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The Republican right wing that loyally supported Reagan was very much in control of the Detroit convention—of its machinery, its rules and its platform. The Sunbelt's polyester suits and white cowboy hats and STOP ERA buttons far outnumbered the striped ties and horn-rimmed glasses of the Northeast. Recognizing that there was no way to wrest back the control that had once been theirs, the moderates simply sat back and watched the show. Massachusetts Congressman Silvio Conte, a liberal firebrand on the platform committee at five previous conventions, backed out of serving on the panel this year. Said he: "What's the use? The numbers aren't there."
But despite the fervor of a few right-wing ideologues, who were chiefly responsible for the hard-line platform planks against abortion, the Equal Rights Amendment and school busing for racial desegregation, Reagan's convention managers and a majority of the delegates were determined to keep anyone from bolting the party as the moderates did in 1964. Most conservatives and their presidential nominee are now more tolerant of doctrinal differences within the party, and they are anxious to broaden its base. Put differently, winning is more fun than losing. Said Arizona Congressman John Rhodes, the convention's permanent chairman: "Four years ago, we had the purists against the pragmatists. This year 90% of the people here are pragmatists. It's a good omen."
No matter what their political views, virtually all Republicans at the convention were enthusiastic about their nominee. Despite the steaming Midwestern heat (97° F on the second day at the convention), which taxed the arena's air conditioning, the thousands of delegates, alternates and guests chanted "Viva! Olé!", sang God Bless America, danced in the aisles and blew on party horns for 15 minutes after awarding the nomination to Reagan. Said Terrance Martin, 84, a delegate from Lake Havasu City, Ariz., as he stood clapping to celebrate Reagan's nomination: "This is what I've been working for since 1920, when I got involved in the Harding campaign. This time, we've got the right man at the right time."