1988 REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION : Hold Belief They Have the Knowledge of Who He Is : Converts at Work Touting Real Bush

He is not Ronald Reagan, the beloved President who led a Republican revolution. But make no mistake, this is George Bush’s convention; these are his people and they are ready.

What these Bush fans see in him often reflects what they see in themselves--a belief in loyalty, a respect for job preparation and a solid knowledge of who they are. They also have seen him up close and believe they have a solid knowledge of who he is.

“People say George Bush has no charisma, but George Bush has always known that he is somebody,” said Maxine Booth of West Virginia.

And a walk around the convention floor finds people one after the other who have been recipients of the special Bush touch.

See a Different George Bush

“Those of us who have seen Bush up close personally, we see a George Bush that I don’t think the American public has,” said Rep. Elton Gallegly of Simi Valley, Calif. “That’s our job in the next 90 days. If we do it, he will win. If we don’t, we’ll get what we deserve.”

Katherine Boyd of Hillsborough, Calif., recalls the time Bush visited her house and the ceiling started leaking because the upstairs bathtub had overflowed.

“Katie, it’s not raining outside, why is it raining in here?” said the vice president of the United States.

In a situation that would be horrifying to most people, Bush quickly put Boyd at ease by directing her efforts to set out pots and pans to catch all the water.

“If people could see that George Bush,” Boyd said.

And if there were any question here about whether Reagan would dominate emotions, it ended when Reagan began to praise Bush in his speech to the convention Monday night.

“George played a major role in everything we have accomplished,” Reagan shouted.

The hall exploded with applause and shouts of “Bush, Bush, Bush.”

Not a few of those shouting have received the kind of personal attention that Bush has made his signature in the Republican Party’s activist circles. He writes them letters, sends them Christmas cards, calls them on New Year’s Day.

Legend has it Bush’s Rolodex is the biggest in Washington.

He is, according to the delegates here, capable of a personal involvement in their lives that Reagan was not known for, despite the President’s ability to project warmth and sincerity on television.

Alma Carter of Plano, Tex., has known Bush since 1970 and over the years has received any number of notes and cards--just little reminders that he hasn’t forgotten her.

“He sent me a note on his Christmas card this year saying ‘Thanks for everything you’ve done and have a great holiday,’ ” Carter said.

She said that correspondence from Bush is at its richest not when it is typewritten but when it’s his own handwriting--”which you can hardly read.”

Overwhelming Support for Him

So, in spite of their continuing affection for Reagan, more than three-fourths of the delegates here said in a Los Angeles Times Poll that they would support Bush more than any candidate.

One reason for this enthusiasm is the feeling that these activists owe him.

“People are coming to life for George Bush now because he’s been a good soldier for them in all kinds of circumstances--got an assignment, got a thankless assignment, give it to George Bush,” said California Republican Chairman Robert Naylor. “There’s a genuine affection for him.”

At every convention, excitement is stirred by the knowledge of the impending fall campaign. In this case, said Mike Mahaffey, Iowa GOP chairman, “People realize that this is going to be a very, very close election, we can’t sit back--there is an urgency to our situation.”