NYT: G.O.P. Centrists to Speak at Convention, but Will They Be Heard?

[DeepModem Mom]

G.O.P. Centrists to Speak at Convention, but Will They Be Heard?
By CARL HULSE

Published: August 23, 2004


....the convention prominence being given to politicians like Govs. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California, George E. Pataki of New York and Mitt Romney of Massachusetts and former Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani of New York is fueling a debate over the role of Republicans who hew more to the center.

Those who once might have been called Rockefeller Republicans say the prime-time slots set aside to present a centrist image show that the leadership knows the party must broaden its appeal to retain the White House. But they worry about their real influence in a party dominated by conservatives at a time when the ranks of House moderates are thinning and an activist group zeros in on candidates it brands RINO's, Republican in Name Only.

"Frankly, if the president wins walking away with this, maybe the country is in a different place than where the moderate Republicans are,'' said Christie Whitman, the former New Jersey governor and Bush administration official who is writing a book titled "It's My Party Too." "If he loses, it is an absolute validation of the fact that you cannot be a national party if you are excluding people.''

Mrs. Whitman makes it clear that she does not want President Bush, whom she served as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, to lose. But she is not alone in urging party leaders to consider the contributions of moderates at moments other than when it makes strategic sense....


http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/23/politics/campaign/23moderates.html