Republican convention delegates not representative of U.S. voters

This excerpt is from CNN's "Capital Hill Gang" broadcast on Sept. 5:
www.cnn.com/transcripts/0409/05/cg.00.html

While half the United States population and two-thirds of Democrats believe it is important to work through the United Nations to solve world problems, a grand total of just 7 percent of this year's Republican delegates agree.

Should the federal government do more to regulate the environmental and safety procedures of American business? Three out of five voters say yes, but not these delegates in Madison Square Garden. Fewer than one out of six, just 15 percent, want the government to further protect birds, bunnies and human workers if it means inconveniencing business.

When it comes to choosing between balancing the federal budget or cutting taxes, these Republicans overwhelmingly choose cutting their own taxes, even if it means more debt for their grandchildren. Not surprisingly, 27 percent of the Republican delegates in New York were millionaires.

But New York was still mostly fun, and the New York police, who worked 12-hour shifts with only 12 hours off before going back on duty, were truly phenomenal. They deserve praise, and more important, they deserve a raise.

(At this point the videotape, from which the above quote is taken, ended and the following conversation took place between Mark Shields and two panel members:)

MARK SHIELDS: When it comes to convention keynote speakers, the Democrats in Boston with the youthful, optimistic and unifying message of Barack Obama had a huge edge over my geriatric contemporary, the carping, crotchety and frankly sour Zell Miller.

Kate O'Beirne, do you agree with my assessment of the Republicans gathered in New York?

O'BEIRNE: I am so encouraged that half the public now sees the U.N. as feckless and corrupt. That's really encouraging.

I agree with the Republicans in New York. I too oppose job- killing environmental regulations. I too support tax cuts that will boost economic growth. These people and I recognize the most important thing we can do for our children and grandchildren is to spend whatever it takes to defeat this scourge of terrorism. They are my people, as were the cops outside Madison Square Garden, based on those I talked with. They were all my people.

SHIELDS: Bob Novak, how about that 27 percent who were millionaires?

NOVAK: I wish it was more. Mark, you don't like the Republicans. And you don't like these Republicans, because they've controlled the Congress, kicked your people out of there for the last 10 years. You liked those Eisenhower Republicans because they -- Eisenhower fought tax cuts. Republicans after Eisenhower even fought Kennedy's tax cuts, and they were a minority party.

[This article was forwarded by Jim Sorrells, who wrote: "The things that keep the Republican Party very close to a majority party now are abortion, tax cuts and anti-gun control. And those are the issues that are the unifying things in the Republican Party -- I don't care what the speakers say -- and those are the things that you have a great deal of trouble saying, hey, this is the Republican Party, because it wasn't Eisenhower's Republican Party." -- Jim Sorrells]