ast week's Republican National Convention may have done more for Al Gore and the Democrats than it did for George W. Bush and the Republicans - for by trying so hard to appear diverse, compassionate, and moderate, the GOP only called attention to its shortcomings.
Having African-Americans, Hispanics, a Chinese-American woman, a gay congressman, and a blind mountain climber appear on stage accentuated the sharp contrast between this showcase of multicultural diversity and the real makeup of the Republican Party, as reflected in its delegation.
Even the high-profile role of J.C. Watts, a black congressman from Oklahoma and cochair of the convention, served to expose the lack of African-Americans in the party.
Democrats and the news media picked up the contrast between the staged performance and the convention floor. As New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial, a Democrat and an African-American, told USA Today, there were so few black delegates that they all ''could probably meet under the Liberty Bell.''
Gore and others at the Democratic National Convention, which opens next Monday in Los Angeles, could have as much fun, if not more, with this GOP disparity as the GOP had jabbing Gore and President Clinton.
An Associated Press survey of 1,837 of the 2,066 GOP delegates confirms what one viewer at the convention called the ''illusion of inclusion'' on stage, while the scene on the convention floor was far different. The survey showed that 83 percent of the delegates were white, 3.7 percent were black, and 1 percent was Asian/Pacific. In addition, 61 percent of the delegates were male, and 34 percent were female.
Not even George W. Bush's passionate appeal in his nomination acceptance speech for the party to be more inclusive, more caring for the less fortunate, could change the reality of these numbers.
The only convention speaker to directly address the GOP's shortcomings on diversity was Colin Powell, who chided Republicans for fighting affirmative action instead of embracing it as a much-needed element for the GOP.
In contrast, the Democrats are going to have on their convention floor what the GOP created as a cultural fantasy on its convention stage. The delegates will be 66 percent white (whites are 83 percent of the US population); 20 percent African-American (blacks are 12.8 percent); 8 percent Hispanic (12 percent); 3 percent Asian/Pacific Islander and 1 percent Native American.
Unlike the Republicans, every state delegation attending the Democratic convention must be 50 percent male and 50 percent female, and goals and timetables must be set for proportional representation of minorities, women, and youth. In California, the Democratic delegation includes a 5 percent gay male requirement, a 5 percent goal for lesbians, and a 10 percent goal for people with disabilities.
Gore and other party leaders at the convention will probably point out the gap between the diversity that the GOP tried to show, and the reality. And it will offer voters its own more genuinely diverse alternative.
Look, too, for reminders of what the GOP didn't show. There was, for example, the absence of the right-wing conservatives who led the impeachment charge against Clinton, only to suffer an embarrassing defeat when the Senate voted against conviction. Their unsuccessful efforts damaged their party more than they did Clinton, who is still popular with voters.
And there was the conspicuous absence of a well-known name during the speeches of the civilian and military strategists involved in the Gulf War. Dick Cheney, Powell, and Norman Schwarzkopf all spoke highly of former President George Bush and nominee George W. Bush. But, as some political analysts noted, there was barely a mention of Saddam Hussein, the target of our Gulf War efforts. He is still ruling Iraq, while most of the American leaders involved in the war are no longer in their jobs - a fact that few GOP speakers wanted to highlight.
These Republican omissions may be on the agenda for the Democratic convention, however.
By directly attacking Gore during his acceptance speech, Bush also gave Gore a legitimate reason to counterattack. And, as he has proved in previous debates and speeches, Gore is very adept at striking back.
Bush's jab at Gore for reinventing himself rings hollow; after all, with a speech that often sounded more as though it came from Clinton or Gore than from a conservative Republican, Bush was trying to reinvent himself as well as his entire party in four nights last week. In doing so, Bush and the GOP gave Gore a lot of ammunition.
Perhaps during his own acceptance speech next week, Gore may find it in his heart to thank Bush and the Republican Party for their assistance.
Robert A. Jordan is a Globe columnist.
