ALLAS - Reform Party leaders voted unanimously yesterday to remove Pat Buchanan's name from the party's presidential ballot amid allegations of campaign fraud and disregard of party rules. Buchanan was ''hijacking the party'' and thus had eliminated himself as a legitimate candidate, Reform Party secretary Jim Mangia told colleagues at a meeting at an airport hotel. The vote, by 7 of 10 committee members, is not binding. The 164-member national committee will review the executive committee's decision Aug. 8 in Long Beach, Calif. (AP)
GOP platform panel rejects bid to abolish Education Dept.
PHILADELPHIA - The Republican platform committee yesterday unanimously approved the party's platform, after George W. Bush fought off a conservative challenge to his education plan. After Bush's education goals were stripped from the platform Friday, Bush called the committee yesterday ''to make clear what he wanted to happen on education and how important it was,'' spokesman Ari Fleischer said. The committee yesterday defeated a motion to close the federal Education Department and passed a motion to reinstate Bush's education principles. Bush has proposed using federal money to reward or penalize states according to student performance on standardized tests. Some conservatives say the plan would give the federal government too much power over education. (AP)
Democrats' platform credits Gore for his role on economy
CLEVELAND - Democrats yesterday approved a centrist national platform that credits Vice President Al Gore for helping to preside over a booming economy and vows to wipe out the national debt in 12 years. The platform committee quashed attempts to add liberal planks, and instead focused on such things as creating a voluntary savings plan on top of Social Security and requiring teachers to pass rigorous tests. The draft platform will go to next month's Democratic convention in Los Angeles for final adoption. (AP)
Demonstrators begin protests as city readies for convention
PHILADELPHIA - Thousands of activists rallying for everything from animal rights to universal health care tried to draw attention to their causes yesterday in mostly peaceful demonstrations before the start of the Republican National Convention. Police, who had a conspicuous presence throughout the city yesterday, made only a handful of arrests, and there were few disputes among activists at 10 demonstrations held across Philadelphia. (AP)
