I The Michigan Daily-Thursday, September 4, 1980-Page 9-A :)P in Detroit: flections of a ident reporter By JOYCE FRIEDEN r Republican Convention ind went last July, and now: e hullaballoo is long since will be put out of the collec- iblic mind for another four But for those of us who were there, especially fellow collegiate reporters, being a part of the con- vention proceedings has left its in- delible mark on our psyches. As far as "hard news" goes, no startling developments occurred. The pick of the presidential nominee came as no great surprise, although the mystery surrounding Reagan's choice for a running mate caused a last-minute flurry of excitement the night of July 16. That is not to say convention proceedings were dull - far from it! For me, what could have been an unbearably uninteresting three days was enlivened by the celebrities, both media and non-media, that I happened to glimpse. For example, imagine yourself in the lobby of the plush Pontchartrain Hotel, watching Liz Taylor walk by. The world-reknowned "beauty" about whom so much has been writ- ten is wearing an offensive red-and' white dress accompanied by an overly tacky bright red plastic belt. Her outfit was a disappointment, tot say the least. {p anew beginnns Another time I found myself- on, Detroit's Kennedy Square, watching the annual hot-pants contest (spon- sored by The Detroit News, a questionable comment on their judgment of what makes good public relations). Where else could you find 74-year-old Nick Feldman riding his 10-speed and wearing a sign saying, "Thank you GOP from a: Democrat"? It certainly gave a lot of Good Humor ice cream vendors pause.- AT THE CONVENTION headquarters of NBC radio and television, located on the main floor of Cobo Hall, visitors were greeted by a tasteful wall-sized cartoon mural of John Chancellor and David Brinkley. That mural and others adorning the studio, I found out later, cost upwards of 16,000 to have done. Mr. Proxmire, I have a new candidate for the "Golden Fleece Award".. . NBC's studio tour proved fruitful in many other ways. I saw where and how both radio and television news were put together, and chatted briefly with the president of NBC News. Too bad he didn't get me a job. Lest you are beginning to think this space is being used for nothing more than a gossip column, I hasten to say that I gained valuable political insights from the conven- tion as well. The way some of the proceedings were conducted said a lot about the Republican Party. TAKE THE "Youth for Reagan" delegation rally, for instance. The first thing I saw on entering Ford Auditorium was the "Let's Make America Great Again" banner that stretched across the top of the stage. Indeed, the rally proved to be a return to the "good old days" as clean-cut young men and women gave standing ovations to all four speakers - George Bush, John Con- nally, Robert Dole, and (last but not least) Ben Fernandez. Fernandez, the first Hispanic Republican presidential candidate and the least famous person on the podium, typified Republican ideals in his speech. "The American Dream can come true - it did for me," proclaimed Fernandez to the adoring crowd (Fernandez made his first million in the field of elec- tronics and then "retired" to run for president). "Poor people choose to be poor," See CONVENTION, Page 17 I I Albert's Copying 535 E. Liberty NEW A T ALERTS: Typing Service "Dissertations 995-0444 The Grand Old Party Daily Photo by DAVID HARRIS ew days in July, the usually docile downtown area of Detroit became a wild, chaotic hellbroth of GOP conventioners. the roaring Republicans toot their horns for a new beginning. Editing! Revisions WE OFFER: * color copies " sharp, low cost copies " quality reductions " many colors and cardstocks " transparencies U dissertation quality guaranteed, rat Places #_" Trovl Consultants Quick accurate computerized reservation service International and Domestic services for groups or individuals D service charge 9 We honor major credit cards " Term Papers " Resumes t Places Specializes In: * AMTRAK to Notre Dame Game September 20th Price to be announced 216 S. Fourth Ave. * THANKSGIVING FLIGHTS to New York $118 Also Philadelphia flights (Neor Liberty St.) w ® master charge QPEN MONDA Y THRU SUNDA Y J i e F a 0 pA ... _ . .. mac. r \ . ,. \\ N NT'S . . a'= .. -P;t t '~ itn0A S) Q 0 'a j I El (P 9 y !i. ' iv i dy i iy , '~ j Ii + I i Idl i ,I ' . l f t ~ _ . \ ti ,; . i t, l El E w o 9$ f > e/ )V .1 1 * Textbooks discounted! * All The Supplies You NEED I 0 All The "M"Imprinted Clothing and Gifts You WANT i I