Democratic Convention

Language studies John Kerry, schooled in Europe as a youth, speaks fluent French - but not Spanish - and spent his adult life in New England. He thus lacks easy entree to the fastest-growing minority group, Hispanics, whose votes could decide the presidential election. President Bush, by contrast, speaks Spanish well enough to conduct interviews in Spanish and sprinkle bits of it into his speeches. Democrats, eager to seize any edge they can in the competition for Latino votes, have been boasting that Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, whose mother was Mexican, is the first Hispanic to chair a national political convention.

CHICAGO -- At a pre-convention concert here yesterday, cast members from a current production of "Hair" -- beaded, bell-bottomed and barefoot -- performed "The Age of Aquarius" before a tie-dyed, time-warped audience. A parade of celebrated anti-war protesters from the 1968 Democratic convention raised their voices again for power to the people. Stephen Stills and Graham Nash sang "Chicago."But hard as some have tried to rekindle the fires and passions and spirit of 28 years ago, there was no mistaking that this was the Democratic convention circa 1996.

CHICAGO -- Twenty-eight years after another Democratic National Convention in Chicago ended in a disastrous police riot, tarnishing the Democratic Party and the city itself, Chicago is getting another chance, again under a Mayor Richard Daley.This time it's Richard M. Daley, son of the late Richard J., one of the last of the old-time Democratic city bosses.The son is bent on erasing memories of that 1968 fiasco that blemished his father's image, contributed to the defeat of Democratic nominee Hubert H. Humphrey and ushered in an era conservatism under Republican President Richard M. Nixon.

CHICAGO -- The honor of delivering one last call to arms fell to Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes, who over the past week was perhaps the least visible of the senior officials in Maryland's Democratic convention delegation.With former Rep. Kweisi Mfume delivering a speech last night in his new role as head of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, one more Marylander was stepping onto the convention stage.Before Mfume came Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, who spoke Wednesday night; Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke, who appeared Tuesday night; Rep. Steny H. Hoyer, who spoke Monday; and Gov. Parris N. Glendening, who announced the state's votes for the renomination of President Clinton.

Seeking to recapture its place in a national tradition, Baltimore will bid for the Democratic Party's presidential convention in 2004. The competition, however, is formidable - 10 cities have been invited to bid - and city and state officials appear to be patiently positioning Baltimore for a convention in a more distant presidential year. It has been a long wait: Baltimore was host to the first major party nominating convention, in 1831, but hasn't served as host for one since Woodrow Wilson earned the Democratic nomination in 1912.

CHICAGO -- Asked if there were any way President Clinton could lose the Nov. 5 election to Bob Dole, Charles B. Rangel dissolved into laughter."I don't even think that way," the ebullient Harlem congressman replied. "Anything can happen, you know that."But Rangel, an old pro in the political wars, is the cautious exception. More than two dozen other Democrats, asked the same question, were at a loss to write a script in which their candidate loses to Republican Bob Dole."I can't see anything now and I can't imagine what it would be," said William Daley, brother of Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and the state's premier political strategist.

ABOARD THE SPIRIT OF THE 21st CENTURY -- President Clinton, riding the rails to the Democratic convention, yesterday launched his re-election campaign with full-throated, fist-waving whistle-stop speeches to huge crowds who stood in searing heat chanting in response: "Four more years!""Would you take a U-turn if you were going in the right direction?" Clinton asked a crowd of more than 15,000 in Huntington, W.Va., just before boarding the train. "No!" the crowd answered.Putting aside his Rose Garden strategy -- and any pretext of being above partisan politics -- the president criticized the tax cut plan of Republican candidate Bob Dole, made a point of sticking up for his wife, and at each stop ticked off the litany of legislation and economic statistics achieved during his first term.

BOSTON -- On the eve of Sen. John Kerry's nomination for president, a parade of convention speakers, led by the senator's wife, praised him as a war hero who would defend America vigorously in the war on terrorism. The second night of the Democrats' national convention -- blacked out by the major broadcast networks, thus guaranteeing a smaller viewing audience -- was given over to themes of change, diversity, moderation and optimism designed to appeal to independent swing voters who could hold the key to the November election.

CHICAGO -- The spiritual odyssey of Charles W. Gilchrist, from high political office in Maryland to an inner-city ministry here, is about to take a new turn.The two-term Montgomery County executive is coming back to Baltimore right after this week's Democratic convention. He will join the New Song ministry in the Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood Oct. 1."It's a wonderful time for us to be going home," he said. "We had always wanted to get back to the Baltimore-Washington area and Baltimore just seems to have the right scale."