Sunday, June 23, 1996

Anti-abortion activists take control of GOP convention; Hutchison stays on delegate list, however

By STEVE RAY, ANNA M. TINSLEY and ROSEMARY BARNES Harte-Hanks Austin Bureau

SAN ANTONIO - Anti-abortion activists took firm control of the Texas Republican convention Saturday, ousting moderate Republicans as national convention delegates and calling for strong anti-abortion language in both state and national party platforms.

Two Republican Congressmen, the vice chairman of the Texas Dole campaign and a former state GOP party chairman were among those denied delegate positions after they refused to sign an anti-abortion pledge and vote only for an anti-abortion vice-presidential choice.

But a fight to keep U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison off a list of at-large delegates because of her moderate views on abortion fizzled after a convention vote accepted the complete slate. Under convention rules the slate had to be rejected or accepted as a whole.

The abortion feud dominated most of the party's three-day convention which featured some of the country's top anti-abortion leaders calling for a revival of moral values and a holy war on the killing of unborn children.

A coalition of five anti-abortion groups distributed pamphlets Saturday noting their choices for pro-life delegates.

"As a nation, we cannot continue the slaughter of innocent babies and expect to avoid destruction," the pamphlet said. "We believe it is extremely important to send delegates to this convention who will stand firm for a platform that upholds the rights of the innocent unborn. We also need delegates who will insist on a pro-life vice presidential candidate to represent the Republican Party."

Many Texas Congressmen opted against signing the pledge favored by social conservatives to avoid limiting former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole's vice-presidential choices or alienate Republicans who support abortion rights.

That decision cost at least two Congressman - U.S. Reps. Henry Bonilla of San Antonio and Mack Thornberry of Clarendon - positions as delegates to the national convention from their congressional districts. And U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith of San Antonio, who represents a primarily West Texas district, won a delegate election by a 16 vote margin out of almost 500 votes cast.

Dick Collins, Dole's campaign vice-chairman, and Fred Meyer, former state Republican Party chairman, also lost their bids to become national delegates.

Delegates were also greeted by fliers urging Hutchison's defeat in her efforts to become a delegate. "Compromise means defeat. NO WAY KAY! Vote against any slate of at-large delegates that includes Kay Bailey Hutchison."

Hutchison supports abortion in cases of incest, rape and when a mother's life is endangered.
Efforts by delegates to block Hutchison's nomination continued through the final minutes of the convention but were overruled by party officials.

But anti-abortion leaders said they were firmly in control of the Texas delegation, despite wheeling and dealing by the Dole campaign to add delegates who refused to sign a pro-life pledge.

"There is a rogue elephant on its way (to San Diego)," said Bill Price, director of Texans United For Life and a delegate to the national convention. Price said controlling the Texas delegation gave anti-abortion forces enough power to place another name in nomination should Dole choose an abortion advocate as his vice-presidential running mate.

Texas is sending 123 delegates to the August national convention, the second-largest delegation in the country.

While Republicans argued about which delegates were anti-abortion enough, the country's top anti-abortion leaders urged them to keep the party's abortion position strong.

Conservative commentator Pat Buchanan, a presidential candidate, said the Republican Party is nearing a crossroads and offered two tools to guide Americans in the right direction: the U.S. Constitution and the Holy Bible.

"Now we need a new party, a party struggling to be born," Buchanan said. "It is that party, I think, that can be the party of America's future. But to do that, we've got to know... what it is we are for.
"We are going to rise again. So y'all do the right thing here in this state convention," he said.
"Remember, this is God's country. That's what we want to repair. ... God's eyes are on us. And equally important, my friends, the eyes of Texas are upon you."

Ralph Reed, executive director of the 1.8 million-member Christian Coalition, called on Texas Republicans to return to the high moral standards that former President Ronald Reagan set and that President Clinton has disregarded.

He said the 1996 election season marks a renewal of traditional religious and moral values that led to the beginning of this nation. And the media, he said, has made too much of the party's call for a return to the moral high ground.

"The media has worked itself into a full froth frenzy because they have discovered that the Republican Party is full of Christians," Reed said with a laugh. "That's what's right with America. People who have no faith in God don't need to be part of the Republican Party."

State Republicans approved their party's platform - which sets out principles to guide the party for the next two years. In the platform is a position opposing abortion in all cases, even to save the life of the mother.

The previous GOP platform, from 1994, opposed abortion unless a mother's life was endangered. But the platform committee earlier this week dropped that exception from their position.
Their move, some say, was a snub to Dole and his tolerance of different views.

Also included in the platform were positions that would reduce obstacles to Texans legally carrying handguns, make giving birth control to children illegal, abolish the Texas Education Agency, repeal the minimum wage law and urge the Internal Revenue Service to be abolished.

During an afternoon of speeches, magazine publisher Steve Forbes - a presidential candidate who withdrew from the race after disappointing results in the primary elections - told Republicans he wasn't giving up his day job.

But he said Republicans need to unite and guard against electing Democrats in November. This year's election, he said, is essential for Republicans.

"This election that is coming up is one of the most important in American history and certainly in this century," he said. "The other side knows that if they don't stop us at this election, that history will truly be on our side. That's why they're going to pull out all stops to stop us.
"But they are not going to succeed."

Buchanan all but dropped out of the presidential race in April, saying he wouldn't campaign for delegates but instead would try to influence the Republican Party on a variety of issues.

After the California primary in March, former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole claimed enough delegates for the Republican nomination. Buchanan quickly faded as a threat to the Kansas Republican as other contenders quit and he was unable to pull more than a third of the vote.