ustxtxb_obs_1992_06_19_50_00004-00000_000.pdf

PATRICIA MOORE Ann Richards and Lena Guerrero PATRICIA MOORE MORE CONVENTION NOTES Melissa Shea of Round Rock gave one of the more impassioned speeches at the Democratic convention with her appeal for the Clinton Democrats to recognize the effort of the Brown supporters by granting them more than the four national delegates they gained on their own, including two they picked up in a bargain with Paul Tsongas. “I’m begging you not to alienate the Brown delegates. We’re not just a fringe element,” she said. Later Shea said the 15-percent threshold before a candidate qualifies for delegates in any senatorial district is too high for a state like Texas. “It’s not us against them at this point,” she added. “The state convention is the vehicle to determine the details of what the party represents. I understand that Clinton is going to be the nominee, and everybody will come together at the national convention, but this is a working convention and we need to attend to the details in a spirit of compromise, not dictatorship.” HARDBALL POLITICS Some of the toughest fights at state conventions usually concern who will lead delegations. Railroad Commissioner Bob Krueger of New Braunfels ousted Bill Sinkin, a 79-year-old financial consultant and party activist from San Antonio, for the right to chair the Senate District 26 delegation during the convention. Sinkin later told the San Antonio Light he apparently was too closely identified with Bexar County for delegates from counties north of San Antonio, but it is unusual for a statewide officeholder to spend political capital on a fight for delegation chairman, which frequently turn bitter. PEACE TALKS FALTER Arab-American Democrats thought they had a deal with Jewish Democrats to eliminate platform language that noted the “special” relationship between Israel and the United States, but Jewish Democratic delegates pushed to reinstate the old language after they saw an op-ed piece written by an Arab American and published in the Houston Chronicle a few days before the convention, and a handbill distributed at the convention which questioned further loan guarantees for Israel. The plank as approved by the convention ended up recognizing the special relationship, but also hoping for the realization of the “legitimate rights of the Palestinian people” and, among other things, human rights in the region. Ruth Ann Skaff, an at-large Democratic National Committee member and an Arab American from Houston, said she was “stunned and shattered” at the breakdown of the compromise, but she hoped the Democrats would continue to work with Arab Americans. SPIN ON PEROT Garry Mauro told Mexican-American Democrats the candidacy of Ross Perot may put Texas in the Clinton bracket, if Perot splits the Anglo vote with Bush and Clinton holds onto the Hispanic, black and yellow-dog Democratic vote…. Texas AFL-CIO President Joe Gunn said Perot was a “good American,” judging from his celebrated effort to bust two EDS executives from a Tehran prison after the ayatollah took over. … Supreme Court Justice Oscar Mauzy said he believes Perot will cause a larger turnout than normal, but he doesn’t expect those voters to have much impact below the congressional races…. Lena Guerrero, seeking to become the first Mexican American elected to the Railroad Commission, said Perot is good news for downballot Democrats. “Having Mr. Perot on the ballot destroys a Republican straight-ticket base, and base,” she told the Houston Chronicle…. Sen. Bob Glasgow’s new district is considered 54 percent Republican, but the Stephenville Democrat said he expects Perot to take Republican votes from Glasgow’s opponent in suburban areas of Tarrant and Denton counties. J.C. 4 JUNE 19, 1992