Saturday, June 26, 1999
Alexander: Look me over
Don't jump on Bush bandwagon too soon, he says
BY HOWARD WILKINSON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
GOP presidential contender Lamar Alexander urged a national convention of young Republicans meeting in Cincinnati to not join the stampede to front-runner George W. Bush, and allow “a real contest” for the presidential nomination.
“We don't want to pick a president the way the Soviets used to make cars,” the former Tennessee governor told a lunch gathering at the Young Republican National Federation convention. “They used to make one model and tell everybody they had to have it.”
Mr. Alexander is one of 10 declared GOP candidates for the 2000 nomination and is trying desperately to break out of the pack to challenge the Texas governor, who is the clear front-runner in all national polls.
Secretary of education under former President Bush, Gov. Bush's fa ther, Mr. Alexander blamed the “pundits and the media” for all but declaring the race for the GOP nomination over and handing it to George W. Bush.
Mr. Alexander said that a healthy primary battle would produce the best prepared candidate for the general election.
His fellow Tennessean, Vice President Al Gore, is the likely Democratic nominee; and Mr. Alexander warned the young Republicans Mr. Gore “will not be easy to beat.”
Mr. Alexander's support among likely GOP primary voters in national polls has been in the single digits.
He endorsed an idea first proposed by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich: That the Republican Party have a series of monthly debates in early primary states, beginning next month in Iowa.
“Let's give all the candidates an opportunity to try out their ideas on the voters,” Mr. Alexander said.
Education has been the main issue in Mr. Alexander's bid. Friday, he said he wants to create “an America where we bring the best out of our schools, our children and our parents.
“For the last 25 years, our culture has been at war with parents raising children,” Mr. Alexander said. “We've replaced Captain Kangaroo with Jerry Springer.”
Mr. Alexander was the second Republican presidential candidate to show up at the convention in the Regal Hotel, which has drawn about 700 Republican activists between the ages of 18 and 40.
Thursday, Ohioan John Kasich, the House Budget chairman who also is seeking the GOP nomination, spent much of the day among the delegates and will return today to give the keynote speech at the convention's concluding dinner.
The Bush campaign is sending U.S. Rep. Anne Northup of Louisville, who will address the convention this morning.
The delegates have been casting ballots in a presidential straw poll that Federation organizers say should give an indication of whom young Republicans support for the nomination.
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