May 2000

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NY GOP Picks Lazio To Fight Clinton 5/30/2000 9:43 PM His fresh face marred by a fat lip, Rep. Rick Lazio was nominated by the Republican Party on Tuesday to battle Hillary Rodham Clinton in the nation's most closely watched Senate race. To the cheers of more than 400 delegates and hundreds of other supporters, Lazio -- a little-known Long Island congressman who entered the race after New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani withdrew because of prostate cancer -- was declared the unanimous pick of the party's state convention. Read the article Bush Takes Aim at Gore on Military 5/30/2000 9:42 PM George W. Bush accused the Clinton-Gore administration Tuesday of letting the U.S. military decay and said low morale and troop readiness disqualify the vice president from promotion to commander in chief. "The Clinton-Gore record cries out for a new sign on the Pentagon. It says, 'Under new management,'" the Republican presidential contender said during a stop at the 100-year-old VFW Post No. 1, the nation's oldest Veterans of Foreign Wars club. Read the article Bush Dismisses VP Speculation 5/30/2000 9:41 PM For all the speculation, George W. Bush says only two other people know what's going on in his thinking about a running mate: his wife, Laura, and Dick Cheney, who is heading the search. Asked Tuesday about the process, including a recent report that former Sen. John Danforth of Missouri was under consideration, Bush scoffed and said, "Total gossip." Read the article GOP Has Chance to Grab Seats in Senate, Polls Show 5/29/2000 11:14 PM Republican chances to pick up three Democratic-held Senate seats have improved lately, though some Republican incumbents are still struggling to overcome tough challenges in this year's senatorial contests. Polls showed Republicans were leading in at least two races for Senate seats held by the Democrats -- in Nevada and Virginia. They also showed surprising early strength in New York for Republican Rep. Rick A. Lazio, who has quickly moved into a dead heat in his race against Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton. Read the article New York's Charming Brawler 5/29/2000 10:55 PM Rick Lazio sunk his teeth in early and never let go. By the campaign's end, a onetime star of the Democratic Party was bleeding and defeated. It was 1992, and Lazio's brawl against longtime Rep. Thomas Downey was until two weeks ago the pivotal contest of his political career. Those who think the Long Island Republican's sudden ascent as the GOP candidate for Senate in New York is a lucky break for Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton may find the history of that year chastening. Read the article Missouri's John Danforth, a Minister and Former US Senator, Tops Bush's Veep List 5/29/2000 10:33 PM A vice president is never more important than at the instant of being chosen, because the choice tells you so much about the person who does the picking. So what name does Bush return to in his private ruminations? A pro-life Episcopal minister; a man out of politics for five years; a popular pol from an important battleground state; someone 10 years older, yet from an entirely different generation, who would strengthen Bush in all his weak spots: John Danforth, the earnest former Senator from Missouri. That Danforth is on his mind tells you a lot about how Bush sees himself-and how he thinks Americans see him. Bush isn't shopping for geographical balance, though Missouri is one of only two states that have voted for the winner in every presidential race since 1960. What Bush needs is temperamental balance, someone who can add weight to a ticket that is going to be sharply scrutinized by voters for sobriety and intellectual heft. Read the article Bush meets with Powell to Promote Nationwide Volunteerism 5/25/2000 10:56 PM Former Gen. Colin Powell joined Texas Gov. George W. Bush to promote a nationwide volunteerism campaign on Thursday, as speculation mounted that the Republican presidential hopeful might try to draft Powell for a future Cabinet post. Bush signed a proclamation in support of Powell's group, "America's Promise, The Alliance for Youth," at an event in Austin. The pledge has previously been signed by Bush's younger brother, Jeb, the Republican governor of Florida, as well as Democratic Gov. Jim Hunt of North Carolina. Read the article Missouri GOP Seeks Inquiry Into Tax Breaks for Campaign-Aiding Developers 5/25/2000 10:49 PM The Missouri Republican Party is asking for a federal investigation into the tax breaks that some developers have received from the Missouri Housing Development Commission and the campaign donations that the developers have doled out. Neither side disputes the contributions. State Treasurer Bob Holden is a member of the commission and the Democratic candidate for governor. He has received more than $300,000 in campaign contributions from the developers, their relatives or related companies. Gov. Mel Carnahan, who names the commissioners, has received $148,000 in contributions. And state Democratic Party Chairman Joe Carmichael, a lawyer in Springfield, Mo., runs a development company that has been awarded tax credits totaling $2.7 million a year for nine projects. Read the article Bush and Gore Court Home Media 5/24/2000 10:10 PM Peeking over her shoulder at George W. Bush and a squirming bunch of students, a TV reporter tells her live audience the presidential candidate "is in Columbus talking about his favorite subject: reading." Bush spokesman Ari Fleischer, knowing the campaign couldn't buy a better education ad, pumps his fist and smiles. "Excellent!" he says. Read the article Bush Twins To Graduate High School 5/24/2000 10:08 PM Jenna's the bubbly one, voted by classmates as "most likely to trip on prom night." Barbara was voted "most likely to appear on the cover of Vogue." Just a couple of overachieving teen-agers, "they are so normal," says Tina Juarez, principal at Stephen F. Austin High School. "You can't pick them out from any other students here at Austin High." Read the article Bush: VP Won't Be Powell, McCain 5/24/2000 10:05 PM Republican presidential contender George W. Bush said Wednesday he is actively considering "a couple dozen" potential running mates but his list does not include Colin Powell or John McCain, two of the GOP's most potent political figures. "People who don't want to be considered for vice president are not going to be considered for vice president," Bush said in an interview with The Associated Press. "They have told me, they have said publicly, they don't want to be vice president." Read the article Bush Alleges U.S. Wasn't Neutral on Israeli Vote 5/23/2000 10:57 PM George W. Bush yesterday chastised the Clinton administration for allegedly taking sides in Israel's most recent national election and proclaimed that his "support for Israel is not conditional on the outcome of the peace process." In a speech before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a Jewish lobbying organization, Bush said that as president, he would try to act more as a benevolent broker nudging, rather than trying to force, Israel and its enemies toward peace agreements. Read the article Bush Vows to Reduce Nuke Arsenal 5/23/2000 10:51 PM Texas Gov. George W. Bush, surrounded by some of the GOP's most prominent defense and security experts, today vowed to reduce the nation's nuclear arsenal to "the lowest possible number consistent with our national security." At the same time, Bush reiterated his vow to pursue a national missile defense system, which the Russians oppose and say would violate the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. The governor did not repeat his vow to unilaterally pursue the system over Russia's objections -- a vow he made in a defense policy speech at the Citadel University in South Carolina last fall. But he strongly implied that he had no plans to back down from that promise. Read the article Clinton Disbarment Recommended 5/22/2000 10:43 PM Delivering a post-impeachment rebuke, an Arkansas Supreme Court committee decided Monday that President Clinton should be disbarred for "serious misconduct" in the Paula Jones case and began the court proceeding to strip him of his law license. A majority of the panelists who met on Friday said the president should be disciplined for denying a sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky during a deposition he gave in the Jones sexual harassment case in January 1998. Read the article Heston Re-elected to NRA Helm 5/22/2000 10:42 PM Charlton Heston was unanimously re-elected by the National Rifle Association's executive board today to a third one-year term as president - and said he might consider a fourth term if asked. He also told reporters he expected the NRA to grow from its present 3.6 million members to 4 million by election day. ''I think President Clinton's point of view on firearms has united a lot of people,'' he said. ''Let's put it this way, the Second Amendment is alive and well.'' Read the article Lazio Blazes Senate Campaign Trail in Upstate New York 5/22/2000 10:41 PM Rick Lazio began his run for the U.S. Senate on Monday with a sprint across upstate New York, touching down in eight cities in his first 48 hours on the campaign trail and receiving the full endorsement of state Republican leaders. Read the article Bush Rips Administration on Israel 5/22/2000 10:40 PM George W. Bush accused the Clinton administration on Monday of taking sides in last year's Israeli elections, continuing a pattern of the United States trying "to make Israel conform to its own plans and timetables." Read the article McCain Preaches Unity at GOP Dinner 5/22/2000 10:38 PM Saying that "now is the time for unity," Sen. John McCain urged supporters attending a state Republican Party fund-raiser Monday night to join him in helping to elect George W. Bush as president. The Arizona Republican earned a standing ovation when he said his former rival for the GOP presidential nomination would restore integrity and purpose to the presidency. Read the article Farm Bureau Delegates Back Talent for Governor 5/22/2000 10:33 PM Republican Jim Talent, currently a congressman from St. Louis County, should be Missouri's next governor, as far as the Missouri Farm Bureau's political action committee delegates are concerned. Talent, an eight-year state representative before winning his congressional seat in 1992, won 93.6 percent of the Farm Bureau delegates' votes at a statewide meeting Saturday in Jefferson City. Read the article Farm Bureau Endorses Ashcroft Over Carnahan 5/22/2000 10:32 PM John Ashcroft called Farm Bureau's overwhelming endorsement Saturday both an affirmation and an inspiration in his re-election bid for the U.S. Senate. Ashcroft, Missouri's junior senator, received 95 percent of the Farm Bureau's political action committee's delegate votes for the endorsement over Democratic challenger Gov. Mel Carnahan. Read the article Senator Kenney Ends Bid for Lieutenant Governor 5/22/2000 10:29 PM In a surprise move, state Sen. Bill Kenney, R-Lee's Summit, is dropping out of the contest for Missouri lieutenant governor. Although he'd amassed by far the most campaign money, Kenney said Monday that he was withdrawing today because he lacked the enthusiasm and wanted to spend more time with his family and his real-estate business. Read the article McCain Urges Vermont GOP on Bush 5/21/2000 10:20 PM Sen. John McCain thanked Vermont Republicans on Saturday for their support in the presidential primary earlier this year and urged them to come together now for George W. Bush. "I ask all the McCain supporters -- Republican, independent, independent-minded Democrats -- to join us in electing Governor Bush as president of the United States. ... Now is the time for unity," he said. Read the article DeLay Wields Power, Position as Politician 5/21/2000 10:18 PM Tom DeLay, icon of the right and lightning rod for the left, is not about to stop being Tom DeLay, especially with storm clouds gathering and the fortunes of his party, his ideology and his powerful job on the line this fall. ''Knowing me and what I try to do, I'm going to continue to have fun,'' the No. 3 House GOP leader said recently when asked about Texas Gov. George Bush's recent plea for both parties to bring more civility to governance. Read the article Lazio Unleashes Attack on Clinton 5/21/2000 10:15 PM Convinced he has no time for the pleasantries that typically launch a campaign, Rep. Rick Lazio today kicked off his Republican race for the Senate with a blistering attack on first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton as a liberal outsider who takes advantage of government perks. "You can tell from my accent that I am a lifelong New Yorker," Lazio told a cheering crowd at West Islip High School, where he once ran track and played basketball. "I've never needed an exploratory committee to help me figure out where I wanted to live." Read the article Bush Seeks Advice on Running Mate 5/18/2000 11:03 PM George W. Bush sent letters to 450 Republicans on Thursday seeking advice in his hunt for a running mate. "I assure you that your views and any advice you render will be kept confidential," the Republican presidential contender wrote to U.S. senators, representatives, governors, state GOP committee members, state party chairmen and Bush-for-President committees. Read the article Nancy Reagan Endorses Bush 5/17/2000 10:48 PM Former first lady Nancy Reagan endorsed George W. Bush for president Wednesday, calling him "a candidate Ronnie would be proud of." Mrs. Reagan said that Bush, whose father was Ronald Reagan's vice president, "is doing a fine job carrying on Ronnie's legacy," according to an announcement by the Bush campaign. Using one of her husband's famous phrases, she said the younger Bush "will help America once more become a 'shining city on a hill.'" Read the article Lawyers Handling Missouri Tobacco Suit Gave Politicians -- Mostly Democrats -- $559,000 Over 8 Years 5/17/2000 10:45 PM Lawyers with the five Missouri firms hired to handle Missouri's tobacco lawsuit have donated $559,000 to state officeholders and political parties in the past eight years. About a third of those donations came after the firms were hired in mid-1998 to help with the state's tobacco case. About 90 percent of the contributions were made to Democrats, including Attorney General Jay Nixon and Gov. Mel Carnahan, whose offices oversaw the suit. The critics estimate that the legal fees amount to thousands of dollars an hour, based on a six-month record of hours that lead lawyer Tom Strong sent to Nixon last fall. "Some of these figures are scandalous," said Ground, who is a lawyer. "This is like the lottery; they pay a little in (with contributions) and win a lot back." Read the article Giuliani Continues to Send Mixed Signals 5/16/2000 8:38 PM Continuing to scramble the signals about the New York Senate race, New York City Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani told supporters last night that he is "very much inclined" to continue his campaign. "I would like to do it," he said at a $1,000-a-person fundraising dinner. "I'm trying to figure out if it's the right thing to do." Read the article The Stuff That Rained on McCain's Campaign 5/16/2000 8:33 PM Victorious presidential campaigns usually pick over the carcasses of the defeated. This is an ugly way to put it, but it's the red-blooded truth. It can mean new employment opportunities for beaten campaign workers, but the process is awkward. The winners are sometimes a tad too arrogant for their own good, not even recognizing where they are weak and could use help. The losers are sometimes too swollen with pride--or is that death?--to switch allegiances right away. Read the article Analysis: Bush Ventures Into Financial Unknown 5/16/2000 8:30 PM Gov. George W. Bush's proposal to convert Social Security into a system that includes personal savings accounts is a politically daring leap into the financial unknown. The Republican presidential candidate and his advisers believe his plan to allow younger workers to direct their retirement investments will provide retirees greater returns on their payroll contributions with little administrative cost, thus filling a financial gap in Social Security that will emerge when the baby boom generation begins to retire. Read the article Giuliani Understudies Reach Out for Support 5/14/2000 10:42 PM Although Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani continued to keep his own counsel, Republican officials and would-be candidates operated yesterday on the assumption that there was little chance he would remain in the New York Senate race. Several Republican officials said they expect him to announce this week that he is withdrawing to concentrate on treating his prostate cancer. But they were careful to allow for the possibility that a cornered Giuliani would stay in the race out of spite, if nothing else. Read the article Cindy McCain To Lead GOP Delegation 5/14/2000 10:39 PM In the end, Sen. John McCain got his wish. His wife Cindy will be lead the state delegation to the Republican National Convention this summer. Read the article McCain May Find It Difficult to Subdue Ambitions 5/14/2000 10:37 PM Now that Sen. John McCain has at last rendered his formal endorsement of Texas Gov. George W. Bush for president, tradition says he should either go all out for Bush or make himself scarce so as not to upstage him. The Arizonan surely deserves a season of light scheduling after the exertions of the primaries. And he could keep busy at his day job as chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee. Read the article Bush Likes Chances in Tennessee 5/14/2000 10:36 PM George W. Bush says he can win Tennessee in November even though it is Vice President Al Gore's home state. In an interview with reporters in Austin, Texas, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee said he expects to campaign often in Tennessee. Read the article United States Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert, Featured Guest at Congressman Blunt Event 5/14/2000 10:34 PM United States Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert, will be the featured guest at an event for United States Congressman Roy Blunt. "An Evening at the Fair" is scheduled for Friday, June 9, at the E-Plex Building at the Ozarks Empire Fairgrounds in Springfield, Missouri. The main event and dinner will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $100 each and may be purchased by either calling Friends of Roy Blunt at (417) 886-2101 (tell them that TeamGOP.com sent you) or by e-mailing Cliff Davis at cliffdavis@teamgop.com. (The following link is Speaker Hastert's official website and is provided for informational purposes only.) Read the article McCain Responds to Disappointed Backers, Says Bush Better Than Gore 5/11/2000 10:30 PM John McCain has received hundreds of e-mails and telephone calls from supporters upset by his endorsement of George W. Bush. He is telling them that Bush is "our best hope" of throwing Democrats out of the White House. Read the article Giuliani Remains Undecided on Senate Bid 5/11/2000 10:28 PM New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said Thursday that he has made no decision regarding his candidacy for the U.S. Senate, just one day after announcing he and his wife Donna Hanover would likely seek a legal separation. Read the article Polls: Bush Erases Gore's Advantage in Support Among Women 5/11/2000 10:23 PM George Bush has pulled even with Al Gore in women's support, helping the Republican edge ahead in a broader survey of likely presidential voters. Americans say they also feel Bush is more charismatic, has a better sense of humor and is more inspiring. Read the article Bush Backs Insurance Tax Deduction 5/10/2000 10:05 PM George W. Bush proposed tax breaks of up to several thousand dollars a person Wednesday to help elderly Americans with nursing home insurance and those caring for older relatives at home. Read the article Senator Thurmond Hospitalized 5/10/2000 10:04 PM South Carolina Sen. Strom Thurmond was expected to spend a second night at a Washington hospital Wednesday for treatment of an upset stomach and dehydration. The Republican, at age 97 the oldest serving U.S. senator in history, checked himself into Walter Reed Army Hospital late Tuesday after complaining of an upset stomach. Read the article Poll: Bush Beating Gore in Florida 5/10/2000 10:04 PM George W. Bush has a narrow lead over Al Gore in Florida, according to a new poll in a state that officials from both parties agree is crucial for the Republican to build a winning combination of electoral votes. Texas Gov. Bush had 47 percent while the Democratic vice president had 40 percent in the poll released Wednesday by the American Research Group of Manchester, N.H. Read the article Giuliani, Wife Discuss Separation 5/10/2000 10:00 PM A downcast Mayor Rudolph Giuliani disclosed Wednesday that he and wife Donna Hanover are moving toward legal separation %u2013 his first acknowledgment of trouble in his marriage after years of rumors and recent tabloid photos of his "mystery brunch pal." It was the second personal announcement in the last two weeks for the often stern Republican Senate candidate who guards his privacy zealously. Giuliani announced on April 27 that he is fighting prostate cancer. Read the article John Britton, Lobbyist, Wields Enormous Power in Jefferson City 5/10/2000 9:56 PM The Senate debate had bogged down over how to restrict smoking in the Capitol hallways when Sen. Danny Staples offered a compromise that would limit the inconvenience to everyone. A smoking area, Staples suggested, should be designated wherever lobbyist John Britton was standing. The proposal passed easily. Read the article TV Cameraman Sues Democrat Governor Carnahan 5/10/2000 9:46 PM A TV cameraman has sued Gov. Mel Carnahan and his bodyguard, claiming he was assaulted and battered in an incident at the Jefferson City airport last month. Read the article Congressman Emerson Eyes Key House Post 5/9/2000 10:05 PM Rep. Jo Ann Emerson says she is considering a bid for the House GOP leadership, mulling a race for Republican conference secretary. Emerson, a Republican who represents rural southeast Missouri, would run against Reps. Anne Northup of Kentucky and Kay Granger of Texas should she enter the contest. A decision may come this week, Emerson said in an interview Monday. Read the article Talent Says Hidden Report Shows F-15 Could Be Built for Considerably Less 5/9/2000 10:04 PM A report the Air Force kept secret for the past year shows the F-15 strike fighter could be built for about $21 million less than the current price, Rep. Jim Talent says. Read the article Text of Bush and McCain Comments 5/9/2000 3:46 PM Text of news conference by Texas Gov. George W. Bush and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., as transcribed by the Federal Document Clearing House. Read the article McCain Endorses Bush, Rules Out Vice Presidency 5/9/2000 3:36 PM George W. Bush and John McCain moved to bring their bitter primary campaign to a close here today with the Arizona senator offering Bush a formal endorsement and saying he looked forward to "enthusiastically campaigning" this fall for his one-time rival. McCain also said he told Bush what he has long said publicly, that he did not want to be considered for vice president. The Texas governor said, "I take him for his word," ending the distant hopes of some McCain supporters that their candidate would end up on the GOP ticket. Read the article McCain Will Endorse Bush 5/8/2000 8:50 PM Failed Republican presidential candidate John McCain has decided to endorse former rival George W. Bush at their Tuesday summit, despite misgivings about the Texan's agenda, advisers close to McCain said. The Arizona senator had been expected to endorse Bush later in the campaign, but determined after a series of events -- including a weekend telephone conversation with the presumptive GOP nominee -- that he didn't want to wait any longer. Read the article United States Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert, Featured Guest at Congressman Blunt Event 5/8/2000 10:56 AM United States Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert, will be the featured guest at an event for United States Congressman Roy Blunt. “An Evening at the Fair” is scheduled for Friday, June 9, at the E-Plex Building at the Ozarks Empire Fairgrounds in Springfield, Missouri. The main event and dinner will begin at 7:30 p.m. (Doors open at 7:00.) Tickets are $100 each and may be purchased by either calling Friends of Roy Blunt at (417) 886-2101 (tell them that TeamGOP.com sent you) or by e-mailing Cliff Davis at cliffdavis@teamgop.com. (The following link is Speaker Hastert’s official website. This link is provided for informational purposes only and is not connected to abovementioned event.) Read the article GOP Governor Presses Trade With China 5/7/2000 10:37 PM If U.S. business does not get a crack at selling American cars, food and manufactured goods to China's 1.2 billion consumers, companies in other countries surely will, Tennessee Gov. Don Sundquist said yesterday in the Republicans' weekly radio address. Congress should agree to permanent normal trade relations with China to ensure that Americans gain business opportunities in "the world's biggest and most important emerging market," Sundquist said. Read the article Bush Evokes Memories of Reagan 5/7/2000 10:35 PM In his run for the White House, George W. Bush has steadfastly evaded comparisons to his father, the 41st president of the United States. With the exception of their shared affinity for fishing, speed golf and malapropisms, the Texas Republican shows little hint of reprising his father's presidential style. Instead, on a three-day swing through Southern California, Bush the younger evoked memories of another governor-turned-president: Ronald Reagan. Read the article DeLay: Racketeering Suit 'Pathetic' 5/4/2000 11:09 PM House Majority Whip Tom DeLay, the target of a federal racketeering lawsuit by Democrats, on Thursday called the efforts of his detractors "pretty pathetic." "They'll do anything, lie, cheat and steal, to get back the House," the Texas Republican told reporters at the National Press Club. "They're showing this desperation." Read the article Bush: Dad's 'Read My Lips' Was a Mistake 5/4/2000 11:08 PM George W. Bush says his father's famous "read my lips" no-new-taxes pledge was a mistake because it undermined the former president's credibility. "I think the mistake was to say, `read my lips' ... and then raise the taxes," the Republican presidential contender told Barbara Walters in an interview being broadcast Friday on ABC's "20/20." Read the article Pataki Rules Out Senate Bid 5/4/2000 11:07 PM New York Gov. George Pataki said Thursday he would not run for U.S. Senate should New York city Mayor Rudolph Giuliani drop out of the high-profile race against first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, despite comments made to the contrary only days earlier. Read the article Powell, McCain, Dole Top VP List 5/3/2000 11:32 PM Retired Gen. Colin Powell, John McCain and Elizabeth Dole are the most popular choices for the Republican vice presidential job, says an NBC-Wall Street Journal poll released Wednesday. Read the article Bush Courts Californians for Votes 5/3/2000 11:31 PM Brushing aside claims that he has written off California, Texas Gov. George W. Bush pledged Wednesday to campaign "all up and down" the state, saying his efforts here will propel him to the White House. Read the article Gore Doing Worse Than Expected in Five Key States for Democrats 5/3/2000 12:38 AM Al Gore is performing worse than expected in a handful of states carried by Democrats since 1988, a sign that his political base needs shoring up in the race for the 270 electoral votes required to win the White House. In Iowa, Minnesota, Oregon, Washington state and Wisconsin -- all carried by Democratic presidential candidates in the last three elections -- the most recent polling showed Gore trailing or tied with Republican rival George W. Bush. Read the article Bush Now Sees Bigger Budget Surplus 5/3/2000 12:31 AM The economy's relentless growth means federal surpluses will be far larger than estimated, leaving plenty of room for George W. Bush's proposed tax cut, aides to the presidential contender said Tuesday. Read the article Congressman Blunt to Headline Fundraiser for State Representative Candidate Brad Roark 5/2/2000 10:18 AM United States Congressman Roy Blunt will be the special guest at a fundraiser for Brad Roark, candidate for State Representative in the 139th District, on Saturday, May 6, 2000. The event, which will be held at the Springfield Christian High School, begins at 1:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 each or $35 per couple. Call (417) 865-7860 to order tickets. Read the article GOP Names Platform Committee Chair 5/1/2000 10:37 PM George W. Bush has put Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, in charge of the platform committee for the Republican National Convention. "Governor Thompson is the senior Republican governor and an articulate advocate of smaller, smarter government, greater freedom and stronger families," RNC Chairman Jim Nicholson said. "His leadership and vision will be invaluable as our party crafts a platform that reflects the hopes and ideas of Republicans and a majority of Americans." Read the article Bush Showing Slight Edge on Gore 5/1/2000 10:35 PM Republican George W. Bush and Democrat Al Gore are locked in a close race for president, 49 percent for Bush to 44 percent for Gore, in a CNN-USA Today-Gallup poll released Monday. Read the article