Some are all ayes for a Kerry delay on an acceptanceIt is the big payoff of every political convention, the moment that makes the years of backbreaking ward and precinct spadework worthwhile. The party's pick takes the stage and speaks the magic words: I accept your nomination for president. The crowd goes wild. The balloons drop. Triumphant fists pump the air.
As the political world knows by now, the presumptive Democratic nominee, John F. Kerry, might not speak those words at this year's Democratic convention in Boston. He is considering delaying his official nomination to raise more money this summer. But to hear Democratic party officials from across the country tell it, delegates won't mind missing out on the traditional climax of the national political convention one little bit. Kerry must do whatever it takes to beat President George W. Bush, they say. "We're all excited," said Derek Wooley, executive director of the Louisiana Democratic party. "We've known for a long time who the nominee is going to be, and the convention is a formality at this point. Democrats, especially in Louisiana, believe that if there is something we can do that's legal and ethical and all aboveboard, any help we can get to beat George Bush, then we want to do that." Delegates will wait for their payoff this year, Wooley and others said yesterday. If Kerry needs the nomination maneuver to keep monetary things even with Bush, then so be it. They'll still show up in Boston and wave their signs and shake their noisemakers. "I don't think it's a letdown, because we want him to win, and if that's what he needs to do to win, why, I think all of us are pragmatists about it," said Scott Sterling, chairman of the Alaska Democratic Party. "It's still worth [going], absolutely, you bet." Indeed, some state party officials said yesterday that they admire Kerry all the more for coming up with the maneuver. "Our delegation is just excited to have a strategic thinker as a nominee," said Jon Summers, communications director for the Nevada Democrats. "Everyone here seems to think it's a smart move . . . It's going to be every bit as exciting as it was going to be before. Everyone knows this is a strategic step. Would it be nice to hear the words? Sure. But it's better to win." Kerry had nothing to say publicly yesterday about whether he will be nominated at the convention, despite a media report saying he was within 48 hours of announcing a decision. One top aide, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Kerry was discussing the issue with aides yesterday and gave no sign a decision was imminent. For example, the aide said, Kerry still had not reached out to the Federal Election Commission, seeking an advisory opinion on the legality of the move. He has received briefs from campaign lawyers expert in election financing laws. Continued... |
