POLITICS: Throwing a Grand Old Party

Local delegates planning trip to Republican Convention

By GARY WARTH - Staff Writer | Saturday, August 30, 2008 7:09 PM PDT ∞

Bruce Thompson of Fallbrook is one of the delegates going to the GOP convention in Minneapolis this week. (Photo by Don Boomer - staff photographer)
Patrick Ord is going to be a delegate at this week's Republican convention in Minneapolis. (Photo by Don Boomer - staff photographer)
GOP delegate Kelly Burt of Poway is going to the GOP convention this week. (Photo by John Koster - for the North County Times)

After years of participating in conventions as a delegate on the floor, Lorelei Kinder is looking forward to watching the action from the stands.

"I'm excited that I'm an alternate this time and not a delegate," the Fallbrook resident said. "It's not as much work."

She and her husband, Ron, headed for Minneapolis-St. Paul on Saturday to attend the Republican National Convention, which begins Monday. This will be her sixth convention, but her first as an alternate. Her husband will be attending his first convention as a delegate.

"You do realize these are basically shows," Lorelei said about the convention. "And it's gotten to be more and more of a show."

Delegates are the supporting cast in those shows, and sometimes the seemingly spontaneous cheering viewers see from the floor are well-choreographed. Lorelei recalled returning to her seat during one convention to find a stack of signs and instructions to hold them up at various cues.

As an alternate this year, she'll be sitting in the grandstands above the floor, while her husband and other delegates wave signs in support of the party's nominee, Arizona Sen. John McCain.

"There is a different view you get from the floor, where you get to wave the signs," said Ron.

While he agrees there will be no real suspense at the convention, Ron is excited about getting to participate in the culmination of his party's nomination process.

"I think it's going to be a very, very exciting convention with some great speakers," he said. "I'm really looking forward to hearing McCain's acceptance speech."

How they were picked

The Kinders were chosen as delegates by the McCain campaign. In a process new to California this year, Republican delegates were selected in each congressional district based on which candidate won that district.

Mitt Romney won the primary election in the 49th Congressional District, so delegates who had been selected by the Romney campaign got to go to the convention.

The Kinders live in the 49th Congressional District, and though they were McCain delegates, they still are going to the convention. Ron is an at-large delegate and Lorelei is an alternate delegate, and those delegates are not selected based on who won the primary election in their district.

The process is different for Democrats, who elect their delegates from caucuses held in congressional districts or select them from among party leaders.

Kelly Burt of Poway also is headed to the GOP convention. A resident of the 52nd Congressional District, Burt was chosen as a delegate by the Romney campaign.

"It's a pretty involved schedule," Burt said about his week ahead in Minnesota. "I'm planning to be fully engaged in the convention. Every meeting, every experience. It's going to be fun to see who the vice president is and how well they'll work together."

Burt, 51, owns a small business in Rancho Bernardo and is one of the founders of the New Majority, which he described as an organization that is trying to advance fiscally conservative policies that will benefit citizens and taxpayers.

"I'm concerned about taxes, the size of government, and the constant cry we hear about government being able to handle services better than private groups," the father of four said.

At the convention, Burt said he will be interested in talking with delegates from other states to see if they have the same concerns as Californians.

'You leave there energized'

This week's convention will be the second for Fallbrook resident Bruce Thompson, who served in the California Assembly from 1998 to 2000 and now is the regional administrator for the Small Business Administration.

Unlike the convention he attended as a delegate in 2000, when he traveled to historical sites around Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., with 10 family members, this year's trip will be a solo and more serious affair

"I think the actual event will be as exciting, but I don't know if it'll be as exciting as the last one," he said.

Thompson said he won't attend any parties at the convention, but he will have his own fun on the floor by catching up with buddies he knew from the Legislature and showing off his hat, which will be decorated with political buttons and flags.

While looking forward to the convention, Thompson said the event itself doesn't have any real impact other than motivating the party.

"The conventions aren't like they used to be 50 or 60 years ago," he said. "They're more to get energized in the last 60 days of campaigning and make sure the grassroots are ready to go. You leave there energized and ready to fight the battle."

Roomed with Romney

Lorelei Kinder said her first convention in 1976 was memorable because delegates felt they actually had a hand in shaping events.

"You recall how Ronald Reagan challenged Gerald Ford, and there were the Reagan people and the Ford people on the floor," said Lorelei, who was a Reagan supporter.

"We were so obnoxious that we managed to get Ronald Reagan down to speak," she said. "With a good number of delegates, you can begin to control the floor. We kept having hope against hope."

Reagan didn't get the nomination that year, but he did get to speak at the convention. Lorelei also attended conventions in 1980, 1992, 2000 and 2004, but she said delegates never had the same type of influence they had in 1976.

Carlsbad resident Patrick Ord, 36, will be attending his first convention this year. He said he got involved because he was a college roommate of Mitt Romney's son, Matt, at Brigham Young University.

"I'm going to play it by ear," he said about what he expects to do during convention week. "I think more than anything, it's going to give me a lot of exposure to the way things work."

Ord said he hopes McCain will embrace issues Romney raised, such as health care reform.

The trip to the convention will be costly, with delegates expected to spend $250 a night for rooms and to pay a $900 fee that goes toward putting on the event, Ord said.

But the trip also comes with some perks.

Ord said all California delegates have been invited to event that will have a bar made of solid ice and will feature a performance from the cast of "The Jersey Boys," and he is looking forward to seeing them both.

Contact staff writer Gary Warth at (760) 740-5410 or gwarth@nctimes.com.

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Pre-Registration Comments[-]Go to Top

Oh brother wrote on Aug 31, 2008 9:22 AM:The pictures with the article say it all- this is the party of old white men. And now with the ridiculous VP pick? Let's have the Repubs party while New Orleans is devastated again. Talk about unfeeling and unrealistic. That's the Republican Party for you.

American Independent wrote on Aug 31, 2008 10:19 AM:The Repulican Party is outdated in their beliefs and insistence that trickle down economics, and the "free market" work effectively for a society. These concepts are reactional to our needs and do not allow for our society to plan ahead for what's to come. The idea that the "market" has some sort of internal wisdom that will regulate itself is true, but that does not account for all the pain and misery that we must endure while the market catches up, and corrects itself. I for one will not vote republican again until they get someone on the ticket who is wise to this.

local osider wrote on Aug 31, 2008 10:22 AM:To Oh Brother..I couldnt agree with you more...I watched the beginning of the GOP convention and realized quickly that they were saying the same thing as the Dem's this time around only calling it "reform"..The VP pick was a blunder and it is now clear that we will have the first african american president in office...America will agian prosper and be the envy of the world! These past 8 years will only feel like a bad dream after november

Greg in Oceanside wrote on Aug 31, 2008 11:16 AM:Barack Hussein Obama is nothing but a slick, silver-tongued orator, who says whatever he thinks people want to hear, lacks real substance to his message, and his feel-good supporters are following him like lemmings to the sea. (I'm surprised his professors at Occidental, Columbia, and Harvard didn't see this as well.) We can go on and on about 'why' you shouldn't vote for him, from his questionable relationships to his abysmal voting record and controversial Senatorial term, but it'll take too much time and space.

I do know I'm thoroughly sick of the bad-mouthing of America the Democrats are so good at, and how we need "change." I know I don't want the kind of "change" Obama and Biden want to bring to our country. They want to turn the country into a welfare state where the government is responsible for meeting the needs of the citizens. The Democrats want to bring back big government that will only put more burdens on the backs of hard working taxpayers, who already pay more than their fair share of taxes. It's time for people to take responsibility for their own destiny and not expect the government to do things for them.

McCain's pick for VP will push him over the top. I love the reaction from the Obama's camp that claims Gov. Palin is too inexperienced. Let's look at Obama's resume, shall we? Wow, funny thing, there's not too much to it, and his greatest claim to fame (besides his short Senatorial stint) was that he was a 'community organizer.' He hasn't even managed a convenience store, so what makes him think he can run a country? And if you look at his Senatorial experience, this is short and lacks any meaningful achievements.

Ok, let's look at Gov. Palin's resume; she was a mayor, is the governor of Alaska, and in charge of the AK National Guard. Gov. Palin has taken on, and won some very difficult ethics-related challenges. Sort of makes Obama look like a charlatan, doesn't it?

So, to all those who are on the fence on which candidates are the best, are you ready to join us and support the McCain/Palin ticket? By the way, there's a rally at the El Camino Country Club on Thursday 9/4, 6:00 PM, so come on over and join the team!

To Greg wrote on Aug 31, 2008 12:41 PM:you have a rude awakening coming....Obama is gonna level McCain and the country will go back to the clinton years of peace and prosperity

John wrote on Aug 31, 2008 1:58 PM:It's not a convention - it's a going away party. So long GOP -and good riddance.

Another note to Greg wrote on Aug 31, 2008 2:04 PM:Oh Greag! You can't beat hope with hopelessness. Best to pull over to the shoulder and let someone drive that can read a map. Your resentment about the opportunities lost with 8 years of Bush will only drag you down if you keep obsessing about the inevitable change to come. Barack Hussein Obama is going to be a fantastic president. Hope you can enjoy his leadership and learn from his wisdom.

Karl wrote on Aug 31, 2008 2:21 PM:The amount of money and carbon spent by both parties from primaries to Election Day is criminal. The confirmation galas alone are extremely stupid and self-serving. If the delegates mailed in their votes the money saved could help a lot of deserving citizens and this is only a small portion of the cash thrown at the elite in the parties. I was so hoping that one of the parties would cancel the big bash and donate the funds that would have been spent to a worthy charity.
...

Greg in Oceanside wrote on Aug 31, 2008 2:23 PM:More talk coming from the lemmings on the left, primarily those who have bought into Obama's meat-less rhetoric and empty promises.

Also, it seems there are Obama supporters who think it's the government's fault people are "struggling" and are "victims" of trickle-down economics. Hmm, I guess these people are waiting for the government to hand them opportunity, wealth, and more 'economic-stimulus' checks.

We'll see come Nov, won't we?

bogie wrote on Aug 31, 2008 2:25 PM:Oh brother @ 9:22 AM:

Your statement "The pictures with the article say it all- this is the party of old white men" is exremely racist and I am very offended as an "old white man". Being an "old white man" In your opinion is a bad thing? And no, I am not a Republican.

Dave Of The Desert wrote on Aug 31, 2008 6:32 PM:I have to hand it to the republiscum. The first party to nominate a candidate that wears Depends and one with a 60's hairdo,

Greg in Oceanside wrote on Aug 31, 2008 8:34 PM:Yes Dave, the Republicans are the first to nominate a candidate who's served his country honorably, has years of experience and WISDOM. And, another candidate for VP who has EXECUTIVE experience, is a member of the NRA, has a son in the military, and has more experience than Obama.

And the Demo-commies nominated a 'community organizer' who's missed most of his votes in the Senate, and another who's guilty of plagiarism (a copy-cat).

To bogie wrote on Aug 31, 2008 8:56 PM:You need not be offended. Stating the facts of the Republican party. Name me a couple leaders in that party who are Latino, Indian, Black? What is there? A handful?
But the fact that few women are serving in our government and women still don't make an equal paycheck for equal work- doesn't that bother you at all? The fact that McCain chose someone wholly inappropriate just because she shoots moose, belongs the NRA and has a uterus that is fruitful is disgusting to me!

Dave wrote on Sep 1, 2008 8:35 AM:THANK GOD FOR THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL.we don't have to listen to mcinsane mumble.

Greg in Oceanside wrote on Sep 2, 2008 12:51 AM:Take a good look at the following breakdown in how the candidates want to structure our taxes, here's what to expect:

MCCAIN (no changes)
Single making 30K - tax $4,500
Single making 50K - tax $12,500
Single making 75K - tax $18,750
Married making 60K- tax $9,000
Married making 75K - tax $18,750
Married making 125K - tax $31,250

OBAMA (reversion to pre-Bush tax cuts) Single making 30K - tax $8,400
Single making 50K - tax $14,000
Single making 75K - tax $23,250
Married making 60K - tax $16,800
Married making 75K - tax $21,000
Married making 125K - tax $38,750
Under Obama, your taxes could almost double!

So, to all the Obama supporters, is this what you really want? Think about it, I certainly don't want my taxes to go up.

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