Uniting to avoid ‘Hillary Madame President’

It would be unfair to try to compare Saturday’s Clark County Republican Party convention to the fiasco held by Democrats last month.

The Republicans, after all, actually had a convention.

Sure, it’s a lot easier to manage things when you have about 3,100 delegates, rather than 10,000 to 20,000.

But all things being equal, Republicans also know how to go about the business of getting themselves elected: Bring the activists together, rile them up with a little red meat, and stress over and over just how high the stakes are.

County Chairman Bernie Zadrowski had them from the moment he bounded to the stage after a jog from the back of the ballroom at The Orleans. “For the first time in my adult life, I am proud to be county Republican chairman,” Zadrowski said, opening the convention.

There were some Fox News-style graphics and videos, including a wailing baby complaining about “Democrap in my diaper.”

And convention chairman Dr. Chris Comfort riled up the crowd: “We will not say Hillary Madame President. We will not cast a vote for socialized medicine.”

Democrats typically have a hard time figuring out their message, and they eventually settle on a platform that does little more than help Republicans run stronger against them. In contrast, Zadrowski was able to rattle off the core Republican principles in 13 words.

Republicans hardly adhere to them, but in an election year sound bite, what voter would argue with: “Freedom from terrorism, strong national defense, strong border enforcement, fiscal responsibility and economic freedom.”

This being a group of Republicans, culled largely from supporters of Mitt Romney, who handily won Nevada’s GOP caucus on Jan. 19, there was also just enough to appease the social conservatives.

Pastor John Knapp of Calvary Church gave the invocation in which he quoted the godliness of Founding Fathers Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson and remarked how Abraham Lincoln wished God to be on his side during the Civil War. “We were created, we did not evolve,” he said more pointedly.

The platform supports the “inalienable right to life of all persons from the moment of conception to their natural death,” and also believes that a two-parent family with a “husband and wife” is the best model for family life.

The party also wants English-only government, wants to audit the Clark County School District and is very much against any attempt to remove the recognition of God from our schools.

What’s more, the Republicans put so much faith into their county platform, they require candidates to sign a pledge vowing to run on it.

This is the party that warns delegates not to talk to the press because it has specifically trained people who are up on Republican talking points.

Democrats, on the other hand, let it all hang out, warts and all. During the disaster at Bally’s last month, countless Democrats walked up to reporters just to denounce their own party.

The calls for unity Saturday also appeared largely successful.

One female delegate did yell “no” when state Sen. Bob Beers encouraged supporters of Ron Paul and Romney to line up behind Sen. John McCain. But from my assigned perch in a second-floor box above the convention floor, it was impossible to ascertain whether she had supported Paul or Romney.

But even if some of the delegates weren’t exactly gaga over McCain, they did walk away Saturday with one clear message — unite or lose.

When Rep. Shelley Berkley tried the unity speech at the Democratic gathering, she stated she would support whoever wins her party’s nomination, but she also expressed her support for Clinton, drawing more than a few boos.

When Republicans talked Saturday about unity, they essentially said, Democrats are divided, so we must conquer. “We’ve got a big problem,” Zadrowski warned. “Everybody is saying 2008 is going to be the Democrats’ year. Are we going to let that happen? No!”

Jon Porter, via video, noted: “They are deeply divided. We must capitalize on their failure to unify and their failure to lead.”

Beers brought a telling history lesson to the delegates, talking about the 1982 Nevada Democratic primary bloodbath, when Rep. Jim Santini took on the powerful Sen. Howard Cannon.

Beers said he covered the Democratic convention that year as a radio reporter and witnessed fist fights between delegates. Cannon ultimately survived the Santini challenge, but was weakened too much to beat back Republican Chic Hecht.

“Democrats seem to run a little more on emotion, than on intellect, and that means they have a very hard time forgiving the other side,” Beers said. “Half of them are angry and don’t show up in November.”

Of course, Hecht in 1982 also got a pretty sizable assist from the Great Communicator himself.

Still, Republicans know how to rally their troops. And it’s easier to focus on the divisions on the other side of the aisle.

Contact Erin Neff at eneff@reviewjournal.com or (702) 387-2906.