven, and Gore tends to talk more in terms of policy proposals, we may just find them talking past one another.

ASKMSNBC: UMCRevMom-guest says: Rich Harwood.. don't you think it is time for pundits to stop using race & gender to divide voters?

Rich_Harwood: Absolutely. And this is one of the things that I was referring to when I was talking about moving the nation forward. People are dead tired of politicians manipulating their fears about race and gender issues, among others. They want to bring the country together, not to keep dividing us, and our politicians just don't seem to get that message in how they practice politics, not what they say.

MSNBC-Will: Is that the same as this question?

ASKMSNBC: duck-guest says: C-Span broadcast a segment in which Chris Lehane was saying "Conquer and divide. Conquer and divide." When will divisiveness stop?

Rich_Harwood: Not soon. It won't end soon, because our politicians and their handlers mentality is to win at all costs, seemingly no matter what damage it does to the country, and when that happens they ought to be ashamed of themselves.

ASKMSNBC: Chipsthe1 says: Mr. Harwood, yes I have heard so many people complaining that they have too much. That they want to return to the simple life.

Rich_Harwood: That's right; many Americans now believe that the American dream has been defined solely in economic and material terms. And many Americans now want to bring it back into balance, with values of families, community, faith and spirituality.

ASKMSNBC: UncleBen-guest says: Rich, If we take money out of politics what other standard do we implement to chose our leaders unless we resort to communism?

Rich_Harwood: Why does money dictate the health of democracy? George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln spent very little money, probably, on their elections. I'm not saying that we don't need money to run for office in a country so large. But people have lost their faith in the system because of the extent of the money and where it comes from.

ASKMSNBC: explorer-guest says: It appears this could be a low turnout election...don't you think detailing the superficial abstracts that politicians are using will have an impact on voter response?

Rich_Harwood: I think the more straightforward, straight talk that candidates can give the greater likelihood that people will vote. If we are just going to wallow in superficiality, many if not most people will say "why bother?"

MSNBC-Will: Thanks very much Mr. Harwood for taking this time with us this week. Do you have any closing comments with regard to what we've seen or what's to come?

Rich_Harwood: I hope tonight that Governor Bush defines what he means by Compassionate Conservatism, or at least begins to, and that you'll read my piece on it at msnbc.com

MSNBC-Will: http://www.msnbc.com/news/440456.asp Thanks again, and I hope we'll hear from you in LA :) Thanks very much guys for these great questions Don't forget we have Mickey Kaus at 6:15 after the 6:00 hotline hourly.

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