The Illusion of Inclusion.

• Author: Conniff, Ruth
• Position: Republican National Convention

The word from both the Democrats and Republicans--and even among participants at the "shadow conventions"--is that the old politics of left and right is dead. Long live the new politics of "inclusion." What the hell does that mean?

The Democrats discovered the P.R. value of inclusive language long ago. Like corporations that turn protest songs into advertising jingles, the Republicans have finally caught on to the strategy of embracing and subsuming the opposition.

Among the myriad corporate sponsors of the Republican Convention was Dale Carnegie and Associates, Inc. Reporters covering the convention received a little golden booklet with pearls of wisdom from the late granddaddy of American salesmanship and author of How to Win Friends and Influence People. Tip number one in the list of principles on how to "Become a Friendlier Person" is "Don't criticize, condemn, or complain."

The Republicans took that one to heart. All controversy, debate, and ideology were squeezed out of the proceedings.

"Bienvenidos! Welcome!" said the sign over the head of Latino pin-up boy George P. Bush, who took the stage and did a little dance to the strains of "La Bamba." Later, he introduced his uncle, George W. Bush, at a Latin-theme rally on the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum. It's a "nuevo dia" for the Republicans, said the twenty-four-year-old Mexican-American whom W. calls "el hombre guapo" (the good-looking guy). He went on to tell the crowd that his uncle is, of all things, the rightful heir to Cesar Chavez, co-founder of the United Farm Workers.

"One day Cesar Chavez passed away," George P. said, "and my mother came to me, and she was crying, and she said `hay que buscar lideres que nos representan' (`We have to find leaders who represent us') ... and that person is my uncle."

There were loud cheers for George W. from the crowd of mostly Anglo college kids. UFW President Arturo Rodriguez, Chavez's son-in-law, was not as excited. "We question whether George W. is that leader, based on his record," he said. The UFW points out that the minimum wage for farm workers in Texas is $3.35 an hour compared with $5.75 in California. And Bush has supported changes in workers' comp that make it harder for farm workers to get disability benefits.

But those details were lost on the crowd in Philadelphia. Swaying to the electric drumbeat of a treacly love song by Jon Secada, the group directly in front of the stage waved placards with Spanish slogans.

"We're with...