Convention Notes

Offstage, GOP still old, white, male

Republicans strategically placed high-profile minorities and women in their convention lineup to help construct the multicultural and inclusive party image promised by George W. Bush. The list of speakers to hit the stage includes Hispanics, blacks, Muslims and Asians - young and old.

Americans will see a “different kind of Republican convention” this year, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge promised in Saturday’s weekly GOP radio address.

But inside the halls, the speakers will address a crowd of overwhelmingly white, predominantly male, and mostly middle-aged delegates.

About 83 percent of the GOP delegates convening here are white, with nearly a dozen states sending delegations that are completely white, The Associated Press found in interviews with 1,837 of the 2,066 delegates. Another 4 percent are black, 1.3 percent Asian. About 3 percent, included in racial categories, said they were Hispanic.

Men make up 61 percent of the delegates.

Reform Party won’t stand Pat

Reform Party leaders voted unanimously in Dallas Saturday 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 said.

The vote is not binding.

The Green scene

In three high-spirited appearances Saturday, Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader tried to rain on the Republicans’ upcoming party in Philadelphia by upbraiding them and the Democrats for pandering to corporate interests at the expense of America’s poor.

In between cries of “I love you” from enthusiastic supporters, the longtime consumer advocate railed against the “waste and corruption” of a health care system that he said has left 80 million Americans with inadequate health insurance - or none at all.

This sidebar appeared with the story: IF YOU WATCH GOP TV

Prime time TV coverage for Monday’s convention opening, all times PDT:

ABC: 7-8 p.m.

CBS: Segments on news magazines, 7-8 p.m.

NBC: Nothing till Wednesday.

PBS: 5-9 p.m.

C-SPAN: 2-10 p.m.

CNN: 2 p.m.-midnight.

MSNBC: 2-11 p.m.

Fox News Channel: 3-8 p.m.