Porter spends week in Nevada

Suzanne Struglinski

Monday, Aug. 30, 2004 | 9:46 a.m.

NEW YORK -- Rep. Jon Porter, R-Nev., will not make a short speech from the podium at the 2004 Republican National Convention as planned but will spend the week in Nevada working on his campaign.

Porter spokesman Adam Mayberry said the congressman would be at the convention in spirit but after evaluating his schedule, he thought staying in Nevada would be his best option. Porter told convention organizers Friday he would not make his remarks.

"His time is more valuable at home on the campaign trail," Mayberry said. "This race is important to him and at this stage in the game it's more important for him to stay at home."

Porter's speech was only going to be about 100 words long, which is about a paragraph. Mayberry said Porter would watch coverage of the convention on television.

Ringing the bell

Convention delegate Milton Schwartz of Las Vegas rang the bell at the NASDAQ stock market at 9:30 a.m. Schwartz, who operates the Yellow-Checker-Star cab company, said he maxed out on his contributions to the Bush re-election campaign, which is probably why he got the opportunity. Schwartz will also get a chance to sit in Vice President Dick Cheney's suite inside Madison Square Garden.

Schwartz has been to every Republican convention since 1964.

Variety of views

The thousands of people that trudged along 7th Avenue in New York Sunday all opposed something, but that's where the similarities ended.

According to the homemade signs and banners that bobbed above the protesters heads as they made their way through the city, some marched to protest the war in Iraq, some protested President Bush, others really supported Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry while others were against both candidates for a variety of reasons.

Anarchists, socialists, communists, Christians, Jews and Muslims also marched to get their respective messages across too.

One person dressed up as a carrot and another a corncob urging people to become vegetarians and even fictional characters were brought into politics.

New York resident Jon Rosenberg handed out stickers saying "Republicans for Voldemart," the villain from the Harry Potter book series advertising his Web site that says "fictional elections deserve fictional characters." Rosenberg shouted "Vote for the Dark Lord" while handing out stickers. Other stickers and buttons wanted the wizard Gandalf from the "Lord of the Rings" for president.

Local flavor

The Carnegie Deli, known for its mountain-like corned beef and pastrami sandwiches, has signed publicity photos, one from 1995 and one from 2002 of Seigfreid & Roy with a white tiger handing on its wall.

Battleground status

Nevada's importance to the upcoming election is clear again as the state's delegates to the 2004 Republican National Convention receive special attention.

Bush campaign chairman Marc Racicot, a former Montana governor and other tops advisers are scheduled to speak to the delegation this week.

Nevada will also pass on its roll call vote tonight as votes are tabulated to officially nominate President Bush and Vice President Cheney to run for re-election. State Republican Party Chairwoman Earlene Forsythe said the state would cast its vote Wednesday instead because convention organizers want battleground states to help put the president over the top to get the nomination.