Reform Party splits in two

The party breaks into two warring conventions. Each side's nominee will seek $12.6-million in

©Washington Post

© St. Petersburg Times, published August 11, 2000

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Competing Reform Party factions Thursday set up two warring conventions, both seeking to lay claim to $12.6-million in federal money, as Patrick Buchanan reaffirmed his hardline commitment to anti-abortion and anti-gay rights stands as the "heart" of his presidential bid.

The opening of the competing conventions began with a "march" by about 125 anti-Buchanan party members and their new-found candidate, John Hagelin, on the Long Beach convention hall controlled by Buchanan's allies.

The challenge to Buchanan's apparent control of the main event was designed to build a legal case for the federal funds and to gain media attention -- the march concluded with a rendition of the civil rights anthem We Shall Overcome.

Both sides made every effort to avoid the ever-present danger of fights in the hallways. Buchanan operatives moved ahead of the march, clearing a wide path through crowds of Buchanan supporters, to prevent physical contact. Once rejected, the anti-Buchanan forces marched to a separate hall, and both groups separately began the tedious credentialing process.

Buchanan, who claims the nomination is his and the actual award of the mantle is just a formality, meanwhile held a news conference to release a statement in which he denounced "rampant homosexuality" as "a sign of cultural decadence and moral decline" and "partial birth abortion" as akin to "Hitler's euthanasia program."

The statement will not be a part of the party platform, but the stands are "binding on me and my vice presidential nominee," he said. Buchanan has picked a running mate but will not name the person until later this week.

Buchanan, who has been accused by his opponents of trying to "conquer" the Reform Party, sharply disputed the charges, contending instead that he is the party's savior.

"When I came into this party, it did not exist in most of the states of the union, or it was in utter disrepair," he said. "All these folks who are saying we are hijacking the party, if we weren't in this party giving it our heart and soul and energy and fire and work, this party would not exist today as a national party."

Bay Buchanan, the candidate's sister and chief strategist, acknowledged that the Buchanan campaign played hardball, saying it "is very serious to us that Pat win the nomination, so we played very, very tough."

At a separate news conference Thursday, Russell Verney, the founding chairman of the Reform Party, an ally of former presidential candidate Ross Perot, and a leader of the anti-Buchanan faction, declared:

"What we have witnessed over the last five or six months is a candidate who came to conquer the Reform Party, and displace its internal leadership with their campaign's leadership . . . predatory tactics that were like inviting someone to dinner and before desert is served, they are throwing the host out of his own home."

Hagelin, a physicist and transcendental meditation proponent, made his first significant public appearance here Thursday morning when he was endorsed by Verney and Jim Mangia, the anti-Buchanan wing's newly chosen party chairman.

About 100 anti-Buchanan delegates cheered the virtual political unknown as he said, "We cannot give up this fight to take back our stolen democracy."

Hagelin, who believes in using the "principles" of natural law to govern the nation, said he will seek "foundational reforms in our government institutions restoring government accountability to the people, revitalizing the Reform Party on the founding principles of this party, democratic reform, campaign finance reform, fair trade, fiscal responsibility."

Mangia, who is gay and who views Buchanan as a proponent of "brownshirt" tactics, said that "within 30 seconds" of meeting Hagelin last February, "I said to myself, "This is the man to lead the Reform Party in the 2000 election.' "

He said he met Hagelin after getting rejections from Ralph Nader, former Sens. Gary Hart, D-Colo., and Sam Nunn, D-Ga., and actor Warren Beatty to compete for the Reform nomination.

Mangia described the choice between Hagelin and Buchanan as a choice between "integrity" and "corruption," between "inclusion, diversity, a Reform Party of all America" and "hate, divisiveness, intolerance, vicious rhetoric."

The two conventions, if all goes as scheduled, will continue through the weekend, until the Democratic convention opens in nearby Los Angeles.

On the assumption that the two gatherings will separately nominate Buchanan and Hagelin, each campaign will then file for $12.6-million from the Federal Election Commission.

Whoever loses is then almost certain to file suit, challenging the FEC ruling.

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