My journey observing national party conventions from cheerleader to staffer

Don Wolfensberger reflects on his experiences attending Republican National Conventions, including his first as a cheerleader for Barry Goldwater in 1964, his work on the platform committee in 1976, and his subsequent experiences in the 1990s and in 2000.

It seems an ideal time, between the two parties’ national conventions, to reflect on conventions I have attended over the years.  Most of my experiences were as an assistant on the Republican platform or rules committees with House members I worked for who were also delegates appointed to those committees. My first experience, however, was quite different.   

I had just graduated from college in 1964 and was a gung-ho supporter of Sen. Barry Goldwater (R-Ariz.) for president. As a member of college young Republicans, I paid close attention to all the goings-on in the run-up to the GOP convention that July. When word went out that the party was looking for young volunteers to be crowd rousers (i.e., cheer leaders) on the convention floor, I signed-on immediately. 

What made the opportunity especially appealing was that a train had been chartered exclusively to transport the Midwest volunteers from Chicago to San Franscisco at no cost.  As you might imagine, that train ride gave a whole new meaning to the term, “party enthusiast.”  As I recall, it was a three-day journey, and there was never a dull moment or scarcity of new friends.  

Fortunately, my older sister and her family lived in a nearby suburb and were happy to welcome me for overnight stays at their home – that is, when I was able to make the late-night commute.   

The youth volunteers were positioned on the convention floor of the Cow Palace just below the rostrum, poised to spring out, on cue, waving their placards and leading the cheers. We were at the center of the action!  

I didn’t keep a journal so I do not remember much in the way of details.  We were all puzzled when Goldwater named Bill Miller of New York as his running mate – “Bill who?”  Turns out he was a respected member of the U.S. House of Representatives. First elected in 1950, he was selected chairman of the Republican National Congressional Committee in 1961 and engineered a 20-seat Republican pickup of House seats in his first term. 

The one thing that sticks in my mind about that convention was the address by former President Dwight D. Eisenhower. I’m sure most of it was conventional campaign rhetoric, but at one point he made reference to “those sensation-seeking col-um-nists and commentators” (pronouncing columnists as if it was communists).   

With that, the delegates rose en masse, turned to the back of the hall where the network anchor booths were located, and began angrily shaking their fists and booing the broadcasters. It startled me mainly because I was planning to be a television newscaster one day. It was my first taste of how much enmity some people harbor toward the news media. 

There was a long hiatus between my first convention in 1964 and my next in 1976. In the interim I attended grad school, spent two years in the Peace Corps, and began working on Capitol Hill in 1969 for my home district congressman, John B. Anderson (R-Ill.). Anderson was chosen in 1976 to chair the housing subcommittee of the platform committee at the Kansas City convention. When he invited me to be on its staff, I happily accepted.  

Rep. Gerald R. Ford (R-Mich.) was House Republican leader when President Richard M. Nixon tapped him to be vice president in December 1973.  Vice President Spiro Agnew had resigned in disgrace. When Nixon resigned over Watergate in August 1974, Ford became president and then ran for the office in 1976.    

One thing I observed on the platform committee in 1976 was the fierce in-fighting over contentious planks between Ford delegates and those committed to California Gov. Ronald Reagan. Eventually, the Ford camp made concessions to placate Reagan’s folks, figuring it was better to focus on securing the nomination than to expend extra time and energy on platform fights. But Reagan had laid the groundwork for successfully winning the nomination and the presidency the next time around in 1980.   

I worked three subsequent conventions: Houston (1992); San Diego (1996); and Philadelphia (2000). The venues and details may differ but the similarities don’t vary: seemingly endless speeches by incumbents, wannabes, party poohbahs and celebrities --all building to the final night’s coronation of the nominee, capped by the acceptance speech.   

There comes a point at which it all gets old, repetitious and downright boring. Once you’ve paid your dues, it’s time to move on, and I did.  Now I can turn the convention proceedings on or off at will from the comfort of my home and watch the march of democracy plod on.  

Don Wolfensberger is a 28-year congressional staff veteran culminating a chief-of-staff of the House Rules Committee.  He is author of “Congress and the People: Deliberative Democracy on Trial” (2000), and, “Changing Cultures in Congress: From Fair Play to Power Plays” (2018).