Democratic Convention

The nomination of Michael Dukakis hopefully signals the maturing of America in the age of electronic communications and news as an entertainment source. Perhaps we now look beyond a candidate’s rhetorical ability, charm, and crafted-for-TV ideals to discover if there is an executive ability combined with a firm grasp of reality and practical solutions.

Maybe we have discovered during this past year that our charismatic ideologues--Ronald Reagan, Gary Hart, et al--have feet of clay and we are beginning to distrust glamour as much as we dislike greed. Perhaps we no longer want a “star” to “inspire” us, but now opt for sterner qualities such as realistic goals, native intelligence, and the common sense to know what is honest and what is not.

JACQUELINE KERR

Los Angeles