Issue date: July 30, 2000

Ready, set, go! The party conventions are upon us, starting with the GOP in Philadelphia July 31. We've talked to some movers, shakers and newsmakers about youth issues, media coverage, campaign messages and more. (Come back for our Democratic Party Convention notes next week.)

Mike McCurry, analyst at the conventions
George P. Bush, on the campaign trail for his uncle
Michele Mitchell, "CNN Headline News" regular
Billy Baldwin, actor and Creative Coalition president
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Q: This is your first presidential convention as a member of the media. What will be your angle of coverage?
A: I like to make the distinction. I'm not exactly a member of the media 'cause I don't pretend to be a journalist. I'm more of a color-commentary guy. But it's also the first presidential campaign since 1976 that I have not been playing some active role as a political operative. This is the first time that I've been an observer watching, although I am still a true-blue Democrat so my perspective is quite clear when I make my commentary. I will make it clear that I'm speaking in my capacity as someone who has been a Democratic political operator. It's important for the audience to know where I'm coming from and that they know I'm a former Bill Clinton staffer and long-time Democratic party worker.

Q: Do conventions serve a real purpose anymore?
A: I think political party conventions are very important. They're not about news, they're about political parties. The real dysfunction in the system right now is that news organizations throw up their hands and say 'Well, there's no news. We know who the nominee is and there's nothing here for us to cover.' I think that's dead wrong and I credit CNN for understanding that there is a great story there which is 'How does the modern political party go about organizing itself for the fall campaign? Establishing a platform? Getting their campaign organized state by state?' In a way there are 50 different campaigns going on in a presidential campaign because we obviously elect our president state by state. Figuring out what the relative strengths of the campaigns are at the local level is a very exciting story if you enjoy institutional politics.

Q: Are Americans really paying attention to the race and why they should?
A: In truth, since there's no national emergency, no national crisis, this is not coverage designed for a mass audience. It's coverage designed for those who are really interested in politics and like to follow it. Hopefully some citizens will tune in and pay attention at least for the acceptance speeches that the candidates give. But, in reality, it's a country that's pretty happy with its circumstances right now. There's a lot going on in summertime for families that are busy and on vacation and doing different things. I don't think it's a surprise that ratings for these conventions have been low. People have had other things to do.

Q: Is it going to be dull? Is one magazine's headline -- 'Gush and Bore' -- accurate?
A: I think in part, because the audience will probably start paying attention for real in October. There really haven't been many things to bring the candidates into sharp focus yet. But it all begins with the conventions. The conventions are the first time you see them stand up on their own, declare that they accept the nomination of the party and become the official candidate for president. So it really, in a way, kicks off the actual presidential campaign. It's a little unfair to say the American public is bored. We're still at the beginning line and they haven't had a real opportunity to engage. Now that'll accelerate with the campaign, beginning with the televised debates occurring and with the focus stepping up tempo as we get into the fall. But I think it's correct that right now we haven't had any national issue that really engages the public and really focuses attention. So, it's not surprising that not that many people are paying attention.

Q: You've worked both inside and outside the political system. What makes a good president?
A: First and foremost, the ability to see over the horizon, to understand where the country is going and to have some sense of how you lead in that direction. We sometimes call it 'the vision thing,' but it really is more important in that it's to imagine the future and to help the American people get there. That's a rare skill in great presidents. In some ways, I think Bill Clinton has been superb at this; Ronald Reagan was superb at it. To understand that the presidency is about the future, not the past, and not dwell on things that have happened. To try to affect the outcome going ahead in the future. That's the first and most important skill. [Secondly] I think it's very important to be persuasive and effective as a communicator so that the American people have some shared sense of what the purpose of our public policy is. And the third, and I think it's important, is all of those things that matter under the category of values. Truthfulness, and integrity and character, courage, all fit into that category. And presidents have trouble when they measure up short sometimes.

Q: Do you see these qualities in either candidate right now?
A: I do. I think both. Of course, I'm very strongly supportive of Vice President Gore's candidacy, but I see attractive qualities in Gov. Bush. I think the two of them are a lot better than their press coverage would indicate.

Q: What do these candidates need to know, from someone who's been there (in the White House)? Do you think either one is prepared for the 'Truman Show' lifestyle?
A: I think Vice President Gore is because he's been there. One of his advantages is that he's been there and 'felt the heat of the kitchen' as Harry Truman would say. He's been there when difficult decisions have been made and I think he knows something of what the burden of the office is. Gov. Bush has been close enough to it because of his father. But it's a lot different being personally responsible for the decision, vs. being related to it by birth. I think both of them in many ways have attractive qualities and that will come out during the campaign. Both of them probably have some weaknesses that will come out too, and I think the good advice to any candidate is: Get out there and speak from your heart. Speak with passion about what you really care about. Don't listen to the pollsters and the consultants as much as to your own conscience.

Q: What do you think is the most important question to be asked of the candidates?
A: I have become very active in my kids' schools. Like most Americans, my No. 1 concern is education. I'd like to hear both of them describe in more detail what the federal role in education really is -- and what they can do personally and what their administrations can do to improve the quality of education.

Q: What question(s) should the American people be asking of the candidates?
A: I think that they're gonna ask questions along the lines of those I just suggested. What's going on? What's happening in our schools? What kind of communities are there? The one area I'd like to hear both Bush and Gore address is 'How can the American people understand the dramatic changes in technology that are going to affect our lives in the next four years?' We really are living through an amazing revolution in technology with the Internet, biotechnology and all the changes occurring in medicine and communications. The Human Genome Project is going to have very real impact on public policy and medicine. The Internet has had a huge impact on politics and journalism and public policy. And I'd like to hear the candidates talk about that. Do they understand that change? What do they think is the role of government in managing that kind of dynamic change, if any? I think that's a very important area. If you think about it, that is the thing that is going to most affect your life, my life and people's lives in the next four years and yet you don't hear it. They give foreign policy speeches, economic policy speeches, they talk about education, health care, social security, but I haven't heard a single really comprehensive and good speech on technology policy.

Q: What should the American people be asking of the press in their coverage of the conventions?
A: Don't give up on substance -- we can handle it. Don't think that we're stupid. I think the press sometimes assumes that the public isn't interested in the nuance of public policy and so they don't cover it very much. If you think about it, the coverage of campaigns is very often like sports writing. It tells about the heat of the battle in the combat, but it doesn't really give you the substantive foundation that you need to make choices. And I think the press ought to remind itself everyday that this really is about substantive differences and they need to be explored. Or, if there aren't that many, that needs to be highlighted too. Don't give up on substance would be my message.

-- By Evelyn Poitevent

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As if two were not enough, there's a new George Bush involved in the Republican Party. George Prescott Bush, 24, son of Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and his wife, Columba, is Youth Chairman of the Republican Convention and a powerful campaigner among young people for his uncle, George W.

Q: How did you get involved with your uncle's campaign? Were you asked or did you approach him?
A: I approached my uncle. I was teaching in Miami at the time and I enjoyed my job, but at the same time when rumors were circulating that my uncle was considering a run for the presidency. I wanted to see what it was all about and discuss some of the ideas that he felt strongly about. And actually, I was interviewing at different law schools at the time, and I was in Austin, and it seemed like a really good match.

Q: What were you teaching in Miami?
A: I taught world history to 9th grade.

Q: You said you 'thought it would be a good match' ... what did you mean by that?
A: I share a lot of ideas with him. I feel very energetic and enthused about the campaign, but at the same time, I believe I offer to a lot of voters an interesting background when talking to them about my uncle. I think because of my age -- I'm 24 -- that I automatically can relate to high-schoolers and college kids and even young professionals and young people in their 20s. And because I have Latin heritage, I believe I can relate with a lot of people in that community as well.

Q: Do you think the Republican Party needed that angle?
A: Well, I think that when you're speaking about the Republican Party and you're speaking about my uncle, it's almost like talking about two different happenings. My uncle has always been an inclusive kind of Republican, he's always made efforts to reach out to minority communities and talk about problems that face inner cities and rural areas. So, I was enthused about it just like other people who were enthused and continue to be.

Q: With which party are you registered?
A: The Republican Party.

Q: The Bush name is becoming a ticket to office in the Republican Party. See any office you'd like to have?
A: No. Right now, my focus is on being a good lawyer, starting my legal career and paving my own path.

Q: Any idea what type of law you want to practice?
A: Well, that's the thing. It's very flexible and I want to get as broad of an education as possible, so some things I have been interested in like criminal law or corporate or public-interest work ... I really want to do a lot of things with my [law degree]. It's one of the few professions that allows me to hop to different kinds of jobs.

Q: Why is it, do you think, that young voters are so disengaged from the political process? Do you think this is a serious problem for our country?
A: I'm about as involved in the youth side of politics as anybody you'll find around the country. I've visited 60 high schools and 20 colleges, and despite what you've mentioned -- and I've read the statistics day in and day out -- I think there's an appetite out there that's just not being tapped. A lot of kids are passionate about certain causes. In fact, there's another statistic that says that more kids, more young people in high school and college volunteer some of their time to community service -- more so than any other generation. I think that this generation is socially conscious, it's just that I think that campaigns need to reach out more and cater to their tastes. What I mean by that, is maybe providing more information about the candidates online. That's what my uncle has tried to do. At the Republican convention, we're going to be the first political party to Webcast the whole convention via the Internet 24-7. We're going to have it completely online. It's funny because two interesting things that I've read very recently: First is that the major networks are already planning to cut back some of their coverage. So a lot of people are going to get their complete coverage on the Internet. But not only that, younger people -- I think the majority of young people -- get their news online. With the advent of the Internet and technology and instant messaging, these interesting things we use to play games or get information, can also be used to reach out to voters.

Q: What about online voting?
A: Well, that's another interesting issue that's out there, but right now that doesn't appear to be an issue that's under serious [consideration] ... it's ahead of its time.

Q: What makes, or would make, young people vote?
A: I think we need to have more youth conventions, more youth forums. There needs to be more of a connection between campaigns and voters. You know one interesting thing, at all these schools that I visited, a lot of these kids did not know ... they could not name their local Representatives, their House member, they didn't know their senators, they didn't know their governors, they didn't know their mayor. It's up to politicians, Republicans and Democrats, you know, even teachers acting and helping out in this, the media, everyone needs to pitch in if we want to turn this thing around. Kids can't do it themselves because often times, whether you're speaking about Republicans or Democrats, kids are just not considered to be credible enough or valued enough to have a true say or a true part in the formation of a political campaign.

Q: What's the biggest issues among youth?
A: I think in light of what happened at Columbine and in light of a lot of the [other such] reports that happened this past year as well, school violence is definitely on the minds of a lot of younger people. Some of the schools I visited this past year were schools in areas that 10 years ago, you never would have imagined -- teachers, principals -- they never would have imagined anything related to gun violence, bomb threats, gun threats, possessions of weapons in schools. It's almost commonplace in areas you would not expect. I think that that spurs a lot of interest among young people. I think Social Security and some of the proposals that are coming out right now, like my uncle's proposal [to let workers invest some of their Social Security taxes in the stock market], are going to resonate with a lot of young people in an age where you have 15- and 16-year olds taking their savings and are trading online. I just think that our generation if you were to characterize it, if there's one characteristic that stands out it's that we're independent, we have an independent streak. So, I think that my uncle's conservative philosophy matches up, gels with that.

Q: Who do you see as important GOP or Democratic players under 30? Yourself?
A: No, I see myself as more ... I don't want to say an anomaly ... but just a guy that can help my uncle in a different kind of way. I don't see myself as a huge player, strategist or like a senior advisor. I personally think that I'm doing a lot more than being in a position like that. I love to interact with people and see what's on people's minds. I think Karenna Gore on the other side has been instrumental in the Gore campaign [for connecting with youth voters] during the primaries. If I'm not mistaken, she has a baby, so, I'm not sure what her responsibilities are going to be. We have a press secretary, Mindy Tucker who is 29 years old, in Austin. She's an incredibly bright young woman who has been with my uncle ever since he was governor, from the beginning. And she's done an excellent job in dealing with the 'evil media' [laughs] ... and you know how it is, you've seen the political events, how high-pressured they can get, and she's been able to deal with that very well. We have a number of operatives in the campaign who are under 30, like Logan Walters. He's my uncle's personal aide, he's, I think, 23. He basically ushers my uncle everywhere.

Q: What questions should youth be asking of the candidates going into the conventions?
A: First of all, what are you gonna do for me as an individual? How is your administration going to affect my role in this society -- whether I'm a public high-school teacher, in a personal sense or in a professional sense. But secondly, I think a lot of us young people are socially conscious and would like to know from the presidential candidates, 'Where are they going take this country?' Not only as it relates to domestic policy, but as far as foreign policy, what kind of a country are we going to be living in 20 years from now when we become the power holders of society? And in the meantime, what role will young people play in the decision-making of our country? I think the statistics about voter apathy among youth is because that they feel that they're not a part of the decision-making. And so, I think that we're in the middle of an interesting change, an interesting turn of events where younger people are going to demand from our presidential candidates more power, more say. I think this year is going to be the beginning of that.

Q: Where will you be spending your time in the next few days --caucuses, parties, wining and dining? As Youth Committee chair, do you know what your role will be at the convention?
A: I know I'm going to deal with a lot of the youth representatives from around the country. I think I'm going to collectively speak and sit down with the youth leaders within the party and come to terms with that message and what kind of message we should be pushing. Other than that, I'm not sure.

Q: Are you going to actually stand up there on stage with your uncle once he's making his acceptance speech?
A: I don't know, that's a good question. If he asks me to, I'd definitely be there for him.

Q: If you could tell Uncle George to change one thing about the campaign, what would it be?
A: I would tell him not to change anything at all [laughs]. No, I think he's doing very well and even though we're up in the polls, I guess one thing that I would tell him is just not let him get ahead of himself and to take life day by day just as he has before he was running for president. And to keep it real and to remember that the most important things in life are right there next to you at home -- your family and your friends. That's probably just one thing to keep in mind while he's campaigning.

Q: What's the best piece of advice he's given you at any time in your life?
A: The biggest piece of advice he's always given me is just to be myself. To treat people the way you would like to be treated, not to think you're above anybody else and to just keep a level head about things and do the right thing in life. And help others out.

Q: Do you expect to play a part in your uncle's administration?
A: No, I really don't and the reason is because law school is going to take everything out of me. I guess you never know in life but I want to pave my own path, I want to do my own thing and what interests me right now is to pursue a legal career. You may be right, I may change my mind down the road, but for right now, I'm content with what I'm lining myself up to do.

-- By Evelyn Poitevent

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At the age of 30, "CNN Headline News" regular Michele Mitchell has established quite a name for herself in the world of political coverage -- she's the go-to gal whenever the 24-hour news network needs a Gen-X expert. A former Capitol Hill worker and the author of the 1998 book "A New Kind of Party Animal," about young voters, Mitchell is indeed plugged in to what young voters deem important. And she'll serve up her expertise as a political analyst for CNN at both the Republican and Democratic conventions.

Q: Is this your first time covering presidential conventions?
A: I was actually at the 1996 conventions. I was doing commentary for "All Things Considered" on NPR. But it wasn't anything like what I'm doing this year.

Q: What exactly will your role be at the conventions?
A: I'm going to be pulling apart the party platforms, talking about what exactly is going to count for people watching the conventions. And I'm going to do updates and commentary about what's going on at the conventions, the events and behind the scenes.

Q: What do you hope to get out of it?
A: "The Headlines" audience skews young, which works because I'm young. That's why they brought me on. It's the first time they hired a so-called Gen-Xer for this position. It's the first time they've even had this position at "Headlines." And I have a record in terms of my writing. I had a book that came out a couple of years ago where I talked about why young people felt so alienated from politics. One of the problems was that the coverage didn't discuss anything they were interested in. So, I'm not so focused on who the vice-presidential selection is. It's much more important to me to go out there and pull apart the party platforms, talk about the issues that people really are interested in knowing. They want to know about health care, they want to know about the economy. I'm talking about young people specifically because they are a great audience for us and they tend to be a very strong segment for "Headline News." For me, obviously my strength is that I know what young people are interested in watching. I have a history of being known as an independent person, which I think also helps and I think that's very important -- to come in with your eyes open. One of the things I hear most from our viewers is 'Does it really make a difference if a "D" or an "R" is elected?' That's a great question. That's what I'm going to be out there trying to find out.

Q: What inspired you to write your book, "A New Kind of Party Animal?"
A: I was working on Capitol Hill as communications director to a congressman. I got very offended by older people saying that young people were not interested in politics and that we're not active, because we are -- just not in the usual ways. Every generation is interested and active in different ways. I took it upon myself to tell the story of what was going on with us.

Q: What do you think is the most important question to be asked of the candidates?
A: There are several issues I hear a lot about. The tough issues for young people are the economy, health care, education -- very high up -- and environment. What I would ask presidential candidates when I hear them both talking about education -- and this is as somebody who used to work on Capitol Hill and I'm very well aware of what the federal government can and can not do in terms of education -- is what exactly does the president expect to be able to do? I'm very interested to find that out. A lot of the reason why there's so much disenchantment with politics is because Americans feel these promises are made that never happen. And it's not like the people who are elected don't want to fulfill those promises, it's just that [given the limitations of] the office, they can't. So I would like to inject a little bit of a reality check. Let's talk about what really can and can not happen in politics. Talk about the art of the possible, not what you wish could happen.

Q: What should the American people be asking of the press in their coverage of the conventions?
A: Oh boy, that's the key here, how the press handles the conventions. The conventions used to be where the president was actually selected. That's not what they are now. They're like this one huge, long infomercial. Actually, they're not even an infomercial, they're the best foot forward of each party. And of course, the press sits around and gets bored and eventually starts covering itself. And you know what, I think it's interesting to cover us. I really do. I think that journalists are the most interesting people, but when you're out of the Washington, DC-New York corridor, it's just like, 'Good God, are they covering themselves again?' They don't think we're all that interesting. There are a limited amount of stories that the parties are going to give us, so what the public should be asking us to do is work a little harder to dig up a different angle. Something we can actually use. You know what's going to happen in L.A.: 'Such-and-such person showed up at such-and-such party wearing Vera Wang.' Ooh! That's useful when I go to that ballot box.

Q: Do you think either Bush or Gore will choose a female running mate?
A: Oh, no way. No way. I don't think it's time yet. There are some incredibly qualified women. Everybody mentions Elizabeth Dole. But do you really think the Republican party is going to have a Bush-Dole ticket? The two races that lost the last two times around. There are some women coming up through politics who are potential, but not this year.

-- By Evelyn Poitevent

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Actor Billy Baldwin's interest in politics goes back to childhood. "It's sort of genetically encoded. My father was a high-school government teacher for 35 years in my hometown." So it's not so farfetched that Baldwin, 37, is the president of the non-partisan but certainly active Creative Coalition, nor that he was elected after his brother, Alec. Baldwin will be at both conventions talking about issues important to the show business and artists' communities.

Q: Is this your first presidential convention?
A: No, this will be my fourth Democratic convention and my third Republican convention.

Q: What purpose does the Creative Coalition hope to serve in general, but particularly at the two conventions?
A: Its primary objective and part of its overall mandate is to raise awareness and educate people about important social and political issues. What the Creative Coalition does is takes the resources of the entertainment and media industries and harness them in a way that is used as effectively and efficiently and responsibly as we possibly can. We're comprised of arts and entertainment professionals only: writers, directors, producers, actors, studio execs, PR people, entertainment lawyers.

Q: What does the Creative Coalition view as the most important question for candidates Bush and Gore?
A: It's difficult for me to answer that question. I'll tell you, the issues that the Creative Coalition are currently active: arts advocacy; First Amendment rights; public education ... we also do some work as well in media violence and campaign-finance reform. I would say organizationally, out of those issues, public education and campaign-finance reform, in my opinion should take the greatest priority. But I don't speak for each individual member. They have their own opinions and some of them think arts advocacy is more important than anything else, and organizationally, we haven't picked one that's more important to us than another.

Q: What do you think Americans should be asking of their candidates?
A: I'm a little bit concerned about the detachment and the apathy of the American public. They just don't seem to be biting on it right now and I think it's a critical election and I think there's a lot at stake that is going to be important and that is going to affect people's lives and that they should be paying attention to and should be a priority in their lives ... and it's just not resonating right now.

Q: What should Americans expect from the press in their coverage of the conventions?
A: I hope the press will hold the parties and the candidates to the fire and force them to not go too dirty and not go too negative and force them to talk substantively about issues so that people can get a sense of who these candidates are and where they really stand. And I also hope that the media will keep them honest on the ads that they're running and what they're saying and what's accurate and what's not accurate about one another. Bush says this about Gore, Gore says this about Bush. Is it accurate? Is he telling the truth? Was it 100% truth or was it truthful in part or was it misleading or was it an outright lie?

Q: Since Hollywood seems to be playing a more visible role in politics, should Americans be asking anything of Hollywood [in relation to politics]?
A: I don't know how you really measure the level of Hollywood's involvement in politics and if it's more today than it was 20 years ago or if it's more today than it was 50 years ago. I don't really see it that way. I've always seen the Ed Asners and Ronald Reagans and I'm not even talking about someone who went on to pursue public office or anything but Hollywood's always had an incestuous relationship with Washington and vice-versa. For me, it's really not about Hollywood. I was an activist long before I ever even considered pursuing a career in show business. And if I wasn't a celebrity and I wasn't an actor in Hollywood, I'd probably be doing this full time. I certainly don't think the American public should turn toward Hollywood for leadership, but at the same time, I don't think the media or the American public should turn on Hollywood because they have social and political concerns and social and political opinions. Especially if they can do it in an informed way. Believe me, there are plenty of times where celebrity activists have gone on television or done a press conference or testified before Congress and put their foot in their mouth. But one of the things that I take great pride in about the Creative Coalition is that our membership, whether they're celebrities or not, takes it very, very seriously and has never ever been embarrassed or caught with their pants down. When they go on to "Crossfire," when they go on to "Hardball," "Charlie Rose," when they testify in Congress, when they speak at a rally, when they speak at a press conference, they do so in remarkably impressive fashions. They wield their celebrity and advocacy with tremendous responsibility.

Q: Does celebrity backing help or hurt a candidate?
A: I think it absolutely can't hurt. There could be a downside. But the upside is far greater, it's so much more that it makes it very easy to take the risk. It's not even taking a risk. You get a bigger story, there's more impact and more emphasis put on it and it raises more awareness. It gets the candidate more media time because the networks are going to want to put it on because there's celebrities involved. You don't have to agree with the candidate, you don't have to agree with the celebrity, you don't have to agree with their endorsement or backing of that candidate, but the fact of the matter is, it's gonna be a bigger story on the news.

Q: Are personal traits important in a candidate, or not so important?
A: I think that they do matter and they're very very important -- they're critically important if you want the support of the media, if you want the support of the Congress, if you want the support of the American people. If you want to demonstrate leadership and you want the respect of your peers and your constituents, then it's vitally important. But if there's a misstep in somebody's personal life, do I think that unequivocally makes them ineffective as a leader or ineffective as an office holder? No, I don't believe that at all. In other words, I don't believe that because Bill Clinton made the mistake about Monica Lewinsky -- now it presented all sorts of problems with him, with the media, the public and the Congress -- but I don't think that it made him any more or less an effective leader. And I think that it's not the type of thing where he should've been impeached from office and ... in other words, I still think he's the same politician, he's still the same president, he still is effective, he still is intelligent.

Q: I've read the headline recently "Gush and Bore" ... do you think that's accurate? Do you think this is going to be a major or important campaign?
A: I don't think it's gonna be a non-event. I don't think that the campaigns will allow for that to happen, and I don't think the media will allow for that to happen. I think the media will start poking around and will start provoking, start instigating and start stirring it up. I think both candidates and their campaigns and both parties will proactively be trying to stir it up and keep it relevant and keep it in the headlines. I think the conventions are going to be more of a coronation than a convention. But I think between now and the general election, maybe more so between the conventions and the general election, it's gonna get interesting. I just hope it gets interesting in a good way, rather than negative attacks-mudslinging-scandal-let's see how many skeletons we can bring out of there, whether they are true or not, valid or not. I'm worried that in desperation, if this thing is really tight all the way down to the last couple of weeks, which I think that it might be, I hope it's not ugly.

Q: If the Coalition is non-partisan, why is it at a party convention at all?
A: That's why we're attending both conventions. That doesn't necessarily mean we're being bi-partisan and not non-partisan, that's neither here nor there. We're taking advantage of the presidential season, the presidential election cycle, and taking advantage of that opportunity to convene these different functions and events that we'll do in and around the convention to raise awareness about some issues that are important to us.

-- By Evelyn Poitevent