05/03/09 Jack Kemp passed away yesterday. I remember when Bob Dole selected him as his running mate just prior to the ’96 GOP Convention in San Diego. Kemp was popular with the rank and file party faithful but there some head scratching over the political algebra Senator Dole had used to come by his choice. What did Kemp bring to the ticket? Surely his home state of New York would not be put into play. Was Dole trying to prove his conservative credentials? If so, why? No conservative was going to wind up voting for his opponent – President Bill Clinton. Ultimately the conventional (pun) wisdom held that Dole realized he looked elderly in contrast to Clinton and he needed somebody younger on the ticket. Not so young looking as Dan Quayle who was the butt of constant jokes but maybe Kemp – though himself no spring chicken – would exude just enough virile ex-jock charisma Dole would need to defeat Slick Willie.

It was my first political convention. I’ve been to either the Democratic or Republican (or both) conventions ever since. There is something insane but necessary about them. The original purpose of these week long parties has long since vanished but they are to political schmoozing and wheeling dealing what Mt. Everest is to the climber. The organizers in San Diego were afraid that the ceiling of the convention center was too low for a really good balloon drop. Grown men and women talked about this worriedly for days. Newt Gingrich hosted a BBQ party with country musician Travis Tritt for entertainment and I remember thinking how weird it was to see Newt in blue jeans. I was in the hall when Rep. J.C. Watts gave one of the best speeches I’ve ever heard but no one in America saw it because the networks had returned to there scheduled programming. I recalled Watts’ speech when I was in the hall in Boston at the DNC in 2004 and an obscure politician named Barack Obama gave his keynote speech.

Below is one of my favorite pix from the RNC San Diego convention. “Dorothy” was a delegate from Kansas to the RNC. I stuck it in one of my notebooks because it captures that “Let’s Make A Deal” zany quality of political conventions well. I’ve kept photo notebooks for many years. I use those bound, lined School Composition books to make lists and record impressions of the things I am photographing. This blog is an attempt to transfer the notebooks to digital form.   Image © 2009 by Patrick G. Ryan