Pubdate: Tue, 01 Aug 2000
Source: USA Today (US)
Copyright: 2000 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.
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Author: Jessica Lee

HUFFINGTON CASTS LONG SHADOW AT OFFICIAL GATHERING

PHILADELPHIA -- Arianna Stassinopoulos Huffington's matriculation from
a gilded life as spouse of an oil-rich congressman to celebrity
eminence of a movement to stamp out poverty, take big money out of
national political campaigns and redirect federal drug policy seems
complete.

She stands this week at the helm of Shadow Conventions 2000, a series
of gatherings aimed at focusing some of the quadrennial political
attention on issues that Republicans have kept off their national
convention program here in Philadelphia or that Democrats have no
plans to address at their convention later this month in Los Angeles.

Huffington came to national political prominence as an acolyte to
House Speaker Newt Gingrich, whose conservative ideas in 1994 fueled
the Republicans' drive to their first House majority in 40 years. She
later made headlines as the quotable wife of former U.S.
representative Michael Huffington, R-Calif., who financed a $30
million unsuccessful race for the U.S. Senate with personal funds in
1994.

Now divorced, Huffington is joining hands with the leaders of liberal
totems such as the American Civil Liberties Union and Common Cause for
a parallel ''convention'' at the University of Pennsylvania.

Huffington says ''a series of epiphanies'' led to her political
makeover. First, she says, came the realization that Gingrich and his
fellow Republicans in Congress did not act on their rhetoric.

''I really believed the Republican Party would really get involved in
addressing issues such as child poverty, health care and education,''
Huffington said shortly after the shadow convention's opening session
Sunday. ''But there wasn't the collective will to put the ideas into
practice.''

These days, Huffington is working with a different collective.
Grass-roots groups such as Call to Renewal, a coalition of churches
and faith-based institutions including evangelical Christians,
Cath-olics, main-line Protestants and black churches; Public Campaign,
an organization that lobbies at the state level for campaign finance
reform; and the Lindesmith Center, a drug policy foundation, are
basking in the glow of the media attention that she's attracting to
their causes.

Jesse Jackson, who's to speak today, should feel at home when he looks
out at the alliterative signs and sees those hoisted by delegates
identifying themselves as ''Disappointed,'' ''Disrespected,''
''Disillusioned,'' ''Downsized'' and ''Disaffected,'' people whose
causes his Rainbow Coalition often champions.

Shadow convention delegates show little of the spit-polished,
buttoned-down demeanor of the GOP strivers whom Huffington worked
alongside for years. But she held her own this week when her
convention booed and hooted at Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., for praising
the campaign of George W. Bush. McCain clenched his teeth and offered
to leave. Huffington was not having that. ''This is the convention
where we can hear everything we respect,'' she said. The hissing stopped.

When the daily shadow convention sessions end, Huffington will spend
her evenings at the Republican convention, schmoozing with friends and
working the media circuit. Her red hair, husky Greek-accented voice
and erudite comments attract attention wherever she goes. When
Huffington goes to the main convention hall where Bush will accept the
nomination Thursday, she's visiting a party that she says she didn't
leave.

The GOP, she says, left her.
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