Caroline Kennedy   Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg waves as delegates greet her with a standing ovation. (AP Photo)

Democrats summon old ideals

Kennedys pay tribute to fallen heroes, look forward

By Jill Zuckman and Michael Kranish, Globe Staff, 8/16/2000

OS ANGELES - With a rousing call from the Kennedys and tributes from the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Bill Bradley, the Democratic Party paid homage last night to its liberal base even as it adopted a centrist platform designed for Al Gore.

One after another, the speakers evoked tragic memories while urging the election of Gore for a brighter future.

''It was here, in this City of Angels, on a warm summer night 40 years ago, that America first looked across the New Frontier,'' said Senator Edward M. Kennedy, invoking the words of his late brother, President John F. Kennedy.

The Democratic Party, Bradley said, must continue to fight ''for the ideals of Jack and Bobby and Martin, the ideals they died for.''

Even as the speakers invoked the memory of President Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Martin Luther King Jr., a potentially divisive fight over the party's direction was being quelled. Vice presidential candidate Joseph I. Lieberman, speaking before the Congressional Black Caucus, said, ''I do support affirmative action.''

Caucus members who had expressed doubts about Lieberman's commitment, based on his past expressions of skepticism about ''group preferences'' of any kind, said they were satisfied.

That allowed the Democrats to stick to their evening script, which called for a parade of liberal leaders to put their imprimatur on Gore. Hours earlier, the convention adopted a platform, with hardly any public comment, even though some key provisions, including support for free-trade policies and the death penalty, did not please the liberal wing.

While many speakers remembered President Kennedy, none did so with more emotional power than Caroline Kennedy, the president's daughter, who strode to the podium accompanied by music from ''Camelot.'' Recalling that her father was nominated for president in Los Angeles in 1960, she said, ''As I look out across this hall, and across this country, I know that my father's spirit lives on.''

For this most private of Kennedys, the experience of delivering a speech to a vast arena was clearly new. She stopped and started as the applause lifted and subsided, sometimes drowning out her words. She smiled broadly, but almost shyly, at the reception she received.

But the crowd was always with her, and as she spoke, a delegate could be seen waving a sign that said ''I'm here because of your father.''

After Kennedy introduced her uncle, Senator Kennedy kept the memory train rolling with an anecdote that tugged at the emotions of many in the Staples Center.

''I remember election night in November of 1960,'' he said. ''The results were so close that my brother went to bed still not certain that he had won. It was nearly dawn when victory finally became clear. And here is how Jack learned about it: from 3-year-old Caroline, who woke him up by jumping on his bed and shouting, `Good morning, Mr. President.'

''It was the first time he ever heard those words from anyone,'' the senator said.

The 68-year-old Kennedy spoke forcefully but sometimes awkwardly, losing his way in his text several times as he read from a teleprompter. His booming baritone filled the hall but also cracked several times.

Democratic officials denied that the roster of Kennedys - which also included Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Maryland Lieutenant Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend - was a calculated and emotional plea to the party's left wing.

Gore has strived since the end of the primaries to consolidate the liberal base. But many of those Democrats are not inclined to vote for a Republican. Instead, some liberals and others have flirted with Ralph Nader, the Green Party candidate, or are considering staying home on Election Day, polls show.

Kennedy Townsend, in an interview, said the Kennedys had discussed the emotional impact of the evening and concluded that they needed to come out in force for Gore.

''It is emotional because there is a lot that happened in Los Angeles,'' the daughter of Robert Kennedy said. Referring to the assasination of her father, she said, ''In 1968, a lot of hope came to an end.''

But she said the family is convinced that the Gore-Lieberman ticket is the best hope for continuing the Kennedy legacy.

Lieberman, meanwhile, spent much of yesterday tamping down fears by African-Americans that his support for affirmative action - a liberal touchstone - was not as firm as they would like.

''I have supported affirmative action. I do support affirmative action. I will support affirmative action,'' he told the Congressional Black Caucus, to loud applause.

Lieberman said he had raised questions about the programs in the mid-'90s, just as many officials had. But he agreed with the findings of a White House review of the programs that advocated mending affirmative action rather than ending it.

California Representative Maxine Waters, who Monday had said she could not fully support the ticket without an accounting by Lieberman on his stance, said she was satisfied now and would wholeheartedly endorse the ticket.

Lieberman also got a significant boost from Jackson, as the civil rights leader used his famed rhetorical skills to embrace the Orthodox Jewish senator from Connecticut as a fellow marcher in the cause for civil and human rights.

''Last week, when Al Gore chose Joe Lieberman as his running mate, he stood up for justice,'' Jackson said. ''He appealed to the best in America. In selecting Joe Lieberman, Al Gore has brought the sons and daughters of slaves and slave master together with the sons and daughters of Holocaust survivors, women fighting for self-determination, workers fighting for wage security and dignity.''

Jackson, in one of the most direct assaults on George W. Bush, then deviated from his prepared text and brought the crowd to its feet as he attacked the Republican presidential nominee and his father, former President Bush.

''I say, America, stay out of the Bushes!'' Jackson shouted.

With so many star speakers, the evening's keynoter, Representative Harold Ford Jr. of Tennessee, was largely overshadowed. ''If you want a future that is for everyone, then join with us to make Al Gore and Joe Lieberman the next president and vice president of the United States,'' he said in a speech that began with only a few minutes of prime time remaining.

Bradley, the former New Jersey senator whose presidential campaign rested on a call for universal health insurance, wasted no time in embracing Gore.

''It's absolutely essential that we get behind Al Gore,'' Bradley said. ''When you run against someone, you get to know him very well. I learned that Al Gore is a man of wide-ranging intellect, with a deep desire to serve, profound preparation for the job, a strong sense of loyalty, and a life view infused with tolerance and rooted in religious faith.''

If there was a unifying theme last night beyond the call to liberals, it was the need for universal health coverage.

''Tonight, there are 44 million Americans who don't have health insurance, which means 44 million Americans who can't take their sick baby to a doctor, who don't have anyone to attend to their dying parents, who can't get the medical help they need to stay on the job,'' Bradley said.

While delegates enjoyed the evocative walk down memory lane, some thought it was a peculiar use of time.

''Frankly, I don't see the merit to the strategy,'' said John Rauh, a New Hampshire Democrat who supported Bradley. ''I can't imagine liberals voting for George Bush.''

Tad Devine, a senior adviser to the Gore campaign, said the Democrats have a diverse party with people of many different philosophies, ideologies, and approaches.

''We don't feel we need to lock them in the closet this week,'' Devine said, taking a jab at the Republican convention where some of the GOP's most prominent conservatives were denied speaking roles.

But some delegates believe Senator Kennedy, known for his fights to raise the minimum wage, provide health insurance, and improve education, does represent the party's true home. ''Whether you want to call it a liberal wing or a progressive wing, we need to energize our base,'' said Representative James P. McGovern, the Worcester Democrat.